From April 15 through 18, see virtual screenings of the new film The County /Héraðið (Iceland, 2019), available to audiences throughout the U.S. Screenings are co-presented by Scandinavia House with National Nordic Museum & Scandinavian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Set in a small Icelandic farming community, The County tells the story of Inga, a middle-aged dairy farmer who rebels against the monopolistic practices of the Erpsfjörður, a powerful local farming cooperative. After launching a one-person battle, Inga attempts to persuade other farmers join her in rising up against the cooperative’s corruption, but encounters great resistance, forcing her to confront the community’s dependence and loyalty to its single, dominant enterprise. To break free of the cooperative’s grasp, Inga must use her resourcefulness and cunning to finally live life on her own terms. (Directed by Grímur Hákonarson; 92 min. In Icelandic with English subtitles.) Special thanks to Dekanalog.
“(An) audience-pleasing, humanist drama… Full of feisty female energy and imagery, and sprinkled with rousing “you go girl!” comic moments”—Variety
“Egilsdóttir is fantastic in the lead role thanks to a relatable mixture of futility working a tireless job and ferocity… The County shows that it only takes one person to beat the drum for change to occur”—The Film Stage
Screenings will take place over four days (Thursday – Sunday) and will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Members can now access discounted pricing automatically by logging in to Elevent with the email address associated with their membership; contact mem@amscan.org with any questions. National Nordic Museum members will receive their discount code separately by the museum.
About Grímur Hákonarson
Icelandic director Grímur Hákonarson, graduated from FAMU in 2004. His graduate film, Slavek The Shit, was selected to the Cinefoundation section of Cannes Film Festival 2005. The film traveled widely and won 12 festival prizes, including the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.
His next short film, Wrestling, premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2007 and won 25 festival prizes around the world. Grimur’s previous feature film, Rams, won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival 2015. The film has received more than 30 international awards and won 11 Icelandic Academy Awards.