On 26/1 in Athens the film “Land of God” and on March 6 in Patras by the Film Club
From the One from the Heart distribution company, Hlynur Palmason’s film, “Godland” will be released in Greek theaters. It is an Icelandic-Danish co-production that premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes International Film Festival, and has won the Best Film Award in the Zabaltegi Section (Spain’s best films of the year) at the Festival and the Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival.
The film participated in the Competition Program of the London International Film Festival, while it was screened at the Telluride Festival in Colorado, Melbourne, Karlovy Vary, Toronto, Turin, Thessaloniki, Les Arcs, Rotterdam. It was also screened at AFI Fest World Cinema and was Nominated for an Interpretation Award at the European Film Awards.
It has ten (10) nominations in the Robert programs of the Danish Film Academy, among them for Best Film and Best Director.
The film will be released in theaters in Athens on 26/1/2023 and then in Thessaloniki on 2/2, while as far as we have seen in Patras, which trained in the second cycle of the Cinema Club at Options Cinemas, in Veso Mare on March 6 2023 at 19.00 and at 21.30.
At the end of the 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote area of Iceland (then part of Denmark) with the aim of building a church, but also to photograph its inhabitants for the first time. However, the more he moves through the difficult, inhospitable landscape, the more he moves away from his purpose, his mission and the certainties he followed until then.
Brilliantly photographed in a square frame, the epic “God’s Country” manages to combine in a unique way an existential journey of mental and physical testing with an almost mocking look at nationalism and above all with a profound human reflection on vigilance and straightness (as the glass photographic plates) our place in nature’s perpetual, inescapable cycle of life and death.
Icelandic filmmaker Hlinur Palmasson (A White, White Day, Winter Brothers) signs his most complete and mature work yet, unfolding a thrilling journey through Iceland with great cinematic references (from Bergman to Herzog), but also a completely original and exciting approach. . of his subject, now entering the forefront of creators of world cinema.
They wrote about the film:
“A compelling account of a journey to the dark side of permanent daylight. An ambitious and complete work that is as passionate as Herzog with the vast, difficult location, the madness and the infamy.” SCREEN
“Visually impressive. An arctic species Blood will be shed. Palmason has his own authentic voice that grows stronger with each film.” VARIETY
“Extremely enjoyable.” THE PLAYLIST
“Rich epic reminiscent of the great directors of film history.” ICS FILMS
“The film was for some strange reason placed in the One To Watch section instead of the Competition where it clearly belongs. The Power of the Dog meets Terrence Malick and Werner Herzog” Jay Weissberg, Film Verdict
“The great discovery of the 75th event. It is everything one expects from a film: a journey through time, a universe with its own rules, charming images, characters with multiple contradictions and nuances, and the feeling of discovering cinema for the first time” OLTRO CINES
“This heart-pounding drama marks another milestone in the director’s maturity and ambition, and deserves the same attention. A work of somber grandeur that exerts a powerful attraction. An impressive and unforgettable epic”. David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
“A film of extraordinary art and power. The film’s major virtues, ranging from the breathtaking landscape photography, to the authentic performances of an impeccable cast, show that Palmachon is working at the height of his powers. Through incredibly beautiful, square images that imitate the first photographs, the director transforms reality. A small fly standing on Luca’s eyelashes as he sleeps. Raindrops darkening a gray rock. The pebbles on the edge of a river. A bouquet in a small pot on a windowsill. All of this and more comes across as small miracles in the film because of Palmachon’s gift for composition, his way with color and the balance of his editing, holding an image for as long as it takes to take us away.” Caspar Salmon, Sight and Sound.
“God’s Country tells a story about the wonders of nature, the beauty of the elements and human madness.” Justin Chang Los Angeles Times
“An extraordinary odyssey around faith, nature and the encounter with the different, in the fascinating places of Iceland” Libération
“Cannes should get out of the ‘only put the same directors in Competition over and over again’ approach, because the sensational film God’s Country beats the other films in terms of the ambition of the form and the refined iconography. Unexpected images one after the other, ideas and passion, even humor” Guy Lodge (Variety) on Twitter.
Duration: 143 minutes.
Director’s note:
God’s Country explores family ties, the acceptance of myths and magical realism. It is a film about a journey of ambition, love, faith and the fear of God. It also talks about the need and desire to find one’s place in all of this, to be visible, to participate in something. A special role is played by the idea of communication, the dialogue between different languages, and the way we communicate or rather fail to communicate.
Also, our internal as well as external conflicts. It deals with topics such as humanity and nature and how they compare through people, animals and the world around us. In the end, I found that this film mainly explores what divides us and what unites us. And it was a surprise to me when in the end, I realized that death may be the only thing that unites us. This is the core of the film, its beating heart.
God’s Country takes place when Iceland was under Danish rule. My life has been split between these two very different countries that have shaped me in many ways. It hasn’t been that long since Iceland was under the Danish crown and I haven’t seen this topic touched on in the cinema. I wanted to explore contrasts in environment, temperament and language or the source of misunderstandings, in addition to contrasts in form and feeling and how these are revealed when he pits the two countries against each other.
I believe that period is reflected in today because in a way we haven’t changed much as humans. We still have all these basic primitive emotions, wants and needs and we all share the same fate of mortality where we become one with the earth. It’s wonderful to read diaries or letters from that period and even earlier and see that people were concerned about the same things back then as they are today. How much money do I have for bread and wine? I saw a beautiful woman on the street. The weather was bad today. Why am I here?
Diligence: T. MARTATOS