Ágúst Guðmundsson
2021
On Top
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Egill Ólafsson, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir
Two rock groups, one male, the other female, decide to do a combined effort to hit the road of stardom by doing a show together. As the show is getting on the road, the lead singers of the two groups have a disagreement which brings about a parting of ways, in love as in life. A historic tour of the country begins, which through the music and performances of the two groups as well as the reactions of their audiences, reveals, beneath the comedy, glimpses of today's real competition between the sexes, seen against the background of Icelandic life.
On Top
Dansinn
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Gunnar Helgason, Joi Johannsson
Águst Guðmundsson directed this Icelandic period drama, adapted from the short story We Must Dance by William Heinesen, and set on an island in 1913. Pétur (Gunnar Helgason) narrates, recalling the days when mainlanders arrived for a wedding. Flirtatious Sirsa (Pálína Jónsdottir) marries Harald (Dofri Hermannsson), son of a wealthy landowner on the island. Offshore, a ship is sinking, so the men form a rescue party, returning with the captain, the engineer, and several sailors. With a storm gathering, the engineer dies. The clergyman requests an end to the festivities as a mark of respect. Sirsa protests, but her new husband brings the celebration to a halt. The group then fragments into different activities, drunken or otherwise, and the sensual Sirsa directs her attention toward the handsome Ívar (Baldur Trausti Hreinsson). The film's score features traditional folk music.
The Dance
Mávahlátur
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir, Ugla Egilsdóttir
Post-war provincial Iceland: around 1950, Freyja, who'd been a plump teen, returns from America, a widow with a 20-inch waist, seven suitcases of dresses, and a list of who ever wronged or slighted her. She moves in with an aunt and socialist uncle: finding a new husband is high on her agenda, and she's mistrusted by Agga, a pre-teen who's our eyes and ears. The social order and Freyja are more complicated than they seem at first, and so may be her prospects. Class divisions, families ties, pride, the onset of puberty, and the power of Eros sliver the ice.
The Seagull's Laughter
Gullsandur
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Matthew Driscoll
A political comedy about the effects of the apparent discovery of gold in the sands near a small community on Iceland's south coast. Troops from the American NATO base "invade" the territory, journalists from Reykjavik arrive and the morals of the local inhabitants quickly turn topsy-turvy.
Golden Sands
Ryð
Lárus Ýmir Óskarsson
Bessi Bjarnason, Egill Ólafsson
After 15 years Pétur returns to Baddi's auto garage that is still located at the end of the world. Baddi lives there with his two children and worker. 15 years before terrible events occurred at the garage that forced Pétur to leave.
Rust
Ófeigur gengur aftur
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
Ofeigur, the passed away father of Anna Sol walks again and starts to involve her life and her boyfriend, Ingi Brjann. The young couples are going to sell the house of the dead but Ofeigur is not very happy with that and tries to convince them not to do it. The intervention of the ghost is so irritating that Ingi Brjann tries to get him away by using methods from an old magic book.
Spooks and Spirits
Í takt við tímann
Ágúst Guðmundsson
Egill Ólafsson, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir
More than twenty years after the premiere of one of the most beloved Icelandic films (On Top/Med allt a hreinu 1982) a sequel appears. A band which folded twenty years ago (they were even considered old-fashioned then) sees fit to stage a comeback. Indications point to a great future until the ghosts of the past catch up with the band in the form of a single mother and a jolly roadie. We follow the band not only through the magnificent Icelandic landscape but also through two continents and a brief spell in the other world.
Ahead of Time
