Katla Sólnes’ Latest Film Is A Love Letter To Nature

“What I love about directing is that it’s a combination of all the artistic cycles — it’s photography, it’s acting, it’s music, it’s styling, it’s interior design, it’s everything,” says writer and director Katla Sólnes.

When we speak, it’s morning in New York, where she’s currently based, and afternoon in Reykjavík, but Katla is full of energy. You can almost feel her eyes light up as she passionately speaks about her work. But her path here wasn’t easy. It took a pivotal moment at the age of 18 for Katla to ask: “Why am I studying engineering when I hate it? Why am I not doing something artistic, which is what I truly love?”

That moment of clarity set Katla on a whirlwind journey. Now, almost ten years later, she has just finished an MFA film programme at Columbia University, made a couple of award-winning short films, and teaches screenwriting. Her latest project, a short film Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child (Veður ræður akri, en vit syni in Icelandic) is set to have its Icelandic premiere during the Reykjavík International Film Festival this September.

A battle with nature

The film had its international premiere in Tokyo after being selected from over 5.000 submissions for the prestigious Short Shorts Film Festival. In just 13 minutes, Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child tells the story of a growing conflict within a family as a son tries to convince his mother to move to the city due to the increasing danger of flooding, but she is determined to stay.

The title Veður ræður akri, en vit syni is a quote from Hávamál, an ancient Norse poem dating back to around 900-1000 AD, comprising various shorter poems. These verses offer guidance on life, proper behaviour, and wisdom.

“It’s a very obscure quote about how people are influenced by nature and their surroundings,” says Katla. “The crux of the film is about a woman who would rather stay and grapple with the elements than be taken away from the place she calls home.”

The idea of Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child goes back to a conversation Katla had with a Mexican-Icelandic cinematographer Irene Gomez-Emilsson, who proposed to collaborate on a series of films about climate change in Iceland, inviting Katla to write and direct.

“At the time, I didn’t have any ideas that were sort of in that world, or at least not so openly in that world,” Katla explains. “I remember just going on a drive, which is funny, because, of course, driving around to get ideas is not very environmentally friendly, but very helpful.”

“The crux of the film is about a woman who would rather stay and grapple with the elements than be taken away from the place she calls home.”

During this drive around Hvalfjörður, Katla had an epiphany. “There is sort of a genre in Icelandic film, which is what I call ‘the old man on a farm’ genre,” she explains. “It often has the man listening to RÚV and making some disgusting food like sheep’s head or whatever. These films are about loneliness. I wanted to not necessarily subvert it, but just do my own take on it —  first of all, with a woman, and second of all, what would it look like if the film was set in the near future?” This choice keeps the vibe of the genre but intentionally brings it into a modern-day setting. “Because when I grow old, I’m not going to be eating sheep’s head,” Katla muses. “I’m probably going to just be having sushi.”

After contemplating a few climate-related ideas, Katla decided to focus on rising sea levels — a pressing issue in places like Florida and Venice that may soon be a pressing factor in Iceland’s coastal towns. “I was thinking how would climate change affect a person that lives alone in this way,” she says.

Creative fusion

Katla wore many hats during the film’s production — in addition to writing and directing, she also handled the editing herself. “I always edit my own work,” she says. “It’s been said in film that the story is written three times — once on the page, once on set, and then again in the edits. So in this film, I was sort of omnipresent. But that’s usually what I do,” she says, quickly adding: “I do love collaborating. I think I want to try working with an editor.”

Taking the idea into a complete film was a long process, complicated primarily by the main players all living in different countries. “It took forever,” Katla sighs, “It was a very slow burn. But then once it ramped up, it ramped up very fast.” The film was shot in the summer of 2023 over the period of two and a half days.

Apart from the challenges of Icelandic weather, the crew faced some scheduling constraints that meant they couldn’t film at night. This resulted in Katla rewriting the script just a few days before the shoot, and changing the setting to June-July rather than late August. “As often happens with sort of serendipitous coincidences, I actually now really like the fact that it’s on one of these midsummer nights,” she says.

The film stars just three actors: Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Jörundur Ragnarsson and Móeiður Ronja Davíðsdóttir. Casting was a rigorous process Katla was fully immersed in, despite the challenges of distance. “When I wrote the first draft years ago, I always pictured [lead actress] Edda Björgvinsdóttir,” she says. “She’s perfect for the role, and such an icon — so kind and gracious. She’s also a big environmentalist which might be one of the things that drew her to the script.”

“This is a film of hope. It’s a love letter to Hvalfjörður, and the ocean.”

Weather Rules the Field, but Whim the Child features an original score composed by Sævar Jóhansson, the winner of the Grapevine’s “You Should Have Heard This” award in 2023. His soundtrack includes a collaboration with renowned violist Ásta, adding a rich texture to the film’s emotional landscape.

“The soundtrack takes up a lot of space,” says Katla. “Like all people, last summer, I saw Oppenheimer, and in Oppenheimer, the music is so constant and loud and overbearing in a way. I loved that, so I told Sævar, ‘Just go ahead with the music.’ Working with him is easy because everything he creates is stunning.”

While Katla is proud of all the collaborations that made the film possible, she particularly highlights her work with Irene. “The cinematography really shines,” she says. “It was such a beautiful collaboration. Sometimes it felt like we didn’t even need to speak — we understood each other completely.”

Crafting hope

Ironically, the natural beauty and power of the film’s Hvalfjörður setting was somewhat overshadowed by a large aluminium factory located just across the fjord. This factory had to be removed in post-production. With the factory removed from the final cut, Katla hopes the film will convey a message of optimism to its audience. “This is a film of hope,” she says. “It’s a love letter to Hvalfjörður, and the ocean.”

“The haunting thing about climate change is that people are alarmed and aware, but the people in power don’t seem to be willing to do enough,” she says. “But if anything, I hope people come away from the film with a heightened sense of what’s to come — maybe feeling the ambition to make a change.”

Having recently wrapped another short film, Katla is slowly setting her sights on making a feature film. “My dream is to make a feature in the next three years or so,” she says. “I recently turned 28, and my dream was always to be on set by the time I’m 30. We’ll see if that happens. I’m manifesting.”

Whim Rules the Child and Weather the Field premieres in Iceland during the Reykjavík International Film Festival happening September 26-October 6