Sources on Iceland 4: Film, TV and magazines

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TV and Film

Iceland has become a favourite location for films and television series in the last few years. Here are some that I have enjoyed or found useful.

Several of these are adaptations of the novels I have mentioned earlier.

Trapped

A TV detective series created by Iceland’s foremost director, Baltasar Kormákur. It is set in a village in the East Fjords, cut off by snow. A body is found, the weekly ferry from Denmark is suspected, and the burly local police chief Andri investigates. Very good.

The Valhalla Murders

A classic police detective TV series. A succession of murders are linked to a children’s home - Valhalla. Kata must solve the crimes, with the help of an enigmatic Icelandic expat just back from Oslo. Beautiful images of Reykjavík in the snow and really quite a lot of blood.

Woman at War

My favourite Icelandic film. A choir conductor named Halla is an eco-terrorist, destroying power lines supplying an aluminium plant, all the time watched by three musicians who provide the score. Her plan to adopt a child from the Ukraine gets in the way of things. Quirky, in the best Icelandic manner.

101 Reykjavík

A film of the book about Hlynur, the slacker who lives with his mum.

Rams

A beautiful film about two neighbouring sheep farmers in a remote dale who hate each other and haven’t spoken for decades.

The Night Shift

A comedy  TV series set in a petrol station at night. Jón Gnarr, who became mayor of Reykjavík, is the night manager. An Icelandic version of The Office, it built up a cult following in the UK.

I Remember You

A deeply unsettling film about a group of visitors to a remote island who stumble across evidence of a missing child. Scary. Based on Yrsa’s book.

Pressa

A TV series about tabloid journalists. All the ethical and professional conflicts you would expect, in an Icelandic setting. I enjoyed it.

Jar City

A film of the book by Arnaldur Indridason. A classic detective story with a biotech twist. Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson makes an excellent Erlendur (he gets demoted to be the sergeant sidekick in Trapped, above).

Nói Albinói

A film of teenage anomie set in an isolated Icelandic town in the middle of winter - filmed in Bolungarvík. It’s a little bleak. Very bleak. But memorable.

The Seagull’s Laughter

Set in an Icelandic fishing village in the 1950s, it tells the story of a local girl made good in America returning to her home town.

Cold Fever

Distinctly weird Icelandic-Japanese film about a Japanese man lost in Iceland in winter. At one point he is saved by an elf. I enjoyed it, I’m not quite sure why.

By the way, here are Iceland Review's top Icelandic movies, a list compiled in 2024.


Magazines and Newspapers

Iceland Review

A beautifully produced quarterly magazine that has been going for decades. Its journalists are often articulate English-speaking foreigners who love Iceland - such as Eliza Reid, a Canadian whose husband was until recently president. Outstanding photographs. Worth becoming a subscriber: it costs about 60 euros a year, and it keeps you in touch with Iceland.

The Reykjavík Grapevine

An English-language newspaper. Irreverent, but relevant.

The Internet

It's difficult to recommend sources on the Internet, since there are so many of them and they change so frequently.  Iceland Review and The Reykjavik Grapevine have good websites; the Grapevine has great video coverage of the volcanic eruptions in Iceland over the last few years.

Alda Sigmundsdóttir's various forays on the Internet have been a tremendous source of information for me over the years.  She started with a blog which became a Facebook page called Iceland Weather Report.  Her current medium is a substack newsletter, Letter from Iceland.  She is always interesting and occasionally provocative.  

What have I missed?  Please let me know, either in the comments section below this post or by email.



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