Terre di ghiaccio, di fuoco e di confine (Ice, Fire and Frontier Territories) An overview of Northern European shorts and documentaries
Documentaries and shorts constitute an important part of Iceland’s and Scandinavia’s cinematographic production. The level of technological development, the existence of a specialized education for the visual, experimental and documentary arts, which is so typical of their universities and cultural centers, and the economic support (now being redefined) provided by the governments, has encouraged over the last few years the achievement of excellent levels of organization in the realms both of production and distribution. Despite the fact that documentaries have become the object of increased demand on the part of large satellite television companies and specialized film festivals, in our country they continue to be excluded from cinemas’ mainstream programming. In Italy, documentaries are not considered to be appropriate for the cinema, and it is extremely rare to see them projected in their natural setting, where they can be best viewed and appreciated.
Shorts, on the other hand, are training grounds in which well-established directors or even beginners experiment with new artistic languages. At a time in which digital technologies such as YouTube have increased the quantity and the possibility of producing and distributing short films (although it is often difficult to recognize them as the product of an actual knowledge of the art of directing), the peculiar cinematographic art of the short has undergone a process of diversification and sharpening, through the use, for example, of animation, experimentation and fiction. While animations are at the vanguard, in terms of techniques, production and contents, fictions stand out for their ability to represent and synthesize their stories.
This is the framework within which we have placed the window “Terre di ghiaccio, di fuoco e di confine,” which will show on the large screen an important selection of the most recent Northern European cinematography, ranging from the more serious and politically engaged subjects to experimentations and animations.
The documentaries will include: USA vs Al-Arian, by Line Halvorsen, a Norwegian production, a voyage through the climate of distrust that has emerged in the United States towards Muslim citizens, viewed through the experience of a Palestinian family living in the US. We will be showing the lighter but sharp Milk Bar, by Therese Mornvik and Ewa Einhorn, a Swedish production, which focuses on the old Polish bars, established under the Socialist regime as an expression of its control and planning, and facing today the new capitalist market economy. My Daughter the Terrorist, by Beate Arnestad, is a strong testimony about Sri Lanka and the “Tamil Tigres”; a chilling documentary about how ideology can lead to the complete denial of one’s personal identity, about religious reasoning and the use of extreme means in order to survive. The last documentary will be Taboo, by Aurora Reinhard, a famous Finnish video-artist, which revolves around the homosexual/musical culture of Vilnius.
There will also be shorts realized by the most significant productions and directors: some true gems of animation, music and fiction coming from Iceland, such as Anna and the Moods, by Gunnar Karlsson (a production which has seen the participation of important Iceland artists, such as Bjork, who gives her voice to the protagonist, and Sjon, who is the screenwriter and the author) and Wrestling, by Grimur Hakonarsonm, a young internationally renown artist, whose work has been shown in the most important international short film festivals. Last, but not least, Gift, by Helena Stefansdottir, a brief short characterized by a strong “environmental and preservationist” message, and Idyll, produced by Therese Jacobsen – Apecosmonautene, one of the most important Norwegian independent productions of experimental shorts. In sum, we will be showing 275 minutes of films, which will be divided into three different cycles, representing some of the best production realized in Scandinavia and Iceland over the last two years.
