After a highly successful debut festival in 2014, the Exeter Phoenix presents another season of Scandinavian and Nordic cinema. Featuring films from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, journey with other curious souls through snow-filled wonderlands and observe the characters who embody and mirror the contours of distinct landscapes.
After last year’s festival launch event in Haldon forest sold out in less than two days, Scandifilm 2016 kicks off by returning to the forest depths for a dark and atmospheric pop-up screening of Swedishhorror Let The Right One In. A welcoming feast of hotdogs and Swedish lager promises to make this a night to remember.
The last half-decade has seen TV dramas like The Killing, Borgen, Wallander and The Bridge bring the Nordic Noir genre into the limelight. This February Scandifilm presents a chance for fans to watch a must-see example of an earlier and lesser-known title, one of a handful which first inspired the genre some 5 years before these dramas began opening it up to the mainstream. Made in Iceland in 2006, Jar City was one of the pioneering films in the rise of the Nordic Noir and follows a murder enquiry through a grim and lonely landscape uncovering haunting twists and horrifying secrets.
2016 introduces a new, musical aspect to this year’s Scandifilm. Sounds Like Iceland is a series of documentaries exploring leading characters in Iceland’s buzzing music scene. Sigur Ros: Heima presents an intimate journey with the band to unannounced concerts in far flung Scandinavian locations, while Bjork: Biophilia Live explores the wacky Icelandic songstress’ fascinating multidisciplinary multimedia project, Biophilia.
It’s not all film though, as participants in Scandifilm’s Flatpack Furniture Workshop will discover. Partnering with Exeter Library’s creative resource for a day of interactive fun at the Fab Lab, Scandifilm’s workshop attendees can get their hands on exciting technical equipment and build their own miniature flatpack furniture. No allen key needed for assembly!
Finally, to round off the season, surf enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that Surf Cinema will be returning for another night of cold water action films, supported by Finisterre, the UKs number one cold water surf equipment company. Definitely one for the brave and curious.
Full Scandifilm season listings can be found at scandifilm.co.uk and tickets go on sale from tomorrow.
Scandifilm 2016 is supported by Pistonhead Swedish Lager.
Listings
Let The Right One In (18)
Sat 30 Jan | Coach collection 6.30pm, film screening 8.30pm | £25 | Haldon Forest
Wrap up warm and venture in to a fascinating and macabre world, deep into Haldon Forest, for an unforgettable evening of film, food and exploration. In this atmospheric and unexpectedly terrifying, 12 year old Oskar befriends the enigmatic Eli, a young girl with a secret.
Jar City (15)
Wed 3 Feb | 7.30pm | £6
A pioneering film in the rise of Nordic Noir, this vivid and powerful thriller, based on an award-winning novel, begins with agruesome murder of a former criminal. Journeying through a grim and lonely Iceland the enquiry uncovers a series of haunting twists and horrifying secrets.
Sounds Like Iceland
Sigur Rós: Heima
Mon 8 Feb | 7.30pm | £6
Travelling through the desolate and magical landscape of Iceland, this documentary sees Sigur Rós a series of free, unannounced concerts at far flung locations. Journey with them to ghost towns, outsider art shrines and highland wilderness, before joining them for the largest gig in Icelandic history at their homecoming Reykjavik show.
Sounds Like Iceland
Björk: Biophilia Live(U)
Thu 11 Feb | 7.30pm | £6
Recorded live at the London’s Alexandra Palace concert in 2013, this captivating film features Björk and her band performing Biophilia, a multi-disciplinary multimedia project, using a stunning range of digital,traditional, and completely unclassifiable instruments.
Half-day workshop
Fab Lab: Miniature Flatpacks
Sat 13 Feb | 10am -12.30pm or 1.30 -4pm | £12 | The Fab Lab, Exeter Central Library
Explore the Fab Lab and get your hands on exciting design and production technology as we create mini flatpack furniture to go on display in our mini Scandinavian house.
Surf Cinema: Cold Water Double Bill
Wed 17 Feb | 7.30pm | £6
1) Bjørnøya (Bear Island)
Dir. Inge Wegge. Norwegian with English subtitles, 78 mins
With cross country skis, and a sled of surfboards three brothers journey across a white, barren landscape to reach virgin waves on an island where predatory Polar Bears watch their every move. From the makers of North of the Sun.
2) Faroes: The Outpost Vol 2.
Dir. Ben Weiland and Chris Burkard, 25 mins
In the middle of the North Atlantic, a cluster of 18 jagged islands comprises the Faroe Islands. Six surf fanatics unravel a coastline of dramatic fjords and plunging waterfalls in search of perfect waves.
(from a press release)
- Between The Lines | a musical literary adventure - July 1, 2022
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