Join us on March 14 & 15 for the festival West Nordic Film Days, a celebration of cinema from Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands! Presented in partnership with Nordic National Museum in Seattle, in-person screenings will take place at Scandinavia House in New York and Majestic Bay Theatres in Seattle on Friday and Saturday.
The West Nordic countries have attracted foreign filmmakers since the dawn of cinema. In the late 1970s, however, Iceland began to develop a national film industry, gaining domestic and international attention and recognition. The history of Greenlandic, Faroese and Sami film production is of a bit later date, yet in recent years an increasing number of their films have attracted attention, both at home and abroad. Curated by Birgir Thor Mřller, the selection of films at West Nordic Film Days will not only reflect the current development and tendencies in West Nordic cinema, but also the diversity, combining films by prolific, prizewinning directors and upcoming filmmakers, who all live in and tell their stories from very different parts of the region.
SCHEDULE
OPENING NIGHT: Solitude, Omman, Entropy
FRI—March 14—7 PM
Solitude /Tilverur
Dir. Ninna Pálmadóttir, Iceland/Slovakia/France, 2022 | 75 min. Icelandic w/ English subtitles
A farmer is forced by the state to relocate from the countryside to the capitol, leaving everything behind. When he meets a 10-year-old paper delivery boy, the friendship proves to be transformative. Director Ninna Pálmadóttir (Paperboy, All Dogs Must Die)'s poetic feature celebrates the comfort and care that an unexpected connection can provide.
Omman /Grandmother
Dir. Julia í Kálvalí, Faroe Islands, 2019 | 12 min. Faroese with English subtitles.
Two brothers head up to the mountains to pick up their alcoholic grandmother and make a gruesome discovery, leading to a disturbing journey home. Faroese director Julia í Kálvalíđ combines dark Nordic humor with sparks of color.
Entropy
Dir. Inuk Jřrgensen, Greenland, 2023 | 10 min. English & Kalaallisut w/ English subtitles
In Greenlandic filmmaker Inuk Jřrgensen’s scenic short, the vast and now-melting ice cap becomes a symbol of the director’s people, who have always lived in a close and sacred connection with nature. Climate change is an omnipresent threat in a film that celebrates Greenlandic mythologies and myths while lamenting this great loss.
SATURDAY SCREENINGS: SAT—March 15
2 PM: My Father’s Daughter, Liđ viđ liđ, Einmin
My Father’s Daughter /Biru Unjárga
Dir. Egil Pedersen, Norway/Finland/Sweden, 2024 | 78 min. Sámi/Danish/English/Norwegian with English subtitles
Teenage Elvira (Sarah Olaussen Eir) is convinced that her mother conceived her at a Danish fertility clinic — when she daydreams about her father, she imagines him as the charismatic movie star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays himself). But her world is turned upside down when her real biological father unexpectedly enters her life. Egil Pedersen addresses delicate teenage identity issues with empathy and warm irony.
Liđ viđ liđ / The Last straw
Dir. Andrias Hřgenn, Faroe Islands, 2023 | 15 min. Faroese with English subtitles
Ivar is stranded on a mountainous country road on the Faroe Islands, and the only person whom he can ask for help is his estranged brother, in a tightknit drama served with an understated and low-key ironic humor by Faroese director Andrias Hřgenni.
Einmin
Dir. Rammatik (aka Rannvá Káradóttir & Marianna Mřrkřre), Faroe Islands, 2024 | 7 min. English & Faroese with English subtitles
Set in the aftermath of a party and filmed in one continuous take, the experimental dance film Einmin evolves around a solitary dancer as she navigates a deserted space.
4:15 PM: When the Light Breaks & O
When the Light Breaks /Ljóbrot
Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Netherlands/Croatia/France, 2024 | 80 min. Icelandic w/ English subtitles
A young woman loses her boyfriend in a terrible accident, but must bear the grief in secret. Set over single summer day, director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s captivating feature encompasses emotions ranging from fear and despair to happiness and hope. Premiered last year at Cannes; winner of Best Feature Film at Nuuk International Film Festival 2024 and Best Nordic Film at the Gothenburg Film Festival 2025.
O | Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland, 2024 | 20 min. Icelandic with English subtitles
Shot in black-and-white, O is a poetic and powerful portrait of a man’s battle with his own demons during his daughter’s wedding.
6:30 PM: Black Angel & 12 Minutes
Inngili Qernertoq / The Black Angel
Dir. Malik Kleist | Greenland, 2024 | 105 min. Greenlandic with English subtitles
Two couples have mysteriously disappeared in the mountains near Nuuk. When the police discover their private video recordings, they discover how how a pleasant camping trip turned into a nightmare.. Inspired by The Blair Witch Project, Malik Kleist’s authentic documentary style juxtaposes often comical footage with a creepy horror story.
12 Minutes
Dir. Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakke, Greenland, 2024 | 13 min. Greenlandic w/ English sub.
In Greenlandic director Christoffer R. Stenbakken’s black-and-white short, Thomas and his wife Anette wake up to discover that their son, a drug addict, has broken into their house, forcing them to make a difficult decision.
