Hlynur Pálmason’s (A White, White Day, 2019) latest film Godland will screen at Kino Citadele on Wednesday, 11 January. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was shortlisted for the European Film Awards. The special screening is a part of the RIGA IFF INVITES programme and will feature an introduction by the festival’s Artistic Director, Sonora Broka.

The story is based on a unique find stashed away in a wooden box: some of the earliest known photographic images from the south-east of Iceland dating back to the 19th century. A vivid and realistic Iceland emerges from the screen, as if seen through the eye of the once revolutionary glass plate camera. The mountains and valleys appear with an almost palpable force as the photographer travels through the landscape. An active volcano heightens the atmosphere and makes the journey even more magnificent.

Godland follows the journey of a young Danish missionary to Iceland in the late 19th century. Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) is an enthusiastic priest who decides to bring the teachings of the church to the wild country, crossing the land on foot. Taking his first steps on the rugged terrain, Lucas encounters Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson) who is the force of nature personified. It soon becomes clear to Lucas that he has come to build an altar in a land that can destroy faith and men alike.

The jury of the RIGA IFF Feature Film Competition motivated selecting Godland as the winner thus: “The film expertly took us on a journey through time, signifying its passing without ever having to over-explain or simplify the characters’ evolution. The way in which the director worked with the actors brings them to a place that is both ambivalent and political, subtle, and clear, serious and often very funny.”

This screening on 11 January marks the start of the film’s limited theatrical run. Read more about the film at rigaiff.lv/dievzeme.