Sparrows
For the 2024 edition of the festival, FIKA(S) and the Cinémathèque québécoise celebrate Icelandic cinema by presenting a retrospective of Rúnar Rúnarsson's works. With a population of 400,000 inhabitants, Iceland produces only around ten feature films annually. Nevertheless, since the 2010s, various Icelandic films characterized by great sensitivity have captured the audience's attention. Revealed with the short film The Last Farm, nominated for an Oscar in 2005, Rúnarsson has emerged in recent years as one of the key figures in this cinematic revival, with an intimate body of work revolving around the theme of attachment to the land, set against the backdrop of breathtaking volcanic landscapes. To mark the 5th edition of FIKA(S), we bring you three feature films directed by the filmmaker so far: Volcano (2011), Sparrows (2015), and Echo (2019).
Winner of the Golden Shell, 2015 San Sebastián International Film Festival
Ari, a 16-year-old boy, lives with his mother in Reykjavik until he is suddenly forced to move back to his father's home in the remote Westfjords region. His relationship with his father is not the easiest, and his childhood friends seem to have changed. It's in this difficult situation, from which he can't escape, that Ari will have to assert himself and find his way.
Rúnar Rúnarsson
Rúnar Rúnarsson is an Icelandic director, screenwriter, and producer. He moved to Denmark for his studies and graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2009. He lived there for eight years. His short film The Last Farm was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2005. His first feature film, Volcano, won the Louve d'or at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in 2011, while his second feature, Sparrows, won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2015.