As soon as we knew for sure that Vera Sölvadóttir, a young Icelandic film maker,
was going to be a resident at HĂ–FN for 2 months (15th of May-14th of July 2015),
and from the time she actually had arrived at HĂ–FN, our association, together with her,
started imagining, then building up a special event :
a public screening of Icelandic short films, that could give a perfectly subjective (Vera's choices),
and still meaningful and diverse overview of the young Icelandic filmmakers' production...
For this occasion, HĂ–FN formalised a partnership
which had been up to this point rather occasional and informal with the École d'Art d'Aix en Provence.
The Aix en Provence Art School not only made immediately all possible and easy for us
but actually hosted this original glimpse of Icelandic short films for a whole evening,
the 17th of June 2015, a day and date that were chosen at first because it was convenient for the Art School,
because HĂ–FN needed some time to organise the event ...
until we realised, perfect coincidence (!), that the 17th of June was also THE Independence Day in Iceland...
HERE, THE DETAILED PROGRAMME or here( pdf): files/programmedetails.pdf
In the afternoon, that very day, at the Art School, testing prior screening, meeting between Saga and Fanny...
The audience (some Art School's students, quite a few teachers, heads of the Festival Tous Courts,
friends, partners of the HĂ–FN association and/or the Art School...),
not so many people to begin with, at 6 pm (about 15!), grew over the course of the evening (about 45).
We were supposed to end the evening at 10 pm sharp... We could not really before 10. 30...
Vera Sölvadóttir presented briefly each and every 7 short films,
by 5 Icelandic filmmakers -women and men- before they were shown.
Two of them were her own. After each screening, Vera answered the audience's questions,
and the discussions between all became more and more spontanious and sustained as the evening went by...
Some examples of the topics that were broached in relation with each film :
- GrĂmur Hákonarson : Bræðrabylta (Wrestling), 2007 :
First thing Vera mentioned, of course, presenting Bræðrabylta and the director : GrĂmur Hákonarson:
his second feature film, selected in Cannes festival 2015Â : HrĂştar (Rams/BĂ©liers), had just won Un certain Regard award.
After the screening, everybody in the audience seemed quite curious about the National Icelandic sport called « glĂma » ;
its very obvious choreographic form, which the film wonderfully and subtly highlighted, touched a lot the audience,
that was as well almost fascinated by the deeply silent characters:
Do the Icelanders explain philosophically, theoretically, sociologically, historically their restraint, secretiveness, an innate (?) disposition for silence?
There were some questions about the rural life in Iceland,
and the beginning of a discussion about the way the Icelandic society judges homosexuality,
a discussion which will go on and be developed after the screening of the following film :
- Ísold Uggadóttir : Góðir gestir (Family reunion), 2006:
Vera, answering questions mainly connected to this subject, has explained that the director,
ĂŤsold UggadĂłttir, actually told much of her own story in her film ;
it was indeed not an easy task in 2006 to tempt any self -discloser, what we call in French … one's « coming out »...
as today, Icelandic Society has allowed (officially), and most of Icelanders have accepted female as much as male homosexuality...
- ĂŤsold UggadĂłttir : Revolution ReykjavĂk, 2011
One of the first questions, facing this woman walled in silence,
echoed what had been already discussed about Bræðrabylta (Wrestling) :
the Icelandic silent way... but of course the audience mainly showed much interest,
and sought information for the today's economical and social state of Iceland
(more than it wanted to know about what was hapenning in the country back in 2009);
Vera actually answered quite squarely by drawing a vivid picture of what had happened that very same day in Iceland, the 17th of June 2015,
The National Independence Day, where, as always, there was the traditional Prime Minister's speech...
which this time, was jeered at and booed from the beginning to the end by the many Icelanders in the streets
who had NOT come as ever to joyfully strut around, meet friends, have fun, but demonstrate, protest, and shout loud their anger and indignation...
Vera mentioned the 2 governments that succeeded one another since the 2008 economical crisis,
how the current government was elected on the basis of many promises that were not at all kept...
Faced today with an obvious disintegration of two major sectors : Health and Culture,
Icelanders are demonstrating again and again and feel outraged that not only authorities do not respond
but show contempt and disregard to their suffering and/or claims.
Another dark and gloomy assessment : never ever in Icelandic Society was such a huge social and economic disparity between rich and poor...
Somebody asked whether trade unions exist in Iceland.
Vera answered that it really depends on the professional sectors.
For instance, it was never possible (although necessary) to create a trade union concerning the film industry,
because outlooks, needs, wishes that all working in this area expressed deeply differed...
- KatrĂn Ă“lafsdĂłttir : Slurpinn & co, 1998:
Vera , presenting the film, defended it with passion, as one the the first examples in Iceland of so-called « physical cinema »,
which, when she discovered it, deeply fascinated her.
The film gave the opportunity to question, and discuss about cinematographic form,
a subject that had not been broached... up to that point.
Indeed, the film director, KatrĂn Ă“lafsdĂłttir, tempted, and fully experimented a powerful act/challenge :
planning and shooting a whole choreography in a single sequence shot..
Time then for some kind of « interval », a friendly and enjoyable moment (as we had hoped it would be),
which allowed for useful, pleasant, surprising (…) meetings between people,
as everybody was invited to share a Provençal/Icelandic buffet :
smoked and marinated-in-dill Icelandic salmon (which was, with the films, in Vera's baggage – many thanks to her, and her mum, HafdĂs ViljĂ lmsdĂłttir),
various tapenades, clafoutis, local wines and fruit juices...
AFTER THE INTERVAL
-Logi Hilmarsson : Ăžyngdarafl (Gravity), 2010:
A brief presentation of the film and its half French, half Icelandic scriptwriter-director- editor...
It should be noted that people laughed, more than once, during the screening :
it was, in this selection, the only film which, without being in any way directly comical,
dealt with fairly serious and deep subjects in a subtly humorous way.
One of the first questions was : « Are really Icelandic skies at night twinkling that much ?! »
Vera's answer : «Hmm... yes, often, certainly... I think so »... In fact, as Dominique Poulain, the HÖFN
association's coordinator explained, Logi Hilmarsson, while editing, added a bit of special effects....
Somebody then asked whether Nature, this incredibly powerful and beautiful Icelandic nature,
was a triggering factor for inspiration, whether it actually was THE main chosen and broached subject in Icelandic cinema...
If Vera does not believe it is essential in Ăžyngdarafl (Gravity), she thinks that actually not only Icelandic landscape
but many features/clichés in relation with the country (volcanoes, northern lights, whales, name it!!...)
are as many traps the Icelandic film directors fall willingly in, try hard to evade, play with, or radically -too radically ? Not totally?- avoid...
Of course Icelanders' relation to Reality, Supernatural, The Invisible (probably one of the main themes of the film) was questioned.
Not answering directly, Vera reminded that she had actually studied Cinema in France (Sorbonne University, in Paris),
and had to experience a very uncomfortable position when she came back to Iceland ;
it seemed to her, and still does, that Icelandic Culture, deep down, is NOT inclined to theorise
about what is done, created, neither before nor after,
that somehow some philosophical exploration of things is lacking in Icelandic Culture...
Creation, in all fields, and Cinema as well, hinges directly on action and intuition...
But a member of the audience pointed out that in Ăžyngdarafl (Gravity),
if each of the 3 characters shows clearly where he/she stands, the spectator is invited,
through those 3 points of view, « feelings », as much as the constant subtle humour underneath,
to question for himself different levels of conscience.
An echo of the director's joint cultural identity, the reflection of his own personality and style ?...
-Vera Sölvadóttir : In search of Livingstone, 2014:
Presenting the first of her two films, actually the last two films she made and had selected among all others for the occasion,
Vera Sölvadóttir mentioned then the small Production Company she had founded in 2010 to support her own needs : « Wonderfilms »,
and how difficult it is for young film directors to make movies in Iceland, specially since the 2008 economic crisis...
Still, In search of Livingstone could be made thanks to both the Icelandic Film Center
and another Production Company, (that still supports Vera's projects) : Duo Productions.
In search of Livingstone is a free adaptation of a short story (actually a true story) from Einar KĂ rason 's book : MĂ©r er skemmt
but it directly questioned Vera, who, by the way, is a non smoker(!), and responded to some anger she was experiencing then :
there was at that time (it started around 2010) in Iceland a distressing tendency to focus on the politically correct,
for instance about... SMOKING OR NOT SMOKING, supposedly a « crucial » debate
(which went that far to consider forbidding any image of smokers in films)
as Vera (and others !) judged that many social and economic problems in the country at that time mattered quite a lot more !
Vera, of course, did agree when a spectator asked her whether she had chosen a form that would directly refer to American road movies,
and told us that she actually made In search of Livingstone
after she was lucky enough to enjoy a great ride ( in a Mustang convertible!!) throughout the States...
and Iceland, its wide open spaces, was just as right (perfect really!) as any American landscape to shoot a road movie.
Somebody wanted to know which film director(s) was (were) her reference(s)...
Difficult but predictable question... She named... Wim Wenders (!) and Aki Kaurismäki, among others...
The world premiere of the film, (still travelling a lot from one festival to another),
was in Clermont-Ferrand, a short film festival that Vera considers a major and great one.
-Vera Sölvadóttir and Helena Jónsdóttir (co-directors), Gone, 2014
… the last film that was shown that evening, but also the last one in Vera's filmography.
As a « new born », and for many other reasons, Vera has a special bond with Gone :
- she could fully experiment the relation between dance/body expression/music/silence/cinema,
-she could get an authorisation to shoot in a mythical place for Icelanders, but first of all a magnificent one to her eyes :
the house of the Icelandic writer and Nobel Prize in Literature Halldór Laxness – and the exterior with the swimming pool,
AND she could « get » as well the main, and only actor in the film : Ingvar E. Sigurðsson .
Vera « wanted » him in Gone, because, without being a dancer, he has got some kind of a volatile force,
almost a gymnastic live physical presence, he knows how to fit in a specific place, and impact any space with the right body language .
Vera knew that she was looking for that kind of actor.
Helena JĂłnsdĂłttir is a dancer, a choreographer, and a director;
her approach to Dance is, and has been for a long while a special one.
FOR HER, WE ARE ALL DANCERS...
(Years ago, she actually offered her... plumber the opportunity to make his dream come true : he DANCED in her first short film).
According to what Vera told us, Helena and herself fell in love with Ingvar E. SigurĂ°sson during the shooting...
His natural elegance, his inner strength, and powerful physical charisma, seduced them both !
About the « plot », or mostly the atmosphere of the film,
the rather enigmatic presence of the man in the house (is he THERE, for REAL??),
Vera explained that it was in a way the same « story » than in the fairy tale Goldlocks and the three bears ...
The audience was impressed, and obviously fascinated with the setting ( Halldór Laxness's house).
Vera imparted then that she really sees IT as the second character in the film.
She respected IT a lot, and nothing was changed in this extraordinary place (that HalldĂłr Laxness and his wife AuĂ°ur had entirely decorated together) during the shooting.
For Gone, - and that was the first time - the Icelandic Film Center gave recognition and subsidised Vera's production Company, Wonderfilms …
Vera confided us that this quite specific form of cinema, that she calls « physical cinema » is exactly what she would like to explore more from now on...
Vera's daughter, Saga, joined everybody applauding at the end and brought the evening to a close with us in the auditorium .
Vera Sölvadóttir and Dominique Poulain (HÖFN Association coordinator) would like to thank warmly :
- Gunnar Egill DanĂelsson, (Office Clerk in the Icelandic Film Center)
who relayed information about the event « IN VERA'S BAGGAGE» in Iceland, and gave us when needed useful datas,
- Christof Wehmeier, (Head of Festival Promotion in the Icelandic Film Center),
without whom we could not have shown all the films that Vera had selected....
They wish to express their gratitude for many people's efficient support and warm welcome at the École d'Art d'Aix en Provence:
- Jean-Paul Ponthot (Head of the École d'Art d'Aix en Provence, as we started building a partnership between the School and HÖFN,
- Julie Karsenty (International Relations and Research)Â , who gave us at once judicious advises and contacts,
- Joël Belouet ( External Relations and Partnership), who was a great help in communicating and organising our event,
- Charles de Rosamel (Technical management and maintenance) , who assisted us before and during the screening,
- Wilfried Legaud ( video assistant), who connected us with
Laurence Vivarelli, (Programme Director), Jean-Paul Braud, (Delagate General) , Patrick Dorflein, (Co-Founder) of the Festival Tous Courts
- Jean Cristofol (teacher -philosophy/epistemology), pivot between HÖFN and the Art School (the other teachers, the studients), but also driver, messenger, « carrier »...
- Fanny Spano (Third grade Art School student), first «official » and caring baby sitter for Saga, Vera's 11 months old daughter, during the whole evening...
SO HELPFUL IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCESÂ !