Awards eruption: Icelandic Volcano takes No. 1 in Denver
Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s feature debut, Volcano [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which was launched in Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes and since has been on an award-winning festival ride, received the top Krzystof Kieslowski prize for Best Feature at the 34th Starz Denver Film Festival (US), which ended on Monday, November 14.
Rúnarsson was in competition with such directors as Alexander Payne, David Cronenberg, Lars von Trier and Béla Tarr at the showcase, which screened 250 films from 47 countries to audiences exceeding 50,000.
Volcano, which is Iceland’s official submission for the Oscar nomination as Best Foreign-Language Feature, is described as a late coming-of-age tale of a 67-year-old custodian and volcanic survivor. After retirement, estranged from his family and with hardly any friends, he tries to get to terms with the rest of his life.
Scripted by Rúnarsson, the film was shot on domestic locations as an Icelandic-Danish co-production starring Theódór Júlíusson, Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir, Elma Lísa Gunnarsdóttir and Thorsteinn Bachmann.
After Cannes, Volcano won a shared Best Director’s award at the Translyvanian International Film Festival, adding a Silver Hugo in Chicago, a Golden Wolf and the Critics’ Prize in Montreal, Best Actor (Júlíusson) in Sao Paolo and Best Director Prize at Valladolid, not to forget the Golden Puffin at Iceland’s own Reykjavik Film Festival.
Rúnarsson’s debut was produced by Thor S Sigurjónsson, Skúli Fr Malmquist and Egil Dennerline for local Zik Zak Filmworks, with Denmark’s Fine & Mellow Productions A/S. TrustNordisk handles international sales.
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