Digital cinema screenings arrive in Iceland

Sambíóin cinema chain will start showing films digitally on April 27th, starting with the largest screen at their Kringlubíó site in midtown Reykjavík. According to Björn Árnason, the company's spokesman, Sambíóin aim to equip all their sites with digital projectors in the coming months. A new Sambíóin cinema in the Reykjavík suburb of Grafarvogur will be entirely outfitted with the latest digital projectors.

More awards for The Last Farm

Multiple award-winning and Oscar-nominated short The Last Farm by Rúnar Rúnarsson recently won awards at the 18th International Short Film Festival Dresden last weekend. In the International Competiton the short recieved the Golden Horse Man Youth Oscar and also the ARTE Short Film Prize.

IFC’s Schlüter talks shop with Cineuropa

Cineuropa posts an interview with Martin Schlüter, head of production at The Icelandic Film Centre. In the interview Schlüter talks about IFC's budget, forthcoming Icelandic films and the new budget negotiations with the local government. The interview can be found here.

French award for A Little Trip to Heaven

A Little Trip to Heaven, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, was awarded the critics prize (FIPRESCI) at a thriller film festival in Cognac in France last Sunday.

The Cognac International Thriller Film Festival is a prestigious french film festival with a large following. The film got a lot of attention and was very well received.  A Little Trip to Heaven also won the critic´s prize at the Gothenburg Film Festival last February.

Call for entries at Nordisk Panorama

Next Nordisk Panorama 5 cities film festival will be held in Aarhus Denmark, September 22-27. Nordisk Panorama Event is the main platform for short films and documentaries in the Nordic region, offering an annual business venue and showcase, spanning all professional focus areas from development and financing to distribution and exhibition. The deadlines for submissions to Nordisk Panorama – 5 Cities Film Festival, Nordisk Panorama Market and Nordisk Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries are quickly approaching, deadline for submission of films is May 15th.

Icelander writes an Irish film

Iceland-born but Irish-based screenwriter Marteinn Þórisson writes the screenplay of feature The Summer of the Flying Saucer, due to start shooting in Ireland in the fall. Martin Duffy directs.

The film is produced by Galway's Magma Films. The photo features writer Thorisson (right), producer Ralph Christians (left) and Horst Tappert (of Derrick fame), shown here celebrating the premiere of Inspector Derrick, an animated feature Thorisson co-wrote and Magma produced. In the film the famous German superintendent solves a mysterious murder case during the Eurovision Song Contest.

Summer of the Flying Saucer tells the story of what happens when a good Catholic boy finds first love with an alien girl. Set during the summer of 1967 in Mayo on the West of Ireland, 15 year old Dan Mullaney is stuck on the family farm. His dream of furthering his education is hindered by his father who believes he should take over the family business instead. However, when Dan befriends two strange visitors, one a beautiful girl Janis, his adventures begin.

Further info can be found at The Irish Film and Television Network website.

The Last Farm continues to win awards

The Oscar-nominated short The Last Farm by Rúnar Rúnarsson recently received the main prize of the new Munich International Film Festival. The film has to date garnered more than dozen awards.