Noi the Albino (2003)
Though hit hard by the recent financial crisis, Iceland has always been a culturally rich nation. The beautiful landscape has served as artistic inspiration for generations. Though Iceland is a relative newcomer to the world of cinema, they have taken to it quite spectacularly. Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Icelandic Film Centre have teamed up to present some of the highlights from Iceland's incredible cinematic history.
Images from the Edge: Classic and Contemporary Icelandic Cinema, which begins Wednesday, collects some of Iceland's earliest talkies, finest dramas, thrilling battles, sweetest romances, and greatest laughs. Our retrospective fittingly begins with Between Mountain and Shore (1949), the first Icelandic picture with sound. What follows is a week full of fantastic films such as the odd Noi the Albino (2003) and the wildly influential Land and Sons (1980), both with their respective directors in person.
They won't be alone, either. Many directors are taking the trip to New York, including Academy Award nominee Friðrik Thór Friðriksson. Friðriksson helped popularize Icelandic cinema when his 1991 film Children of Nature became an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Friðrik has four films in this series, including the 1982 documentary Rock in Reykjavik (keep your eye out for a young Björk!), his first fiction feature White Whales from 1987, and perhaps his greatest work, 2000's Angels of the Universe. There will also be continuous free screenings of his experimental piece The Circle (1985) throughout the entire festival.
Icelandic cinema is notably eclectic and this line-up has something for everyone. For a complete list of films and showtimes and to buy tickets, head to the series page.
