Halló! Kvikmyndapod is a film discussion podcast that journeys through the cinema of 21st century Iceland celebrating the unique films and film-makers from this most magical of countries. Each week Rob (a big fan of Iceland) and Ellie (a relative newbie to all things Iceland) tackle a single movie and chat about it. From comedies to documentaries to horror films, the podcast looks at what makes them specifically Icelandic as well as how they fit into the wider world of film.
Episodes
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Halló!
And Happy Halloween!
To celebrate spooky season, Rob and Ellie bring together two recent Icelandic B-Movie horror-comedies.
First up is Elvar Gunnarsson’s trippy 'It Hatched' in which a baby is born from an egg laid by a human woman in a guesthouse in a remote fjord. If that doesn't sounds bonkers, then the rest of the film will do the convincing!
This is followed by comedy troupe Leikhópurinn X's 'Thirst’ or Þorsti from 2019, a film about a 1,000 year-old gay vampire and his unlikely friendship with a recovering drug user. It features buckets of blood and the most gore of any Icelandic film covered on the pod so far; probably of any Icelandic movie in fact!
So grab some beers and popcorn, get together with some mates, and settle in for a riotous B-movie double bill and then hear what Rob and Ellie have to say about these unique horror movies!
And keep your eyes peeled for Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir!
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And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Halló!
Week two finds Rob and Ellie heading a third of the way round the country, from the south towards the Westfjords, for 'Rams' director Grímur Hákonarson's second feature film 'The County'.
Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir plays Inga, one half of a farming couple left to fight a local farming co-op for their bullying and shady keep-it-in-the-community tactics.
With true life story elements, calm and incredibly composed cinematography from Mart Taniel, and a complex central performance from Egilsdóttir, this is not just a rehash of elements seen before on the pod, but a fascinating look at how small communities may deal with the changing face of farming and commerce in Iceland.
Also starring Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann and Hannes Óli Ágústsson.
Music by Valgeir Sigurðsson
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And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Halló!
Rob and Ellie reconvene for a fourth go around the cinema of Iceland!
This week it's a return to the work of Baltasar Kormákur and his 2012 drama, based on real-life events, The Deep.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson plays Gulli, a fisherman living on the island of Heimaey in the south of Iceland, whose boat capsizes. What happens next is a remarkable story of survival.
With some absolutely beautiful cinematography and great performances from the likes of Björn Thors, Jóhann G. Jóhannsson and Thora Bjorg Helga, this is an intriguing disaster drama.
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And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Halló!
Rob and Ellie return with a special episode all about something brand new and available to watch in the UK right now!
Director of 'A White, White Day', Hlynur Pálmason recently gave us a new short film titled 'NEST' (available on MUBI) about the building of a treehouse over the course of 18 months, and the daily interactions that his kids have with it.
For a 22-minute film this packs in all the emotion and is absolutely stunning to look at.
The first half of the podcast is a fascinating conversation with Hlynur himself, while in the second half Rob and Ellie discuss the film in detail.
If you haven't already, you can get a free 30-day trial of MUBI at www.mubi.com/kvikmyndapod.
The next series of the podcast will arrive later this year, so keep your eyes peeled!
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Halló!
And so another journey through the cinema of Iceland ends. For this final episode of series three, Rob and Ellie discuss the beautiful 'Heartstone' from 2016.
Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson's debut feature is a coming-of-age drama set in the remote east of the country near the fishing village of Seyðisfjörður. Best friends Þór and Kristján negotiate their teenage emotions and sexual urges as one sets his sights on local girl Beta and the other on his best mate...
Sadly we end with a film that does not star Ingvar Sigurðsson, but the teen actors are all phenomenal (led by Baldur Einarsson and Blær Hinriksson) and some fantastic familiar faces complete the adult cast; Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Søren Malling and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson.
Rob and Ellie will return...but in the meantime join us on social media and keep your eyes on your podcast feeds!
Thanks to all our listeners, new and old, for an amazing first year as a podcast!
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Halló!
It's the penultimate week of Rob and Ellie's third journey round Iceland and this time they're in Svarthamar in the Westfjords for a rural tale of grief and a unique way of dealing with it - Metal music!
Director Ragnar Bragason's 'Metalhead' stars Thora Bjorg Helga as Hera, a young lady who witnesses her brother's death and finds solace in the music of the bands he loved - Judas Priest, Megadeth, Teaze etc.
With a soundtrack unlike any heard before on the podcast, these unusual elements come together brilliantly as Hera and her parents finally find a way through their guilt and grief.
Also starring Ingvar Sigurðsson, Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson.
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Halló!
Having seen plenty of sheep over the course of this podcast, it's the turn of the great Icelandic horse this week, as Rob and Ellie travel out into the wilds once again for a darkly comic tale of love, death, and the relationship between man and beast.
Director Benedikt Erlingsson's feature debut 'Of Horses and Men' is a series of beautifully shot interconnected vignettes that demonstrate just how integral horses are to rural Icelandic life.
Ingvar Sigurðsson provides the central performance as a man completely in love with his new mare, for whom things don't quite work out. What follows includes horses swimming for alcohol, tractor chases and a surprising amount of death, both human and animal.
This is by turns fun, funny and tragic. But ultimately triumphant.
Next week's film, 'Metalhead, can be found on PantaFlix, the Sky Store or for free here.
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Halló!
Week three of series three finds Rob and Ellie almost back on terra firma in Iceland - with just a little trip to the Netherlands to score some booze!
One of the more mainstream, 'Hollywood' efforts to come out of Iceland in the 2000s, Óskar Jónasson' 'Reykjavik-Rotterdam' re-teams Baltasar Kormákur with Ingvar Sigurðsson and Arnaldur Indriðason for a sort-of heist thriller about a former criminal doing ONE LAST JOB!
With a bunch of familiar faces (including Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), plenty of tension and some very funny moments, it's no wonder this was remade in the US with Mark Wahlberg.
Grab the popcorn and enjoy!
And don't forget to check out Magnús Jónsson's TAKA 5.
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Halló!
The next leg of Rob and Ellie's journey takes them away from Iceland to the exotic mountain jungles of Nepal!
Kvikmyndapod is leaving the country of Iceland behind for the first time, for 'The Hero's Journey to the Third Pole' in which Andri Snær Magnason and Anní Ólafsdóttir artfully document the efforts of Anna Tara Edwards and musician Högni to put on a concert to raise awareness of bipolar disorder, and mental illness more generally, in Nepal.
Featuring elephants, mountains, unbelievable stories, and insight into the experiences of those living with bipolar disorder, this is a fascinating documentary with some great music!
Click here to watch 'Apausalypse'
Click here to watch 'Among the Living' by Markéta Irglová, feat. Siggi String Quartet & Aida Shahghasemi
Click here to watch Árstíðir sing the Icelandic hymn Heyr himna smiður at a train station train station
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy supporting us, why not sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Halló!
Welcome to the Official Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson podcast...
Or rather, thanks for catching up with Rob and Ellie as they journey round the 'Land of Ice and Fire' for a third time!
Series 3 of Kvikmyndapod kicks off with one of, if not THE biggest Icelandic film of the 21st century; LAMB.
A Cannes award-winner co-written by Sjón with the film's director Valdimar Jóhannsson, LAMB takes place in the eerily familiar setting (to regular listeners!) of a remote farm deep in the Icelandic countryside. However, the story is anything but familiar...
A supernatural folk-tale with a horror tinge, this is an atmospheric slow burn with WTF moments to stun and scare. Starring Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and a character unlike any you will have seen before, LAMB is the perfect film to send the pod back to Iceland.
LAMB is currently available to watch on MUBI and Kvikmyndapod listeners can get a free 30-day trial by clicking here: FREE ICELANDIC MOVIES
Thanks to MUBI's 'Land of Fire and Ice' collection you can also catch up with other fantastic films already covered on the podcast; 'Under the Tree', 'Rams' and 'Echo'.
Please subscribe/follow, rate and review on Spotify and Apple
and
Follow us on Twitter @KVIKMYNDAPOD
and Instagram kvikmyndapod
And if you fancy, sling us the cost of a coffee!
Artwork designed by Sophie Watts (justahappyspace)
Music by Branches Bare
('Half-light' from the EP 'In the Origami Folds of the Night You Rip the Seam of Sleep Wide Open)