Author: Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir
The Dark Wingman
Gender, Violence and Partying“You gotta fight for your right to paaaaaarty” is a line I often sang at the top…
Movie Madness
Having been pleasantly surprised by the quality of movies in last year’s IIFF with gems such as The March of…
An Historical Day to Be Gay
Ten years ago, a law was passed in Iceland that allowed homosexual couples to enter into a civil union. Four…
To Weep Loudly
A friend of mine was a huge fan of Superman comics when he was a kid. However, he was taken…
Highlights from the Iceland Film Festival:The march of the penguins
The March of the Penguins is one of France’s biggest box office hits of all time – surprisingly enough, considering…
Being Terrified
A few weeks ago, I read the most controversial book in recent years in Iceland, Draumalandið – Sjálfshjálparbók handa hræddri…
Highlights from the Iceland Film Festival:Searching for Angela Shelton
Searching for Angela Shelton is a one-of-a-kind movie experience. The documentary had its international premiere at IFF in Regnboginn, with…
Highlights from the Iceland Film Festival:Hip Hop, Hora!
Swedish screenwriter and director Teresa Fabik’s film Hip Hop, Hora! (English title: The Ketchup Effect) tells the story of 13-year-old…
Turning Tricks for Movie Tix
A few weeks ago, I read an article in the local tabloid newspaper DV about prostitution. Someone called Gunnar had…
The Fatter, the Funnier?
Huge Hollywood money-makers like Big Momma’s House and The Nutty Professor, both so popular that they had sequels, tell us…
PMs Take to the Stage to Fight Sexual Violence
The backstage at the City Theatre on March 1st, 2006 wasn’t filled with actresses as usual, but Icelandic parliamentarians performing…
A Night at Thai Karaoke
I had an American friend visit me over Christmas. Needless to say, I took him to Geysir, Gullfoss and the…
“Female Writers Were Weird”
Though few foreigners know about her, Vigdís Grímsdóttir is one of the most prominent and prolific contemporary writers of Iceland….
Blogging:
Want to become famous? Try this: Round up a few of your friends, start a web page with random trivia…
The Angel with a Foul Mouth
Gary Owen is one of the hottest, young playwrights in Britain. In 2002, he won the George Devine Award and…
Endometriosis:
Cramps. Even the word is a turn off. Women don’t want to think about it. Men don’t want to know….
The Rape of the Prime Minister
Imagine a quiet evening in December. Imagine Halldór Ásgrímsson, prime minister, lighting a candle with his family after dinner. Imagine…
The Place Where Choreographers Feel Like Rock Stars
Skrekkur is the annual Reykjavík Elementary School Talent Competition. It is explicitly for grades eight to ten (or teenagers from…
Are We a Nation of Inactivists?
In late March 2005, Minister of Health Jón Kristjánsson appeared on the front page of the newspaper announcing that a…
Jamming with Nick Cave:
Now, Vesturport is about to premiere the play Woyzeck by Georg Buchner. The musician composing for the group is no…
United in Vision: Women Go On Strike
The weather was beautiful– sunny yet chilly– on October 24, 2005. Women went on a memorable strike on this day…
Bloody Brilliant
For decades, the movie industry has been fascinated with making films based on comic books. The most recent examples are…
The Timeless Fashion of ELM:
A group of multi-functional sweaters caught our attention recently. One could be worn in two ways: turning it upside down…
Nobody Should Have to Work for Free:
Last year, the independent theatre scene in Iceland had something for everyone to enjoy. Shows like Fame and Grease catered…
Not a Standard Night at the Movies:
The Danish film Solkongen, directed by Academy Award Nominee Thomas Villum Jensen, is a bittersweet comedy about a young, hopeless…