ISLANDIA Erasmus Project

Project Title

ISLANDIA

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law)

Project Summary

This is a dramatic short film based on a diary of a woman set prison after a physical and sexual abuse in a culture very different from hers. The character of the film is joyful, impulsive young woman who decides quickly to book “all inclusive” trip to an exotic destination. The journey starts well but one night, a hotel employee breaks in to her hotel room while she is asleep and rapes her. In the conflict between them there is a damage in the hotel room. Therefore she is charged for the damage and put in all women prison where she is has no name, she is called ´Islandia´. Inside the prison she encounters women from all over the world who all have a dramatic stories behind them. The story takes place at the same time as the massacre of Gaza were at its highest.

European (Icelandic) woman is experiencing the hard reality which is a everyday reality for some women worldwide. Its important to look at other cultures in order to contribute change of attitude for our own culture and increase knowledge
and understanding for others. In the opinion of the applicants is our human nature to open our eyes, listen and connect better
when something happens closer to us. The story of a European woman is true. The connection to the story and the characters become stronger and can become part of providing inspiration, increase knowledge and understanding in the women right movement (witch is barely begun for a large proportion of women in the world) as well as fighting for human rights.
Our story is perhaps a key that will unlock someone else’s prison that’s why we want to share this testimony.

The Icelandic organisation ‘Islandia’ is group of 6 upcoming film makers.
Eydís Eir Björnsdóttir – writer/director
Marzibil Sæmundardóttir – co-director
Marta Óskarsdóttir – assistant director
Svava Lóa Stefánsdóttir – producer
Ársæll Níelsson – producer
Skúli Helgi Sigurgíslason – sound engineer

The Danish partnership organization Islandia_Copenhagen is a group of five upcoming film makers
Nanna Rúnarsdóttir – photographer / DIT
Andri Thor

The Spanish partnership organizations Islandia_spain is a group of 5 upcoming film makers
Carolina Salas Munos – Producer
Manuel Gónzales-Simancas Gónzalez is a director and expert technician in image and production assistant.
Julio César Tortuero is a director of photography and documentary filmmaker.
Olvido Pérez is a director of photography.
Guillermo López Cabrera is a audiovisual artist, photographer, scriptwriter and director.

Other nationalities include
Neslihan Siligur (Turkey) – First assistant camera (she alias in the credits – Alex Ban)
Nicolas Liebing (France) – Composer
Ray Dumas (Canada) – Cinematographer
Loris Santarosa (Canada) – Gaffer

Producer Carolina Salas travelled between Iceland and Spain to organize and co-ordinate the production.
Director Eydís Eir traveled to Spain to scout locations and meet with Spanish crew members and she travelled to Copenhagen to meet with a production company and with the danish organisation.
Transnational meetings were held via Skype.
In may 2017 6 crew members from Iceland, 1 crewmember from Denmark, 2 crewmembers from Canada and 1 crewmember from Turkey travelled to spain and met with the Spanish crew. The whole crew resided in Segovia during the final pre-arrangements and shooting for a total of 10 days.
Post production in Iceland is now in it´s final stages and the film will be ready and handed to the Icelandic Film Fund no later than December 1st.

Early 2018 we hope to have screened the film at international film festivals. It will the be premiered in Iceland soon after that. Discussion between the production and humanitarian organizations are being organized.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 30840 Eur

Project Coordinator

Islandia & Country: IS

Project Partners

• Islandia_spain
• Islandia_Copenhagen