Dreamland
Dreamland is a film about a nation standing at cross-roads. Leading up to the country’s greatest economic crisis, the government started the largest mega project in the history of Iceland, to build the biggest dam in Europe to provide Alcoa cheap electricity for an aluminum smelter in the rugged east fjords of Iceland. The mantra was economic growth. Today Iceland is left holding a huge dept and an uncertain future.
Dreamland is a film about exploitation of natural resources and as Icelanders have learned clean energy does not come without consequence. Iceland is a country blessed with an abundance of clean, renewable, hydro-electric and geothermal energy. Clean energy brings in polluting industry and international corporations.
Dreamland tells the story of a nation with abundance of choices gradually becoming caught up in a plan to turn its wilderness and beautiful nature into a massive system of hydro-electric and geothermal power plants with dams and reservoirs, built to power the increasing heavy industry that will soon make Iceland the largest aluminum smelter in the world.
This highly controversial matter goes largely unnoticed by the public until the plans are already in action and the industrial machine has been turned on. Although most Icelanders are against the idea of turning Iceland into the world’s biggest smelter of aluminum the locals where the smelters are meant to be built, celebrate the idea of increasing investment in their region and more jobs. For decades they have been getting desperate, facing depopulation as the young generation finds education and better jobs in the capital.
This multilayered story is also the story of a small nation’s continuing struggle for its independence, and today from multinational companies roaming the world. We try to grasp peoples fear for the future. The insecurity created by the constant news of looming economic slowdown, and uncertain future.
The question remains, how much unspoiled nature should we preserve and what do we sacrifice for clean, renewable energy? Dreamland gradually turns into a disturbing picture of corporate power taking over nature and small communities. It’s the dark side of green energy.
Crew
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Directed by
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Director of Photography
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Editor
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Music Composer
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Producer
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Co-Producer
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Based on an idea by
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Camera
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Camera Assistant
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Color Grader
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Graphic Design by
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Music Conducted by
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Narration
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Production Manager
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Re-recording Mixer
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Sound Design
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Sound Editor
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Sound Engineer
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Visual Effects
About the film
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TypeDocumentary
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National Premiere DateApril 8, 2009, Háskólabíó
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Length89 min.
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LanguageIcelandic, English
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Original TitleDraumalandið
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International TitleDreamland
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Production Year2009
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Production CountriesIceland
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IMDB
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Website
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Icelandic Film Centre GrantYes
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Based on aNon-fiction work
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Production Format35mm, 16mm, 8mm, HD, DV
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Aspect Ratio16:9
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ColorYes
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SoundDolby Digital
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Screening format and subtitles35mm film with English sub. - 35mm film without sub. - DigiBeta with English sub. Blu Ray with; English sub.
Company Credits
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Production Company
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In Partnership With
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Supported by
Festivals
- 2016Mirgorod Film Festival, Poltava, Úkraína
- 2015Culture Unplugged Festival
- 2015Culturescapes, Basel
- 2014Icelandic Literature Summer, Schleswig-Holstein
- 2014Gallery Verkligheten
- 2012Doclisboa International Film Festival, Portugal
- 2012Images from the Edge: Classic and Contemporary Films from Iceland, Lincoln Center, New York
- 2011ViewFinders: International Film Festival for Youth - Award: Best Documentary Film.
- 2011Cinemateket, Oslo
- 2011Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland.
- 2010DocPoint-Helsinki Documentary Festival, Finland
- 2010Göteborg International Film Festival, Sweden
- 2010Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Festival, Oslo, Norway
- 2010North Atlantic Movie Days, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2010Hot Docs, World Showcase, Toronto, Canada
- 2010Doc Aviv Tel Aviv Documentary Film Festival, Israel
- 2010DOXA, Vancouver, Canada
- 2010Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, Icelandic and Norwegian Day, Poland
- 2010Cinema Politica, Montreal
- 2010Cinema Politica, Toronto
- 2010Balkankult Nordisk Panorama
- 2010Vera Documentary Film Festival
- 2010Nordic Film Festival in Rouen
- 2010Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
- 2010Eurodok
- 2010Planete Doc Review Film Festival
- 2010Green Film Festival in Seoul
- 2010H2O Film Festival
- 2010Transilvania International Film Festival
- 2010Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival
- 2010Eco Film Festival
- 2010Dokumentarist
- 2010Gimli Film Festival
- 2010Dokufest, Kosovo
- 2010Camden International Film Festival
- 2010Filmfest Hamburg
- 2010San Francisco Documentary Festival
- 2010CNEX Documentary Film Festival
- 2010Zagreb International Film Festival
- 2010DokMa
- 2010Nordische Filmtage Lübeck
- 2010Leeds International Film Festival
- 2010One World Film Festival
- 2010Memorimage International Documentary Film Festival
- 2010Noordelkjik Film Festival
- 2010Nordic Art and Culture, Manchester
- 2010Scanorama European Film Forum
- 2010Ronda International Film Festival
- 2010Edduverðlaunin / Edda Awards - Award: Documentary of the Year. Nominated for Film Score of the Year (Valgeir Sigurðsson). Nominated for Sound Design of the Year (Kjartan Kjartansson, Björn Viktorsson). Nominated for Director of the Year (Þorfinnur Guðnason, Andri Snær Magnason).
- 2010Off Plus Camera, Nordic Horizon
- 2009Nordisk Panorama, Reykjavik, Iceland
- 2009IDFA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2009Haugesund, Norway
Releases
- Sena, 2009 - DVD
