21/06/2022 - The Iceland Documentary Film Festival returns with a selection of international documentaries and a series of parallel events, including industry activities

The fourth edition of IceDocs - Iceland Documentary Film Festival, one of Iceland’s most unique film festivals, will be held for the fourth time over the summer-solstice weekend from 22-26 June, at a time when the sun never sets in the country. It will unspool in the picturesque fishing town of Akranes, half an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, and framed by mountains and long, sandy beaches. Iceland’s first lady, Eliza Reid, will formally open the festival, and the night will be followed by a live cinematic performance of Dystopia Utopia by Die! Goldstein.

The festival continues its mission to introduce quality documentaries to both local audiences and visitors from abroad, and to connect filmmakers and industry people from all over the world. All of the events are happening in Akranes, a location that offers spectacular ocean views and sandy beaches, a beautiful lighthouse, a geothermally heated beach-side pool and, most importantly, a brilliant cinema – Bíóhöllin, which is one of the oldest and prettiest movie theatres in the country.

The Main Competition at IceDocs is comprised of six feature-length documentaries – more precisely: A House Made of Splinters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Ukraine/Sweden), A Night of Knowing Nothing [+see also:
film review
interview: Payal Kapadia
film profile] by Payal Kapadia (India/France), The Balcony Movie [+see also:
film review
interview: Paweł Łoziński
film profile] by Paweł Łoziński (Poland), The Eclipse [+see also:
film review
interview: Nataša Urban
film profile] by Nataša Urban (Norway), Three Minutes - A Lengthening [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bianca Stigter
film profile] by Bianca Stigter (Netherlands/UK), and Young Plato by Neasa Ní Chianáin and Declan McGrath (Ireland/Belgium/France). The films will be evaluated by a three-member jury featuring Christine Camdessus, filmmaker and managing director of FIPADOC; documentary producer and director Hanna Björk Valsdóttir; and Miguel Eek, filmmaker and artistic director of MajorDocs. Furthermore, five short documentaries make up the Short Film Competition of IceDocs.

Regarding the industry programme of the festival, a series of panels have been organised that will follow the topics of festival collaboration, where founders of festivals dedicated to creative documentaries discuss why they think it’s important to have their own specific platform and how they plan to collaborate in the future. Meanwhile, Changing Tides will focus on the changes in the industry that have taken place during the past two years. Also, Cecile Bolvinkle will give some examples of how to present the perfect pitch, while Helle Hansen will focus on tips for projects in early development, and Current Time TV's executive editor, Kenan Aliyev, will discuss the directions the company will be taking in the coming months. Finally, the world’s problems will be mulled over in the Guðlaug hot baths at Langisandur beach on the last day of IceDocs.

A workshop for eight Icelandic works in progress is also being hosted during IceDocs. The workshop is mentored by Marta Andreu and is sponsored by the Icelandic Film Fund.