Icelandic Film Centre
Íslenska

The Sea Baron

The Sea Baron is a cinema verité-styled documentary set in a restaurant by the old Reykjavík harbour, where the legendary sailor Kjartan Halldórsson, who spent decades cooking at sea on vessels of all sizes, started a fishmarket by himself in an old baiting house. Without obtaining any official permit and due to popular demand, he started cooking too and soon had a lively restaurant which is by now one of the most prosperous in Iceland, with top reviews in the NY Times and international media; one of Reykjavík’s landmarks. Instrumental in this success is Kjartan’s jovial and hospitable character, making every guest feel at home.
With the aid of his second-in-command Elísabet, a team of waitresses and his old friend Höddi, he feeds the hungry travellers and locals that come in off the street through the dead of winter and the constant sunlight of the Icelandic summer. As time goes by it becomes clearer that the Sea Baron must find an heir to his title, though he is by all accounts one of a kind. The Sea Baron is an intimate portrait of a rare character in this day and age, a restless soul who makes his own fortune and faces adversity with a rowdy sense of humor.

Crew

About the film

  • Type
    Documentary
  • National Premiere Date
    January 12, 2015
  • Length
    48 min.
  • Language
    Icelandic, English
  • Original Title
    Sægreifinn
  • International Title
    The Sea Baron
  • Production Year
    2015
  • Production Countries
    Iceland
  • Premiere TV Channel
    RÚV
  • Icelandic Film Centre Grant
    Yes
  • Production Format
    HD
  • Color
    Yes
  • Sound
    Stereo
  • Screening format and subtitles
    DCP, English subtitles

Company Credits