Cold Hearts 3: Foreign Relations 2008 Ages 15+
DV CAM, COLOUR AND BLACK AND WHITE, STEREO, 103 MINS, ICELAND, ENGLISH AND ICELANDIC (ENGLISH SUBTITLES)
Iceland's current film and music scenes are more vibrant than ever. This latest instalment of Package Deals' exploration into contemporary Icelandic culture, commissioned for the Australian Cinematheque, features a host of music videos, video art, and short films. From the newly refashioned pop stylings of the well-known band Múm and the up-and-coming indie folksters Seabear, to the unique aesthetic visions of the latest crop of young multidisciplinary visual artists and filmmakers—whose work is shown at galleries as well as at festivals like Sundance—this collection reflects the exuberant spirit of not only the Package Deals' ethos but, naturally, Iceland itself.
Featuring artists and filmmakers: Kristjan Zaklynsky, Icelandic Love Corporation, Lina Bjørn Larsen and Anna Wolf, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Una Lorenzen, Hermann Karlsson; and the music of Múm, Seabear, Nico Muhly, and Valgeir Sigurdsson with Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Also premiering the new documentary Steypa by Markús Thór Andrésson and Ragnheidur Gestsdóttir
Fri 16 May 6.00pm / Cinema A
Part 1: Video Art, Film, and Music
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| 90s 2007 A tongue-in-cheek, psychedelia-flecked tribute to 1990s romanticism. |
 | They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded 2007 Demented childrens' collages illustrate this song from the band's latest album, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy. |
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| Mayfair 2007 An abstract yet organic composition in space, featuring fractals, particles, and synthesizers. |
 | It Goes Without Saying 2007 This video for New York-based composer Nico Muhly is animated under the camera with hair, window spray, and paper cut-outs. Muhly is part of Iceland's Bedroom Community label, and spends ample time working in Iceland. Recently shown at the renowned Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France. |
 | I Sing I Swim 2007 A book comes to life with pool parties, fireworks, and more. Directed by two of the band's multi-talented members. |
 | Hundur (Dog) 2007 A melancholic yet witty story about people’s reactions to a dog’s death, employing a mixture of 2D computer-drawn animation and painted-cell animation to create an old fashioned look. Shown in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. |
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| Evolution of Waters 2007 Reflecting the layered sound of the music it represents, this video was created using oil paint on glass, line drawings scratched on 35mm film, and a 16mm recording of a performance by experimental artist Miles A. Martinez. |
| Intimacy Circus 2004 In this performance video, the Reykjavik-based collective assumes the roles of post-modern angels as they push beyond the limits of their themselves and are reborn through challenge, camaraderie, love, pain, and lots of champagne. |
Part 2: Icelandic Contemporary Art
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| Steypa 2007 Seven of Iceland's most acclaimed young artists explore inspiration and creativity and share the diverse processes that spark a work of art in this eclectic, funky film that walks a fine line between realism and performance. Gabríela Fridriksdóttir kneads dough and wears it as a mask; Ásmundur Ásmundsson pours Coca-Cola into empty Fanta bottles; Katrín Sigurdardóttir builds a small model of a house only to throw it off of a bigger one; the Icelandic Love Corporation re-creates Van Gogh's “The Starry Night” in licorice; Margrét Blöndal is enchanted by gaskets in a rubber store; Huginn Thór Arason has his hair cut off and turned into a wig; and Unnar Örn Jónasson Audarson rummages for plant cuttings in a home for the elderly. The Icelandic word for “concrete” (Ásmundur's sculpting material of choice) as well as a colloquial Icelandic term for “something weird,” Steypa offers a playful and intelligent discussion of the contemporary art scene in Reykjavík. Together with curators, prominent critics, and pop star Björk, the artists frame the phenomenon of Icelandic contemporary art within the international scene and raise questions about lives dedicated to creativity. Soundtrack by Ólafur Björn Ólafsson. |
