Rúnar Rúnarsson

Rúnar Rúnarsson (b. 1977) is one of the premier talents in European cinema. He graduated in direction from the National Film School of Denmark in 2009. In 2006 his short The Last Farm recieved an Academy Awards nomination. All in all, his shorts have earned him over 90 awards from the the largest and most prestigious festivals all over the world. During the production of his feature debut Volcano he moved back to Iceland, where he now lives and works. The film was selected for Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, and has later been selected for a host of festivals worldwide like Karlovy Vary, Toronto and London.

Rúnar Rúnarsson has become a special Minimalen favourite, due to his personal shorts characterized by relevant compassionate dilemmas, strong casting and sensitive direction. We are proud to have him as our guest of honour and member of the jury this year. In a masterclass session he will present four of his own shorts, including the rarely screened Spring. He will also be present and introduce the Norwegian cinema premiere of Volcano.

->Masterclass / ->Volcano

Masterclass: Short Films
Lørdag/Saturday 18:00

IS 2004 | Fic. | 17 min
Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

THE LAST FARM (Síðasti bærinn)

Innerst i en avsidesliggende dal finner vi den siste gjenværende gården, der en mann kjemper for å holde drømmen sin i live, omgitt av en bygdekultur i fritt forfall. Hrafn har mistet kona og er i ferd med å miste jorda, uavhengigheten og verdigheten. Oscar-nominert 2006, og vinner av den internasjonale publikumsprisen på Minimalen 2006.

At the end of a remote valley, we find the last surviving farm, where a man struggles to keep his dream alive amidst a crumbling rural culture. Hrafn has lost his wife and is about to lose his land, independence, and dignity as well. A 2006 Academy Award nominee, and winner of the International Audience Award at Minimalen 2006.

Production: Þórir Snær Sigurjónsson, Skúli Malmquist / Zik Zak Filmworks, www.zikzak.is

DK 2007 | Fic. | 14 min
Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

SPRING (Forår)

78-årige Asta har tilbrakt et langt liv med sin elskede ektemann Helge. Men nå er tiden kommet for å si farvel - og Asta står overfor en av sitt livs tøffeste avgjørelser.

78-year-old Asta has spent a long life with her beloved husband Helge. But now the time has come to say goodbye – and Asta faces one of the toughest decisions of her life.

Production: Den Danske Filmskole, www.filmskolen.dk

IS 2008 | Fic. | 15 min
Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

2 BIRDS (Smáfuglar)

En lys sommernatt, unge tenåringer på en reise fra uskyld til voksenlivet. Vant prisen for Beste fiksjon i Nordisk konkurranse, Minimalen 2009.

One bright summer night, young teenagers on a journey from innocence to adulthood. Won the Best Fiction Award in the Nordic Competition, Minimalen 2009.

Production: Þórir Snær Sigurjónsson, Skúli Malmquist, Hlín Jóhannesdóttir
/ Zik Zak Filmworks, www.zikzak.is

DK 2009 | Fic. | 35 min
Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

ANNA

I en liten fiskerlandsby bor en 12 år gammel jente. Hun står ved en skillevei i livet. Omverdenen er i ferd med å forandre seg, og det er hun også. Eksamensfilm, utvalgt til Cannes Directors Fortnight 2009.

A 12 year old girl lives in a little fishing village. She's at a crossroad in her life. Her world is about to change, and so is she. Exam film, picked to participate in the Cannes Directors Fortnight 2009.

Script: Rúnar Rúnarsson | Camera: Sophia Olsson | Editor: Jacob Secher Schulsinger | Cast: Marie Hammer Boda, Petrine Agger, a.o.

Production: Caroline Schlüter, Den Danske Filmskole, www.filmskolen.dk

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Festpremiere: Ildfjell | Volcano
Fredag/Friday 18:00

ILDFJELL (Eldfjall)

IS 2011 | Fic. | 99 min
Director: Rúnar Rúnarsson

I samarbeid med Trondheim kino og Arthaus presenterer Minimalen stolt norgespremieren på langfilmdebuten til årets hedersgjest, Rúnar Rúnarsson.

Filmen forteller om en 67 år gammel manns modningsprosess. Hannes kommer fra en tid da mannen var herre i eget hus, og nærhet og følelser noe som hørte kvinner og julaften til. Når han så pensjoneres fra jobben som vaktmester, åpnes det tomrommet som er resten av livet hans. Han er fremmedgjort fra sin familie, har knapt noen venner, og forholdet til kona har bleknet. Gjennom ytre hendelser innser Hannes at han må justere livet sitt for å hjelpe noen han er glad i.

Ildfjell er en kjærlighetshistorie om å håndtere fortidens valg og øyeblikkets vanskeligheter for å kunne omfavne fremtiden. En film som kler av den klassisk nordiske ordknappe og vanepregede mannskarakteren, og viser ham fram i all sin stivbente ensporethet. Men det finnes håp for alle.

In cooperation with Trondheim kino and Arthaus, Minimalen proudly present the Norwegian premiere of the debut feature of this year's guest of honor, Rúnar Rúnarsson.

The film tells the coming of age story of a 67 year old man. Hannes comes from a time when man was master of his house, and intimacy and feelings belonged to the women and Christmas Eve. When he retires from his job as a janitor, the void that is the rest of his life begins. He is estranged from his family, hardly has any friends, and the relationship to his wife has faded. Through drastic events, Hannes realises that he has to adjust his life in order to help someone he loves.

Volcano is a love story about dealing with the choices of the past and the difficulties of the present in order to embrace the future. A film that undresses the classic silent Nordic male character driven by habit, and displays him in all his rigid single-mindedness. But there is hope for everyone.

Production: Egil Dennerline, Skuli Fr. Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson / Zik Zak Filmworks, Fine Mellow production A/S, www.zikzak.is
Norwegian distribution: Arthaus, www.filmweb.no/arthaus

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