In this special event, Scandinavia House presents screenings of short films by three NYC-based emerging Icelandic filmmakers who are also recent ASF Fellows: Thick Skin by Erlendur Sveinsson; See Ya /Sjáumst by Brúsi Ólason; and Splinter by Ninna Pálma.
In See Ya /Sjáumst, a young football player has doubts when he gets the opportunity to escape his loveable dead-end hometown of Selfoss, and is torn between saying goodbye to his comfortable life and going abroad to follow his childhood dreams. In Thick Skin, boundaries are crossed at a party in Reykjavik, when flirting between two teenagers leads into consequence that vary from two perspectives: In one, a crime has been committed, and in the other, everything is turned upside-down as a result. And in Splinter, a physically disabled man fantasizes about freedom and coffee.
Following the films, the directors will be joined for a panel discussion with other NYC-based Icelandic filmmakers Kári Úlfsson (ASF Fellow 2018), Davíð Már Stefánsson, and Halla Tryggvadottir.
About the filmmakers
Brúsi Ólason grew up on a farm just outside of the town Selfoss in the south of Iceland. In 2015 Brúsi graduated from the University of Iceland, where he majored in film studies and minored in creative writing. He’s currently pursuing an MFA in film at Columbia University. In his films, Brúsi explores themes such as relationships, communication and the unstoppable urge to connect with other human beings and how we fail or succeed to do so.
Ninna Pálma is an Icelandic director/writer and cinematographer currently pursuing an MFA in filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. A native of a small town in Iceland, Pálma has written and directed several short films in Iceland and New York. She is deeply fascinated by the relationships of strangers and the gap that people forge between one another, and her ultimate goal is to tell stories about human connection and explore the raw emotions that unite different individuals.
Erlendur Sveinsson is an Icelandic director & screenwriter with a passion for exploring the human condition in extreme circumstances. He holds an MFA degree in directing from Columbia University School of the Arts and received the Fulbright scholarship to attend his studies. He is currently gearing up to shoot his first feature film, an ensemble piece with intertwined stories set in the suburbs of Reykjavik, Iceland.
ICELAND 100
In celebration of the centenary of Iceland’s independence and sovereignty, Scandinavia House and the Consulate of Iceland in New York bring you an Icelandic movie of the month through 2018.
1540407600
1540414800
WED—October 24—7 PM, free
90 min. In Icelandic with English subtitles.