From Iceland — 'Woman At War' Wins Nordic Council Film Prize

‘Woman At War’ Wins Nordic Council Film Prize

Published October 31, 2018

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Johannes Jansson

The Nordic Council has become the latest entity to recognise the greatness of ‘Woman At War’, as they have awarded the coveted Nordic Council Film Prize to the film.

The award was received yesterday in Oslo by director and producer Benedikt Erlingsson, co-scriptwriter Ólafur Egill Egilsson and producers Marianne Slot and Carine Leblanc.

According to a statement from the Nordic Council, the jury had nothing but glowing things to say about the film:

In Woman at War, a big, pressing issue is channeled through a big, unrelenting personality. Halla, the vigilante working secretly to preserve the world’s eco-system, is played magnificently yet unfussily by Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. When Halla feels a pull which is perhaps even stronger than her idealism, the pull towards having a family, her dilemma is handled deftly and without sentimentality. In fact, director Benedikt Erlingsson, working from a script he co-wrote with Ólafur Egilsson, is as bold as his protagonist. The jury appreciates how he confidently mixes action scenes and intimate moments with atmospheric Verfremdung, placing live musicians in his frames and having them be the interpreters of the moods and feelings of the characters. The result is an exhilarating film, as funny and free-spirited in its handling of geopolitical matters as of the private life of the 48 year old woman that is the unexpected action hero at its core. And the love which is at the centre of it all, for nature and for a lonely child, comes shining through.

The film has been a hit with audiences, both in Iceland and abroad. Media outlets from Variety to The Guardian have been generous with positive reviews for the film.

Below you can see a trailer for the film. Be on the lookout for it in a theatre near you!

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