Í nýlegri umfjöllun Reykjavik Grapevine er rætt við ýmsa sem þekkja til íslenskrar kvikmyndagerðar á einn eða annan hátt og rætt um stöðuna nú. Viðmælendur eru Leifur Dagfinnsson, Ásgrímur Sverrisson, Steve Gravestock, Elsa María Jakobsdóttir, Margrét Einarsdóttir og Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir.
Greinina skrifar Iryna Zubenko og hún hefst svona:
I was walking home through downtown Reykjavík one day in April when I came across a large crowd blocking the road. Asking around, I came to discover the road was closed for filming Netflix’s action-thriller ‘Heart of Stone’ starring Gal Gadot. Lots of cameras, extras, and police—all for one shot of a cyclist going down Klappastigur. I craned my head with curiosity as I waited a few minutes until I was able to continue on my way. Though it may be the norm in London or New York, a film shoot interrupting the daily life of Reykjavík residents is quite odd.
But this may soon change. In the past few years, Iceland serving as the backdrop for Hollywood films has become a more common occurrence. Just a few days ago, I turned on an episode of HBO’s ‘The Flight Attendant’ to see it was filmed right around the corner from Grapevine’s office.
But it’s not just international productions shaking things up in Iceland, the local film industry is also thriving. Icelandic movies have been making buzz internationally, with low-budget comedy ‘Leynilögga’ (‘Cop Secret’) even receiving a nomination for a prestigious European Film Award. Every time I visit Reykjavík’s only arthouse cinema, Bíó Paradís, there are several new Icelandic movies on the programme.
What is happening in the Icelandic film industry? Why are so many international productions coming to this tiny island in the North Atlantic? And why are there more and more Icelandic films being released each year?
In an attempt to answer these and many other questions, I embarked on a two-week journey shadowing the people from the industry to learn what the Icelandic film boom is all about.
