In person: Ágúst Guðmundsson!

Most critics would date the birth of the contemporary Icelandic cinema from the release of this powerful adaptation of Indriði G. Þorsteinsson’s novel. Despite the harsh conditions brought on by a disease ravaging the local sheep herds, the farmers in a remote northern family resolve to struggle on, pooling their resources and working together to get past the slump. But when his father dies, Einar sees the chance he’s been waiting for: to leave home and try his luck elsewhere. Land and Sons beautifully captures the waning of old bonds and values as a new generation dreams of creating new lives. Widely screened at international film festivals, Land and Sons more than any other work put Iceland on the cinematic map.