MoreFilms
Join us on March 14 & 15 for the festival West Nordic Film Days, a celebration of cinema from Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands! Presented in partnership with Nordic National Museum in Seattle, in-person screenings will take place at Scandinavia House in New York and Majestic Bay Theatres in Seattle on Friday and Saturday.
The West Nordic countries have attracted foreign filmmakers since the dawn of cinema. In the late 1970s, however, Iceland began to develop a national film industry, gaining domestic and international attention and recognition. The history of Greenlandic, Faroese and Sami film production is of a bit later date, yet in recent years an increasing number of their films have attracted attention, both at home and abroad. Curated by Birgir Thor Møller, the selection of films at West Nordic Film Days will not only reflect the current development and tendencies in West Nordic cinema, but also the diversity, combining films by prolific, prizewinning directors and upcoming filmmakers, who all live in and tell their stories from very different parts of the region.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 14
7 PM: Solitude, Omman, Entropy
Solitude /Tilverur
Dir. Ninna Pálmadóttir, Iceland/Slovakia/France, 2022 | 75 min.
In Icelandic with English subtitles
A farmer that lives a quiet life in the countryside is forced by the state to sell his home. He leaves everything behind, relocates to the capital, and soon meets a 10-year-old paper delivery boy. Their friendship proves to be transformative for them both. With warmth, rich nuances and great sensitivity, director Ninna Pálmadóttir’ poetic feature film celebrates the comfort and care that an unexpected connection can provide, especially for two loners who could use a little more kindness in their lives. Pálmadóttir has previously directed the award-winning short films Paperboy (2019) and All Dogs Die (2021).
Omman /Grandmother
Dir. Julia í Kálvalí, Faroe Islands, 2019 | 12 min.
In Faroese with English subtitles
Two brothers head up to the mountains to pick up their alcoholic grandmother who has gone on another drinking spree in her tent. Upon arrival, they realize that the grandmother has drunk herself to death. Ahead of them lies a disturbing journey home. Omman (Grandmother) is directed by the Faroese director Julia í Kálvalíð, who has a wonderful talent for serving tragicomic stories, combining dark Nordic humor with sparks of color.
Entropy
Dir. Inuk Jørgensen, Greenland, 2023 | 10 min.
In English & Kalaallisut with English subtitles
The vast Greenlandic ice sheet has been created over thousands of years, with snowfall after snowfall molding the land the Inuit call home. As the ice cap is melting, the water will never be able to form this type of ice again. In Greenlandic filmmaker Inuk Jørgensen’s scenic short film Entropy, the ice cap becomes a symbol of the director’s own people, who have always lived in a close and sacred connection with the nature around them – a connection that is threatened as the ice melts beneath their feet. Climate change is the omnipresent threat in a film that celebrates Greenlandic mythologies and myths as much as it laments the nature we are all losing.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15
2 PM: My Father’s Daughter, Lið við lið, Einmin
My Father’s Daughter /Biru Unjárga
Dir. Egil Pedersen, Norway/Finland/Sweden, 2024 | 78 min.
In Sámi/Danish/English/Norwegian with English subtitles
Self-confident teenager Elvira (Sarah Olaussen Eir) is convinced that her mother conceived her at a Danish fertility clinic — and when she daydreams about her father, she imagines him as the charismatic movie star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays himself). But her world is turned upside down when her real biological father unexpectedly enters her life. Egil Pedersen’s addresses the often delicate identity issues of teenage life with empathy and warm irony in a coming-of-age film that, with its sharp dialogue and narrative style, is entertaining, heartwarming and thought-provoking.
Lið við lið / The Last straw
Dir. Andrias Høgenn, Faroe Islands, 2023 | 15 min.
In Faroese with English subtitles
Ivar is stranded on a mountainous country road on the Faroe Islands, and the only person whom he can ask for help is his estranged brother. In merely 15 minutes, The Last straw delivers a recognizable and tightknit drama, framed in simple and beautiful shots and served with an understated and low-key ironic humor by Faroese director Andrias Høgenni.
Einmin
Dir. Rammatik (aka Rannvá Káradóttir & Marianna Mørkøre), Faroe Islands, 2024 | 7 min.
In English & Faroese with English subtitles
Set in the aftermath of a party, the experimental dance film Einmin evolves around the solitary dancer, dressed in vibrant reds, as she navigates a deserted space. The camera traces her fluid, dynamic movements which are imbued with a subtle joy, while the atmospheric soundscape heightens the sense of the dancer’s presence. Filmed in one continuous take, Einmin is given a raw immediate quality, allowing the audience to fully engage with the dancer’s physical and emotional experience.
4:15 PM: When the Light Breaks & O
When the Light Breaks /Ljóbrot
Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Netherlands/Croatia/France, 2024 | 80 min
In Icelandic with English subtitles
A young woman loses her boyfriend in a terrible accident, but must bear the grief alone, as their relationship was a big secret in their small group of friends. The captivating and beautiful film takes place over the course of a single summer day, and encompasses a range of strong emotions from fear, despair and sadness to happiness and hope – all depicted with director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s mix of humor, warmth and raw poetry. Since its premiere at last year’s film festival in Cannes, When the Light Breaks has won several international awards, including Best Feature Film at the Nuuk International Film Festival 2024 and most recently Best Nordic Film at the Gothenburg Film Festival 2025.
O
Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland, 2024 | 20 min.
In Icelandic with English subtitles
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s latest film, the short film O (2024), is a poetic and powerful portrait of a man’s battle with his own demons during his daughter’s wedding. Shot in black-and-white by Sophia Olsson, the cinematography emphasizes the poetic visual style characteristic of all Rúnarsson’s films.
6:30 PM: Black Angel & 12 Minutes
Inngili Qernertoq / The Black Angel
Dir. Malik Kleist | Greenland, 2024 | 105 min
In Greenlandic with English subtitles
Something is lurking in the mountains. They are not alone – and there is no help to be found… Two couples have mysteriously disappeared in the mountains near Nuuk. When the police discover their private video recordings, they gradually discover how how an otherwise pleasant camping trip into peaceful landscapes turned into a nightmare. Inspired by the cult film The Blair Witch Project and its use of found footage, director Malik Kleist’s use of authentic documentary style juxtaposes persona and often comical footage with a creepy horror story. Far up in the mountains, nature is not only beautiful, but also violent and brutal.
12 Minutes
Dir. Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakke, Greenland, 2024 | 13 min.
In Greenlandic with English subtitles
Greenlandic director Christoffer R. Stenbakken’s black-and-white short film tells the story about Thomas and his wife Anette, who wake up one night to discover that their son, a drug addict, has broken into their house. Anette wants to let the son go, but Thomas wants to wait for the police to take him away. Thomas can’t live with his son anymore, but can he live without him?
Photo: Northern lights in Klaksvik, Faroe Islands; Photo by Alessio Mesiano / @Alessio Mesiano
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Birgir Thor Møller was born (1970) in Iceland, but lives in Copenhagen. He is the head of the annual film festival North Atlantic Film Days (Nordatlantiske Filmdage) at The North Atlantic House (Nordatlantens Brygge) in Copenhagen, where he also holds the position as program editor. Apart from organizing film, literature and other cultural events and festivals since 2005, Møller has published essays and articles related to Nordic and especially North Atlantic cinema and film history in a variety of publications, including the books Transnational Cinema in a Global North: Nordic Cinema in Transition and Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. He has also been a jury member at the film festival Nordic Panorama in Sweden (New Nordic Voices 2023) and at the Faroes short film awards Geytin 2025, and he holds an M.A. in film studies from the Institute of Film and Media Studies, University of Copenhagen.
SUPPORT
West Nordic Film Days is presented a partnership with The National Nordic Museum in Seattle.
