Archive of films Children / Börn

Iceland
2006, 93 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2007

Karitas is a single mother of four children, Gardar has been exiled from both the underworld and his family, and schizophrenic Marinó is dependent on his medicines and other things besides... An Icelandic title with excellent performances from three of its producers. Made in black-and-white, it’s a film about colourful relationships, children, mothers and fathers. Screened at the IFFs in San Sebastian, Pusan and Rotterdam.

Synopsis

Karitas, a nurse working flat out in a hospital and single mother of four children, is desperately trying to deal with the task of bringing up her three daughters and, in particular, 12-year-old Gudmund, who is being bullied at school. His only friend is the schizophrenic Marinó, a grown-up man with a child’s soul, dependent on his medicines and on his mother. One day, however, Marinó discovers that his mother has been seeing a strange man behind his back… Tough guy Gardar also has to face reality when he is suddenly cast out by the underworld and his own family. This is when he decides to try and trace his son Gudmund, whom he has never seen… Inspired by Godard and Cassavetes, the director sought the collaboration of the renowned and innovative stage company Vesturport, who fulfilled his requirement “to be” and not “to act”. “We began shooting without any written dialogue, but each actor had a broad sense of his character.” Three of the five producers also star in the film.

About the director

Ragnar Bragason (b. 1971, Sudavik, Iceland), an internationally acclaimed director working in advertising and the music video business, gave his debut with the film Fiasco, which won the Jury Prize at the Cairo IFF in 2000 and was also screened at festivals in Toronto, Mannheim, Pusan and elsewhere. The film Children was presented at the San Sebastian IFF in 2006 and was Iceland’s official candidate for the Oscar nomination in the category Best Foreign Language Film. It also had a record number of nominations for the Edda award, presented by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy. His screenplay The Whisperer (Magaluf) was nominated in 2003 for the Sundance / NHK International Filmmaker Award as Screenplay of the Year. The film Children was followed by Parents.

Contacts

The Works Film Group
5th Floor, Fairgate House, 78 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1HB, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 612 1080
Fax: +44 207 612 1081
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.theworksfilmgroup.com

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About the film

Black & white, 35 mm

Section:	Another View

Director:	Ragnar Bragason
Screenplay:	Ragnar Bragason & herci / the cast
Dir. of Photography:	Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson
Music:	Pétur Þór Benediktsson
Editor:	Pétur Þór Benediktsson
Producer:	Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Hlynur Kristjánsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ragnar Bragason, Víkingur Krisjánsson
Production:	Vesturport, Klikk Productions
Cast:	Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Andri Snær Helgason
Contact:	The Works Film Group

www:	www.children-movie.com

Guests

Clare Crean

Sales Agent

Laufey Guðjónsdóttir

Film Institution Rep.

Christof Wehmeier

Film Institution Rep.

Gisli Orn Gardarsson

Actor / Film Director