Hugi (Björn Thors) is a recovering alcoholic and a primary-school teacher who moved to a tiny Icelandic village (population 169) hoping to heal the wounds from his broken marriage and escape the harsh life of the big city. He is perfectly happy living anonymously in a rundown former fishing village, where hardly anyone walks the streets, that is until his estranged, charismatic and hard-drinking father, Þorfinnur (Helgi Björnsson) shows up.
Set against the rugged beauty of snow-capped mountains, Paris of the North is a tender comedy about manhood and the delicate relationship between a father and a son. Directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (Iceland, 2015).
Special thanks to the Icelandic Film Centre and Pascale Ramonda.
Praise for Paris of the North:
“Paris of the North is a small but appealing, character-driven dramedy about emotionally handicapped men, featuring several father-son relationships that humorously model various styles of manhood and schools of parenting.”—Variety
“With Paris of the North, Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson…has made another very compelling film whose characters are likable but not entirely lovable. And it is this delicate balance, along with beautiful sequences of tracking shots showing Hugi running to the surprisingly haunting sounds of Richard’s band, that makes the film such a consistent pleasure.”—Prague Post
About the director
Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland. He studied screenwriting and film directing at Columbia University in New York City. His first feature film, Either Way/Á annan veg, screened at more than 50 film festivals around the world and was remade in the United States as Prince Avalanche in 2013.
In 2012, Sigurðsson was selected as one of “Variety’s Ten European Directors to Watch.” Paris of the North is his second feature film and the winner of two Edda Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
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Image Courtesy of IFC Films
WED—3-2-2016—7 PM
$10 ($7 ASF Members)
95 min. | In Icelandic with English subtitles