Author: - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Paying Their Dues: Bullshit Jobs & Bullshit In General

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Years ago I met a fascinating American named Bill. I mainly remember two things about Bill. The first: He joked…

Five Takes On The Reykjavík International Film Festival, RIFF

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Two of our film guys watched some notable titles at the ongoing Reykjavík International Film Festival, RIFF, for your sake!…

From Cannes To The Westfjords, And Back: We Chat With Grímur Hákonarson, the director of ‘Rams’

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I first met Grímur Hákonarson in 2012 at Skjaldborg, a documentary festival in the Westfjords. I was reporting on the…

Ágætis Byrjun: Cloud of Ash, Raining Tourists

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The merits of eating whale meat, Israeli-Palestine policies and whether the Vikings ate mushrooms. These are just a few of…

Selfie Nation

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Inspired by Foreign Journalists, Part II“The untamed, distant and cool Iceland” “A few reasons why Iceland is the best place…

Two Shorts About Love You Don’t Want To Miss

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After checking out the 20 short films that will be featured at RIFF this year, I can testify that there…

Shouting For Poetry

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If you’ve passed through downtown Reykjavík some time in the last decade there is a good chance that you’ve heard…

Teacher And Student

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A visit to Mary Ellen Mark’s photo workshop“My father was a photographer,” Alaskan photographer Patrice Helmar tells me while we…

Six Minds, 59 Countries

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Head Of A Woman is a theatre group that features four female heads and two male heads from six different…

Learning To Photograph Iceland

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The fabled Mary Ellen Mark keeps returning“People think Iceland is just landscape; they don’t think it’s exotic. But it’s very…

The Feast After The Famine

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Best place on a rainy dayTwo years ago Reykjavík filmgoers were famished. ‘Inception’ was just about the only half-decent Hollywood…

The Political Becomes Personal

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Grapevine attends Patreksfjörður’s Skjaldborg Documentary Film FestivalAn unspoken rule of the Skjaldborg Documentary Film Festival in Patreksfjörður is: What happens…

Icelandic Outlaws Get The Bollywood Treatment

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A story set in eighteenth century Iceland, based on a classic play about a romance between outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur (“Eyvindur of…

Capturing The World

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Hreinn Friðfinnsson’s House Project returns homeSome works of art take longer to finish than others. And some are perhaps never…

Skjaldborg VI

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“My favourite moment at Skjaldborg was at an after party,” Gunnar Þorri Pétursson shares on the film festival’s website. “It…

From Kosovo To Cannes (Via Reykjavík)

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Jasmin Rexhepi tells us about his ‘Forgotten Monique’In a small country like Iceland even the successful artists are often struggling…

Mudbricks In The Desert

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Artist Elín Hansdóttir went to the Marrakech Biennale“I worked with eight local men, who understandably were all a little sceptical…

Davíð Oddsson Told A Joke

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Writer E.B. White—well known for his children’s books and co-authoring one of the most famous English language style guides, ‘The…

Icelandic Shorts: A Very Short Introduction

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The big winner at this year’s Edda Awards (the Icelandic equivalent to the Oscars) was Rúnar Rúnarsson’s film, ‘Volcano.’ But…

Work Is Humiliation

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Santiago Sierra comes to Iceland and brings a giant NO with himSpanish artist Santiago Sierra brings with him a giant…

The Clay Of The World

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Amnesty International has been fighting for human rights for half a century now, and part of the organisation’s birthday celebration…

An Overcrowded Festival

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A couple of weeks ago both Icelandic daily newspapers published a very similar headline about the Reykjavik International Film Festival:…

From Venice to Reykjavik

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We speak to RIFF programming director Giorgio Gosetti and check out some coming attractions…“Social disease and a new energy coming…

Famous Authors And Absent Authors

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Grapevine warms up for the Reykjavík International Literary FestivalThe year 2011 is a big one for Icelandic literature. In October,…

Famous Authors And Absent Authors

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The year 2011 is a big one for Icelandic literature. In October, the country will be the guest of honour…