UNDER THE TREE
O.V. in Icelandic subtitled in Spanish and English
Atli comes back to live in his parents’ house after his wife throws him out. While he fights for custody of his daughter, he finds himself involved in another confrontation: that between his parents and their next door neighbours, who think that the tree in his parents’ garden throws too much shadow on theirs. The situation gradually gets out of control, degenerating into a pitched battle rather like a version of The War of the Roses between neighbours, in a comedy that swept the boards at the Icelandic academy awards..
Direction: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
Script: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Huldar Breiðfjörð
Cinematography: Monika Lenczewska
Editing: Kristján Loðmfjörð Music: Daníel Bjarnason
Cast: Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Selma Björnsdóttir
Production: Grímar Jónsson, Sindri Páll Kjartansson, Thor Sigurjonsson
Production Company: Netop Films, Madants Sp. z o.o., Profile Pictures
Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
He was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1978. He studied scriptwriting and film direction at the University of Columbia in New York. His first feature film, Either Way (2011), was shown at over 50 festivals around the world and became a remake in the United States under the name of Prince Avalanche. In 2012 he was selected by Variety as one of the most promising ten directors. In 2004 he made Paris of the North, which was shown at festivals like Karlovy Vary and received multiple nominations for the Icelandic Edda Awards, winning Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. With Under the Tree, premiered at Venice, he swept the boards at the Eddas, winning seven awards including Best Film and Best Director, and it was also shown at many festivals.