Synopsis

In the late 19th century, arrogant if naïve Danish priest Lucas travels to Iceland, then a colony of Denmark, to establish a remote parish for homesteaders and convert the locals to Christianity. To reach his outpost, Lucas must traverse the harsh foreign landscape—a grueling journey for which he is decidedly ill-suited. Although local guide Ragnar has been hired to ensure the entourage’s safe passage, Lucas can’t help but treat the Icelander with contempt. Recalling the grand thematics, foreboding landscapes, and existential angst in the best work of Werner Herzog and Ingmar Bergman, the film builds to an inexorable clash between the imperious outsider and the wary locals. Inspired by a collection of wet plate photographs of rural Iceland taken by a priest in the late 1800s, Godland is a forceful, inspired critique of the destructive impact of the colonial endeavor.

Winner

58th Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo and Silver Hugo: Best Cinematography. Learn more…

Synopsis

If This Is Spinal Tap had been centered on an all-female group of Icelandic performance-artist musicians, it would look a lot like Band. singer-turned-filmmaker Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir’s hilarious and poignant portrait of the misadventures of her Post Performance Blues Band. Renowned in the underground Reykjavik music scene since 2016 for their electro-punk sound and spandex-clad modernist dance moves, Álfrún and her friends Saga and Hrefna, nearing 40, double down on their artistic pursuits: They give themselves one year to become avant-garde pop stars—or relinquish their ambitions once and for all. Filled with absurdist humor and hard-to-believe-it’s-real moments, Band is a colorful, zany, and subversively heartfelt celebration of adult friendship and an ode to boldly, if also somewhat recklessly, pursuing your dreams.