See the Daydream Nation Line up here.

Stay tuned for details on the October and November Scandinavia House shows.

Icelandic Waves at Australian Cinémathèque
May 9-30, 2008
The Australian Cinémathèque at Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane presents a series of documentaries and video programs celebrating the extraordinary music culture of Iceland. The program features Heima (2007), the first live film by Sigur Rós and specially curated programs of video clips and short films by some of Iceland’s most accomplished artists, filmmakers and musicians.

May 16, 6pm | Cold Hearts 3: Foreign Relations (see below)
May 23, 6pm | Cold Hearts (click for details)
May 30, 6 pm | Cold Hearts Revisited (click for details)

The Australian Cinematheque is part of the Queensland Gallery and is located at Stanley Place, South Bank in Brisbane.

View complete list of films and times here.

Package Deals proudly presents
COLD HEARTS 3: FOREIGN RELATIONS
Contemporary Icelandic Culture in Two Acts

Fri 16 May 6.00pm / Cinema A / WORLD PREMIERE
Australian Cinémathèque, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, AU

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.

Both a literal question of Icelandicness and a more poetic consideration of how artistic sentiment is manifested, Cold Hearts 3: Foreign Relations expands the portrait of national creativity showcased in Package Deals’ previous two Icelandic film programs. This latest exploration into contemporary Icelandic culture, commissioned for the Australian Cinémathèque, features a host of music videos, video art, short films, and a brand-new documentary. While the majority of the artists included in the program live and work in Iceland itself, Cold Hearts 3: Foreign Relations also includes non-Icelandic artists working in Iceland, as well as Icelandic artists who reside elsewhere.

One of the major elements foregrounding this program is collaboration, which pervades the artistic, musical, and filmic output in Iceland today. It informs the computer-rendered psychedelic animations of half-Icelandic, half-American artist Kristjan Zaklynsky and Danish-born Lina Bjørn Larsen, working with German artist Anna Wolf; all three live in Reykjavik. It also underscores a pair of music videos by artists from the influential local record label Bedroom Community: young American composer Nico Muhly, who often works and records in Iceland, and the pairing of well-known local producer (and label founder) Valgeir Sigurdsson and ubiquitous American indie troubadour, Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham). Their videos, in turn, are created by Icelandic filmmaker Una Lorenzen, herself a graduate film student at CalArts near Los Angeles. Similarly, the one-minute short film, Dog, was made by animator Hermann Karlsson, an Icelander who now calls Scotland home. And Steypa, the new documentary on contemporary Icelandic art, fresh from Hot Docs in Toronto, is brought to you by two Icelandic expats, Markús Thór Andrésson, currently living in Berlin, and Ragnheidur Gestsdóttir, a resident of NYC.

The otherworldly tone of this program is, of course, evident in the films themselves. While the landscape of Iceland is an influential mainstay touching all aspects of one’s experience, these films ponder natural and imagined worlds; they are equally preoccupied with artificial, inorganic forms of art and life. Whether it's the fascinating, performative work of internationally-exhibited, female art collective Icelandic Love Corporation, the lovingly vintage magic realist animations of Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir (who moonlights in the up-and-coming indie folk band Seabear), or the rave-happy, natural-synthetic clashings in Larsen's and Wolf's video, 90s, nature often functions as a point of departure to more whimsical and outlandish territory. And Steypa, the ambitious documentary rounding out the program, features a crop of extraordinary young artists looking at their environment in unusual ways. They are using ancient materials to new ends, bringing nature in from the outside as well as privileging the manmade objects and unconventional obsessions that constitute their artistic practice. The film is a fascinating glimpse into the work of individuals both participating in and set apart from the global contemporary art landscape.

From the newly refashioned pop stylings of the well-known band Múm 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 and Clermont-Ferrand—this collection reflects the exuberant multifaceted spirit of not only the Package Deals' ethos but, naturally, Iceland itself.

Thank you to Hlynur Gudjonsson, Einar Gustavsson, Kyle Reinhart, Korka Helgadottir, Jose da Silva and Australian Cinematheque, and Valgeir Sigurdsson.

Cold Hearts 3: Foreign Relations

Act 1: Video Art, Film, and Music

Lina Bjørn Larsen and Anna Wolf, 90s. (2007, video, 2:10, Denmark/Germany/Iceland)
A tongue-in-cheek, psychedelia-flecked tribute to 1990s romanticism.

Múm, They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded. (Dir: Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir) (2007, video, 4:19, Iceland)
Demented childrens' collages illustrate this song from the band's latest album, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy.

Kristjan Zaklynsky, Mayfair. (2007, video, 3:27, Iceland/USA)
An abstract yet organic composition in space, featuring fractals, particles, and synthesizers.

Nico Muhly, It Goes Without Saying. (Dir: Una Lorenzen) (2007, animation, 4:32, Iceland/USA)
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.

Seabear, I Sing I Swim. (Dirs: Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir & Sindri Már Sigfússon) (2007, video, 3:41, Iceland)
A book comes to life with pool parties, fireworks, and more. Directed by two of the band's multi-talented members.

Hermann Karlsson, Dog (Hundur). (2007, animation, 1:18, Iceland/Scotland)
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.

Valgeir Sigurdsson and Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Evolution of Waters. (Dir: Una Lorenzen) (2007, 35mm and animation, 4:36, Iceland/USA)
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.

Icelandic Love Corporation, Intimacy Circus. (2004, video, 13:12, Iceland)
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.

Act 2: Icelandic Contemporary Art

Steypa (2007, video, 67 mins; Icelandic w/English subtitles, Iceland/USA)
Dirs: Markús Thór Andrésson and Ragnheidur Gestsdóttir
Featuring artists Ásmundur Ásmundsson, Gabríela Fridriksdóttir, Icelandic Love Corporation, Huginn Thór Arason, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Margrét H. Blöndal, and Unnar Örn Jónasson Audarson

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.

Package Deals is proud to be screening our Icelandic short film and music video trifecta with the Australian Cinematheque in Brisbane Australia over three weekends in May as part of the "Icelandic Waves" festival.

May 16th, 6pm - Cold Hearts 3 (Lineup coming soon)
May 23, 6pm- Cold Hearts (Click for details)
May 30th, 6 pm - Cold Hearts Revisited (Click for details)

The Australian Cinematheque is part of the Queensland Gallery and is located at Stanley Place, South Bank in Brisbane.

The Cinematheque will also be screening many other Icelandic music films such as Heima, Rokk i Reykjavik, Screaming Masterpiece and more.

In other news...
April 24th and 27th, The Field Guide to North America screens at Indie Lisboa. (Click for festival listing. (In Portuguese)

The contemporary art web magazine DailyServing recently published an extensive interview with Package Deals. Read more about the project here.
 
 
PACKAGE DEALS IN TORONTO

March 13: Cumberland Theatre
159 Cumberland St. (at Avenue Rd.)
(416) 964-9359
6:30pm: Children (dir. Ragnar Bragason, 2006)
8:15pm: Heima (dir. Dean DeBlois, 2007)
$10 in advance at Rotate This (620 Queen St. W) or through TicketWeb, and $12 day of show.

March 15: Drake Underground
1150 Queen St W.
(416) 531-5042
7:30pm: Cold Hearts Revisited: New Short Films and Music Videos from Iceland
FREE
 
 
Torontonians get the chance to experience A Taste of Iceland from March 10th – 16th to celebrate the launch of the first ever non-stop flights between Toronto and Reykjavík beginning May 2nd on Icelandair. A Taste of Iceland is a weeklong cultural program hosted by Iceland Naturally, with a variety of events including free live concerts, film screenings, and collaborations with Toronto chefs. Read more info about the various events here.

A handful of feature films will be screened in Toronto during the festival. The film Children (Börn), by well-known Icelandic director Ragnar Bragason, is a compelling look at a group of dysfunctional people in Reykjavík. Shot in beautifully stylized black and white, which complements the film's dark atmosphere, the story’s unexpected twists and turns lead to a provocative denouement. The film was awarded the Best Screenplay award at the 2006 Edda Awards, Iceland’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, in 2006. This screening marks the Toronto premiere of Children (Börn).

The new acclaimed film Heima will also be screening as part of the Taste of Iceland festival. Directed by Ottawa native Dean DeBlois, Heima—which translates as both “at home” and “homeland”—chronicles a series of free concerts that Sigur Rós, Iceland's biggest musical export after Björk, played in their native Iceland in the summer of 2006. The film provides unique insights into one of the world's most fascinating and inscrutable bands, captured live while exploring their natural habitat—the mysterious, otherworldly landscape of Iceland—like never before.

Both films will screen at the Cumberland Theatre on Bloor St. Children will air at 6:30pm and Heima at 8:15pm, both on Thursday, March 13. Tickets are $10 in advance at Rotate This (620 Queen St. W) or through TicketWeb, and $12 day of show.

Finally, on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30pm, catch Cold Hearts Revisited, Package Deals' collection of new short films and music videos from Iceland, at the Drake Underground. FREE
 
 
 
Package Deals and Scandinavia House present Sigur Ros's Heima
SOLD OUT
We screened Sigur Rós's wonderful documentary Heima at Scandinavia House on February 23. Free drinks and music videos were included for your filmgoing pleasure.

February 23, 7pm
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue
NYC
www.scandinaviahouse.org

Directed by Dean DeBlois, Heima—which translates as both "at home" and "homeland"— chronicles a series of free concerts Sigur Rós, Iceland's biggest musical export after Björk, played in their native Iceland in the summer of 2006. The film provides unique insights into one of the world's most fascinating and inscrutable bands captured live while exploring their natural habitat—the mysterious, otherworldly landscape of Iceland—like never before. They played in deserted fish factories, outsider art follies, far-flung community halls, sylvan fields, darkened caves, and the huge, horseshoe-shaped Ásbyrgi Canyon (formed, legend has it, by the hoofprint of Odin's six-legged horse Sleipnir). Material from all four of the band's albums is featured, including many rare and notable moments. Among these are a heart-stopping rendition of the previously unreleased "Guitardjamm" filmed inside a derelict herring oil tank in the far West Fjords; a windblown, one-mic recording of Vaka shot at a dam protest camp subsequently drowned by rising water; and first-time acoustic versions of such rare live beauties as "Staralfur," "Agaetis Byrjun," and "Von."

Loosely following a documentary format, Heima serves as an alternative primer for Iceland the country, which is revealed as less a stag party destination-du-jour than a desolate, magical place where humans have little right to trespass. The question of the way Sigur Rós's music relates to, and is influenced by, their environment has been reduced to a journalistic cliché about glacial majesty and fire and ice, but there is no doubt that the band is inextricably linked to the land in which they were forged.

91 min. Reception sponsored by Reyka Vodka.
Arrive early to see Sigur Rós music videos on the big screen starting at 6:30 pm.
Cost: $10
http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/programs.html#films
 
Coming later in 2008: PD:Japan, PD:Australia, and more!

For Memories
Directed by Wing-Yee Wu (2006)
Jack, a troubled New York teenager, meets Brigit, ten years older and a single mother to Julie. The trio embarks on a relationship that proves to be as frail as the moment in time that brings them together. 16 min. The director will be present.

I'm Your Man
Written & directed by Sarah Gyllenstierna (2003)

A summer day on a quiet, secluded block. A stranger arrives. I'm Your Man is a film about hidden desires, old grudges, con games, and lingerie. No one is safe. Sarah Gyllenstierna's second short has screened at over a dozen film festivals in the United States, Sweden, Italy, and Spain, winning Best Short Comedy at the Women of Color Film Festival, and screening at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. The film aired on national Swedish television in 2004. 27 minutes. The director will be present.

Linerboard
Written and directed by Jens Jonsson (2006)

Linerboard is a film about the thin paper in between cardboard ... and relationships, love, and passion. How fragile items need to be properly protected. Linerboard won the The Canal + Prize at the 2006 Nordic Panarama in Århus and Special Mention, Cork 2006. 18 min.

MTV Nordic Channel ID 2006
This package of short animated films aired on the Nordic MTV channels during 2006 and 2007. The films were directed and animated by Adam Marko-Nord and Måns Swanberg with the idea of creating hand-made animations tracing back to the tradition of experimental animation done for MTV in the 1980's. The spots have received much international attention and were awarded the Swedish Society for Illustrators Gold Award at the Kolla! Festival in 2006. 3.5 min.

Radicalized (Tillväxtsjukan)
Written & directed by Klara Swantesson (2006)
Radicalized is a short animated documentary. In 2001, after 30 years as a teacher, Ulla-Britt got sick and was classified as “burned out.” She hasn't been able to work since then and has many reflections on why. The film won the Synchro Film & Video Award in Tricky Woman 2007 and was nominated for the Guldbaggen 2007 for Best Short Film.

When Elvis Came to Visit (När Elvis kom på besök)Directed by Andreas Tibblin (2006)
When Elvis Came to Visit is an intimate film about a small yet momentous meeting in a suburb of Stockholm between Lukas and a young boy named Elvis, whose parents are from Iran. Lukas, not an immigrant-friendly person, tries to keep his distance, but the young boy's innocence gradually affects him. The film has won the Unicef UK Award and awards at the Showcomotion Young People's Film Festival (UK, 2007), the Austin Film Festival (2006), the Short Film Festival of Los Angeles (2007), the Nashville Film Festival (2007), and the New York Short Film Festival (2007). 10 min.

Woman and Gramophone (Kvinna vid grammofon)
Written & directed by Ola Simonsson & Johannes Stjärne Nilsson (2006)
A woman is sitting by a grammophone, listening. She is eating a piece of cake. A record is turning under the pick up. When the record ends, she decides to play something different. Selected for the International Critic's Week Cannes 2006 and Karlovy Vary FF 2006. 4 min.

Additional Screenings:

We are also excited that the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX) will be screening The Field Guide to North America in November, along with a live performance by Deerhunter! See website for details.

Scroll down to read about Cold Hearts, artist films and music videos from Iceland.

Package Deals, in collaboration with The Tank, is proud to announce the launch of its latest Touring Package. PD03: Daydream Nation, a curated lineup of animated shorts, music videos, and artist films rarely seen outside of their native Nordic kingdom, showcases work from some of the best and most creative Swedish imaginations around. It will travel to cinemas, film festivals, artspaces, and galleries across the U.S. and abroad in 2007.

A far cry from the beloved Saturday cartoons of mornings past, Daydream Nation’s roster of 17 animated films and videos offers a vision of Sweden all grown-up, bringing unorthodox and often unsettling imagery to life. Couples on the brink, lonely mopers, professional disillusionment, and more than a few decapitation and dismemberment scenes find themselves juxtaposed against the nicer things in life: colorful origami, toy cars, dancing ladies with parasols, horses, and pretty blonde party girls. So is Sweden, then, a nation of dreamers? Well, this program, featuring vibrant work from the cosmopolitan streets of Stockholm, the up-and-coming communities of arty Göteborg, the maritime landscape of southernmost Malmö, and various expatriate outposts, dares to suggest so.

Daydream Nation’s diverse program includes work by festival favorites Klara Swantesson and Peter Larsson, whose films represented two-thirds of the 2006 nominations for “Best Short Film” at Sweden’s national version of the Oscars, the Guldbagge awards. Likewise, Sweden’s world-class contemporary music scene is ably represented, running the gamut from the macabre electronica of The Knife to the saccharine pop of The Concretes, the Envelopes, and El Perro Del Mar. Also on offer are films by well-known music video directors Andreas Nilsson, Andreas Korsár, Björn Renner, and Henrik Åkerberg.

Daydream Nation showcases artist films by Henrik Åkerberg, Johannes Nyholm, Peter Larsson, Klara Swantesson, Moa Lönn, and Björn Renner. Music videos by The Knife, Love Is All, The Concretes, El Perro del Mar, Envelopes, The Radio Dept, Jose Gonzalez, Erik de Vahl, and Peter, Björn, and John.

For booking inquiries, please contact us.

Daydream Nation Tour 2007

Detroit Film Center, Detroit – May 26, 2007
Croatia Film Clubs Association, Zagreb – June 5, 2007
Indie Memphis Micro Cinema, Memphis, TN – June 13 2007
Duchess Gallery at Roots & Culture, Chicago – July 21, 2007
AS220, Providence, RI – July 25, 2007
Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX - August 5, 2007
Brattle Theater, Boston, MA - August 9, 2007
Sound Unseen Music + Film Fest, Minneapolis, MN - August 23, 2007
FINDS (presented by Videotage), Hong Kong - August 28, 2007
Antimatter Underground Film Festival, Victoria, British Columbia – September 2007
Athens, Greece – October 2007
Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, SC - November 8, 2007
Renew Theaters, Bryn Mawr/Doylestown/Ambler, PA - December 5 + 6, 2007

Program Details (* denotes music video)
The Knife (Dir: Motomichi Nakamura), We Share Our Mother's Health* (2006, 4:13)
Peter Larsson, The Man Who Got Nowhere (2005, 3:08)
Love Is All (Dir: Andreas Nilsson), Ageing Had Never Been His Friend* (2007, 3:04)
Johannes Nyholm, The Tale of Little Puppetboy (2005, 4:20)
Erik De Vahl (Dir: Otto Mogren), Friendly Fire* (2005, 2:59)
Björn Renner, The Horse’s Sanity (2000, 11:00)
Moa Lönn, Food (2006, 1:37)
Envelopes, Sister in Love* (2005, 2:42)
Concretes (Dir: Daniel Levi), Chosen One* (2006, 3:09)
Moa Lönn, Floor (2006, 0:40)
The Knife (Dirs: Andreas Korsár and Andreas Nilsson), N.Y Hotel* (2001, 2:50)
Klara Swantesson, Radicalized (2006, 7:42)
El Perro Del Mar (Dir: Åsa Arnehed), God Knows* (2006, 3:39)
Moa Lonn, Pink (2006, 1:41)
The Radio Dept (Dir: Henrik Åkerberg), Pulling Our Weight* (2004, 3:28)
José González, Stay in the Shade (Dir: Elias Araya) (2006, 2:22)
Peter, Björn, + John (Dir: Graham Samuels), Young Folks* (2006, 4:40)
Henrik Åkerberg, Hokus Pokus (2004, 4:00)

TRT: 65 minutes

Support for the Daydream Nation tour is provided in part by The American-Scandinavian Foundation. Special thanks to the Tank and the Consulate General of Sweden in New York.

Cold Hearts Revisited: Short Film and Music Videos from Iceland

Thursday April 12th, 7:30 pm, $12

Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave btwn 37th and 38th Streets, New York, NY

With their follow-up to 2006's Cold Hearts, a video exploration of the cinematic and musical output of young Iceland, the Package Deals curatorial team presents a fresh batch of the best in new short films and music videos from the vibrant Icelandic creative community with Cold Hearts Revisited. From irreverent faux pop songs and edible instruments to escapist fantasies and unorthodox quests, the program of twelve rarely-seen films (many of which have never screened before in the U.S.) encapsulates all that is enchanting and inventive about this small island nation.

Scandinavia House and Package Deals are proud to present two award-winning short films offering glimpses into two very different Icelandic families. The program kicks off with The Magician by Reynir Lyngdal, a visually stunning and poetic portrait of a young boy living in rural Iceland who uses his imagination to escape the harsh reality of his home life. The New York premiere of Sundance Film Festival official selection Family Reunion (Góðir Gestir) by Isold Uggadóttir closes the show. Family Reunion is the coming-out story of Katrin, an Icelandic lesbian living in New York with a girlfriend her family knows nothing about. On a trip home, she decides to reveal her double life to her family, only to find out that they have been keeping secrets of their own. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director.

A trio of artists' films offer an alternate, abstracted vision of the Icelandic imagination, in the form of Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir's tale of a toy piano made out of bread and Berlin-based Erla Haraldsdóttir's melancholy diaristic video set to the lament of Erik Satie's “Gnossiennes No.4.” Punctuated throughout are hand-drawn short-form interludes by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson.

Rounding out the program is an ode to the prolific music scene in the form of seven music videos by Iceland's foremost bands. Featuring the beautiful, otherworldly droning that made Sigur Rós an international sensation, the dark glitch-pop stylings of Bang Gang, and Trabant’s tongue-in-cheek synth rock, these videos give viewers a taste of Iceland’s impressive sonic landscape. Also included are animated videos by dance floor vets GusGus, performance artist/musician Egill Sæbjörnsson, young rockers Leaves, and keyboard-and-drum sensations Apparat Organ Quartet.

A Q&A with director Uggadottir and reception courtesy of Reyka Vodka will follow the screening.

Cold Hearts Revisited Lineup

Isold Uggadóttir, Family Reunion (Gódir Gestir) (2006, 21:00, Super-16mm) NY Premiere

Apparat Organ Quartet (Dir: Magnus Helgason), Romantika (2004, 3:45, 16mm)

Reynir Lyngdal, The Magician (2005, 13:00, 16mm) US Premiere

Sigur Ros, Saeglopur (2006, 7:08, video)

Bang Gang (Dir: Arni Thor Jonsson), Find What You Get (2005, 3:45, video)

Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir, Melaninecholia 1 (2006, 4:00, video). Music by Kira Kira. US Premiere

Egill Sæbjörnsson, You Are My Loving Insane (2001, 2:52, video)

Erla Haraldsdóttir, Sad with Satie, (2005, 7:20, video)

Trabant (Dir: Reynir Lyngdal), The One (2006, 3:32, 16mm) US Premiere

GusGus (Dir: Linda Lotion), Moss (2007, 3:08, animation) US Premiere

Seabear (Dir: Lars Skjelbreia), Hands Remember (2007, 4:04, video) World Premiere

Leaves (Dirs. Katie Freeland and Jey Mal), The Spell (2005, 3:31, animation)

Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Portraits and Testimonies (various) (2006, 3:00, animation)

TRT: approx. 80 mins

Northern Transmissions: The Sounds of Scandinavia Now on Film + Video
Thursday, November 2, 8pm
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, at 38th St., NYC
Presented by Package Deals, CMJ Film Fest, and Scandinavia House

Scandinavia rocks in this program of music videos from across the Nordic region curated by Package Deals. Screening as part of the CMJ Music Marathon’s Film Festival, the lineup presents a cross-section of Scandinavia’s geographically, aesthetically and aurally diverse output. From Sweden’s macabre dark-wave to the upbeat pop found in Norway, on to the pastoral digital bliss of Iceland and Finland and the next wave of indie rock exported from Denmark, these videos will perk up your ears and eyes. After-party to follow with DJ Nik Arnegren and projections by Jonna Karanka. Drinks courtesy of Reyka Vodka and Carlsberg.

Northern Transmissions will begin touring in early 2007. For booking inquiries please contact Package Deals.

The lineup...
ICELAND
Apparat Organ Quartet (Dir: Magnus Helgason) – Global Capital
Egill Sæbjörnsson – You Are My Loving Insane
Múm – Green Grass of Tunnel
Sigur Rós (Dir: Floria Sigismondi) – Untitled

NORWAY
Annie – Heartbeat
Serena Maneesh – Drain Cosmetics
Royksopp - Only This Moment

SWEDEN
Peter Björn + John – Young Folks
The Radio Dept – Pulling Our Weight
Concretes – Chosen One
Envelopes – Sister in Love
The Knife – We Share Our Mothers Health

FINLAND
Kukkkiva Poliisi (Dir: Jonna Karanka)
Pan Sonic (Dir: Brian Griffin) – Urania
Jimi Tenor – Total Devastation

DENMARK
Efterklang (Dir: Karim Ghawagi) - Swarming
Figurines – I Remember
Junior Senior – Can I Get Get Get

+ more surprises to be announced!

Special thanks to Seth Pomerantz, Fat Cat Records, Revolver, Astralwerks, Beggars Group, V2 Music, Labrador Records, Mute Records, Warp Records, The Leaf Label, Morningside Records, and Crunchy Frog Records.

**Screenings are $8, $6 for Philadelphia Film Society members**

Thursday, October 26, 2006
Ritz at the Bourse
400 Ranstead Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-7900

6pm – pre-screening reception at Voices and Visions Bookstore next door!
Co-hosted by Iceland Naturally, Sherman Arts, and the Philadelphia Film Society
featuring cocktails courtesy of Reyka Vodka, Iceland Spring water, and Icelandic seaweed caviar courtesy of Caviar Assouline

the Bourse - 4th Street - Lower Level
111 S. Independence Mall E. - B106
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: 215-625-4740

Screening Schedule

7pm - Screaming Masterpiece
Dir. Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson \ 2005 \ 35mm \ 87 min.
How can a nation with a population barely exceeding that of a New York city block produce a stream of artists who gain loyal international audiences and recording contracts and still have a sound and style all their own—and distinctly Icelandic at that? Screaming Masterpiece delves into Iceland’s music scene, uncovering a thriving community of artists across genres. The film features interviews with native musicians from Björk, Sigur Rós and Múm, to stories of the teenage band Nilfisk who end up opening for the Foo Fighters when they visit the island. A captivating documentary about the contemporary music scene in this unique island culture.

9pm – Cold Hearts: Icelandic Artist Films and Music Videos [TRT\90mins]
Featuring macabre stop animation, the secret life of moss, mouse suits, exploding dictaphones, women who live on clouds, Outkast ballads, and some very creative uses for whipped cream, Cold Hearts represents the whimsical Icelandic imagination. 17 artist films and music videos cover expansive aesthetic ground. Working in locales as diverse as art school in Los Angeles to the craggy vistas of Skagafjördur in northern Iceland, these young artists explore their native and adopted worlds in inventive ways. Intrinsically dark and aloof, yet also refreshingly honest, Cold Hearts is a glimpse into the curious cultural landscape of Iceland now. From the fantastical, sometimes disturbing artist films of Unnar Andrea Einarsdottir to the otherworldly output created by bands such as Mum and Apparat Organ Quartet, the Icelandic aesthetic is as strange and beautiful as it is overlooked.

commissioned for the 2006 Sequences Real Time Festival

What exciting musical movements grow on both sides of the US-Canadian border, and where do their aesthetics converge and diverge? This curated "Field Guide" of music videos and short films takes an irreverent look at the creative yield above and below the 49th parallel. Each chapter juxtaposes one country's output against the other's, through such classic textbook themes as Evolution, Wildlife, and Industry. Indie rock, techno, nouveau psychedelia, freak folk, and art rock music videos join a lineup of experimental short films to form a survey of two vast cultural landscapes.

Featuring videos and films by Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Smog, Fiery Furnaces, Wolf Parade, Deerhoof, Chad Van Gaalen, We Are Wolves, Gentleman Reg, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Caribou, Cam Archer, Deco Dawson, and others.

www.sequences.is
www.packagedeals.org

Package Deals.03: Daydream Nation // 9.13.06
The Tank, 279 Church Street btwn Franklin + White, 7:30pm, $7
Advance tickets can be purchased through SmartTix

{{download the press release}}

New Swedish video lands at The Tank in Tribeca on Wednesday, September 13th at 7:30pm. PD03: Daydream Nation, a curated lineup of animated shorts, music videos, and artist films rarely seen outside of their native Nordic kingdom, showcases work from some of the best and most creative Swedish imaginations around.

A far cry from the beloved Saturday cartoons of mornings past, Daydream Nation’s roster of animated video offers a vision of Sweden all grown-up, bringing unorthodox and often unsettling imagery to life. Taboo intimacies, couples on the brink, lonely mopers, and more than a few decapitation and dismemberment scenes find themselves juxtaposed against the nicer things in life: colorful origami, toy cars, dancing ladies with parasols, horses, and pretty blonde party girls. So is Sweden, then, a nation of dreamers? Well, this program, featuring vibrant work from the cosmopolitan streets of Stockholm, the up-and-coming communities of arty Göteborg, the maritime landscape of southernmost Malmö, and various expatriate outposts, dares to suggest so.

Daydream Nation’s diverse program includes art world favorites Nathalie Djurberg and Cecilia Lundqvist, whose films are more commonly found in galleries and museums, as well as films by well-known music video directors and filmmakers, such as Andreas Korsár and Jonas Odell (whose award-winning ode to the pleasures and pitfalls of losing one’s virginity, Never Like the First Time, took home a Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale). Likewise, Sweden’s world-class contemporary music scene is ably represented, running the gamut from the macabre electronica of The Knife to the saccharine pop of The Concretes, the Envelopes, and El Perro Del Mar. Kullaberg, Jacob Stålhammar’s pastoral performance piece featuring Sweden’s favorite Burt Bacharach/Stephin Merritt mashup, Jens Lekman, provides installation-like viewing as the evening’s pre-program offering.

A one-night cultural smorgasbord, Daydream Nation will feature an after-party immediately follows the screening. Complimentary cocktails will be served courtesy of Svedka Vodka, and decks are to be manned by DJ Anja Degerholm from Malmö. Artist magazines by the Loyal and Hockey Rawk collectives will also be available.

Daydream Nation showcases artist films by Cecilia Lundqvist, Jonas Odell, Jens Lekman and Jacob Stålhammar, Nathalie Djurberg, Henrik Åkerberg, Johannes Nyholm, Peter Larsson, and Björn Renner. Music videos by The Knife, The Concretes, El Perro del Mar, Envelopes, The Radio Dept, Jose Gonzalez, Erik de Vahl, and Peter, Bjorn, and John.

Daydream Nation program

Jacob Stallhammer/Jens Lekman, Kullaberg (2006, 23:00 – installed as intro film) Link to trailer

Envelopes, Sister in Love (2005, 2:42)

Peter Larsson, The Man Who Got Nowhere (2005, 3:08)

The Knife (Dirs: Andreas Korsár and Andreas Nilsson), N.Y Hotel (2001, 2:50)

Cecilia Lundqvist, Smile (2003, 6:02)

Jonas Odell, Never Like the First Time (2005, 14:30)

El Perro Del Mar (Dir: Åsa Arnehed), God Knows (2006, 3:39)

Björn Renner, The Horse’s Sanity (2000, 11:00)

The Knife (Dir: Motomichi Nakamura), We Share Our Mother's Health (2006, 4:13)

Nathalie Djurberg, Necessity Of Loss (2006, 4:16)

Concretes (Dir: Daniel Levi), Chosen One (2006, 3:09)

Peter, Björn, + John (Dir: Graham Samuels), Young Folks (2006, 4:40)

Erik De Vahl (Dir: Otto Mogren), Friendly Fire (2005, 2:59)

Johannes Nyholm, The Tale of Little Puppetboy (2005, 4:20)

Henrik Åkerberg, Hokus Pokus (2004, 4:00)

The Radio Dept (Dir: Henrik Åkerberg), Pulling Our Weight (2004, 3:28)

Running time: 85 min.

Special thanks to the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, Hamish Robertson, Seth Pomerantz, Shari Roman, Anna-Karin Larsson and Filmform Stockholm, Lumi Tan + Zach Feuer Gallery, Service Records, Labrador Records, and Mute Records. For more information, please visit www.packagedeals.org or email info@packagedeals.org.

After premiering on April 30, 2006, during Lisa Kirk's "On ne sais jamais" series at MonkeyTown in Brooklyn, NY, Package Deals' current touring package, Cold Hearts, is now screening at venues around North America and Europe in 2006 and 2007. Featuring macabre stop animation, the secret life of moss, mouse suits, exploding dictaphones, women who live on clouds, Outkast ballads, and some very creative uses for whipped cream, Cold Hearts represents the whimsical Icelandic imagination. 17 artist films and music videos cover expansive aesthetic ground. Working in locales as diverse as art school in Los Angeles to the craggy vistas of Skagafjördur in northern Iceland, these young artists explore their native and adopted worlds in inventive ways. Intrinsically dark and aloof, yet also refreshingly honest, Cold Hearts is a glimpse into the curious cultural landscape of Iceland now. From the fantastical, sometimes disturbing artist films of Unnar Andrea Einarsdottir to the otherworldly output created by bands such as Mum and Apparat Organ Quartet, the Icelandic aesthetic is as strange and beautiful as it is overlooked.

Cold Hearts Tour 2006-7:

Zeitgeist Cinema, New Orleans - Sunday, June 25 at 8pm
AS220, Providence, RI - Thursday, July 20 at 9:30pm (doors at 9)
Duchess Presents, Chicago - Saturday, July 22
Roxy Bar & Screen, London - August 3, 2006
Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX - August 12, 2006
Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival, Minneapolis, MN - Monday, August 21, 2006
Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club, Memphis, TN - Wednesday, September 13
Detroit Film Center, Detroit, Michigan - September 30th
Antimatter Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada - September 2006
Croatian Film Association Cinema, Zagreb, Croatia - October 2006
The Ritz at the Bourse, Philadelphia, PA - October 26, 2006
The Varsity, Seattle, WA - November 2, 2006
Allmanna Galleriet 925, Stockholm, Sweden - December 2006
Alamo Drafthouse, Austin, TX - January 22, 2007
Short Cuts Film Club, Visby, Sweden - April 18, 2007
Ashdod Film and Music Festival, Ashdod, Israel - May 28, 2007
Celda Contemporanea, Mexico City - May 2007
and more to be announced...

For booking information, please contact Package Deals.

the Cold Hearts lineup...

Kristin Helga Karadóttir, Untitled. (2006, loop, video)
A speechless performance-video. The artist saw this picture while meditating. She is extremely happy, sitting on a cloud in the sky, waving to the people below.

Apparat Organ Quartet (dir: Magnus Helgason), Global Capital. (2005, 5:20, 16mm)
A stop-animation music video for the all-man band, featuring Icelandic flags, bread crumbs, and other ephemera.

Berglind Ágústsdóttir, Husid a Antmannstignum (House on Antmannstig). (2003, 4:12, video)
A stop-animation nature video.

Bjargey Ólafsdóttir, Jean. (1997, 2:00, 16mm)
An ironic story of a French banker and his troublesome marriage with the adorable Jean, featuring his thoughts of love, death, and, of course, marriage.

My Summer as a Salvation Solider (dir: Elvar Gunnarsson), Hey Ya! (2004, 3:02, video)
A cover of the Outkast song that became 20 year-old Thórir's first hit. Shot in a single take.

Múm (dir: Semiconductor), Green Grass of Tunnel. (2002, 4:12, video).
Inspired by the mysterious terrain where the music was made, the very lighthouse and valley the band lived whilst recording "Finally We Are No One" is remade into a fantastical dreamland.

Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Landslag. (2004, 4:00, video)
A visual nature poem consisting of images taken from the Skagafjördur region of Iceland.

Lars Skjelbreia, Mosimosi. (2004, 4:00, video)
The secret life of moss portrayed through stop-motion animation.

Berglind Ágústsdóttir, Untitled. (2005, 4:30, video)
A lo-fi, hybrid art film/music video shot in the lovely meadows of Seydisfjord and featuring a menagerie of dancing characters.

Gus Gus (dirs: Stefan Arni & Siggi Kjartansson), Believe. (2001, 4:17, video)
A man, a woman, and a swimming pool.

Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir, Toilet. (2005, 4:50, video)
A short form art piece exploring the juxtaposition between primal physical pleasures and the feelings we associate with their aftermath.

Maus (dir: Elvar Gunnarsson), Over Me Under Me. (2004, 3:20, video)
An increasingly bizarre, cyclical journey that follows one man though several days.

Hlynur Magnússon, Digital Jesus. (2005, 5:23, video)
A strange sinister church gone wrong...

Malin Ståhl, Welcome to: Going West. (2004, 2:34, slides+16mm transferred to video)
Using slides found in a vacant building in Reykjavik, Stahl reconstructs an Icelandic woman's visit to friends in L.A and adds a soundtrack cut together from well-known American mainstream movies.

Sigur Rós (dirs: Stefan Arni and Siggi Kinski), Vidrar Vel Til Loftárása. (2001, 6:59, video)
Filmed in Iceland, with an entirely amateur cast and the group making cameo appearances as the referee, score-keeper etc. this video tells a simple, if emotionally charged, tale of two adolescent boys' burgeoning feelings for each other, culminating in a kiss during a youth soccer match.

Bang Gang (dir: Ragnar Bragason), Stop in the Name of Love. (2003, 3:34, super-8)
A cover of the Supremes' classic reimagined as a home movie shot in pastoral Iceland. Bang Gang's new album, "Something Wrong," hits stores September 2006.

Ragnar Bragason and Bardi Jóhannsson, Who's Bardi. (2003, 29:01, video)
A group of filmmakers follows the Icelandic musical prodigy Bardi Jóhannsson around. He gives the impression of being a health freak, into spiritual things and sports. The filmmakers look more closely and discover a world of contradictions.

Kira Kira, Romantic Undead. (2005, 1:00, b&w video)
Featuring a ghost that slithers inside a dictaphone, sings and explodes.

04 / 30 / 06 at MonkeyTown, Brooklyn, NYC. SOLD OUT

As part of the month long "On ne sais jamais" series curated by Lisa Kirk at MonkeyTown, Cold Hearts invites you to view some of the best artist films and music videos Iceland has to offer. Featuring line drawings come alive, macabre stop animation, the secret life of moss, bunny suits, exploding dictaphones, women who live on clouds, Outkast ballads, and some very creative uses for whipped cream, Cold Hearts represents the whimsical Icelandic imagination.

24 artist films and music videos cover expansive aesthetic ground. From sunny Barcelona to art school in Los Angeles to the craggy vistas of Skagafjördur in northern Iceland, these young artists explore their native and adopted worlds in inventive ways. Intrinsically dark and aloof, yet also refreshingly honest, Cold Hearts is a glimpse into the curious cultural landscape of Iceland now.

Featuring films by: Kristin Helga Karadóttir, Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Lars Skjelbreia, Hlynur Magnússon, Berglind Ágústsdóttir, Malin Ståhl, Eyrún Eyjólfsdóttir, Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir, Bjargey Ólafsdóttir, Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir, Ragnar Bragason and Bardi Jóhannsson, and Kira Kira

And videos by: Apparat Organ Quartet (dir: Magnus Helgason), My Summer as a Salvation Solider (dir: Elvar Gunnarsson), Múm (dirs: Semiconductor and Marc Craste), Maus (dir: Elvar Gunnarsson), Gus Gus (dirs: Stefan Arni & Siggi Kjartansson), Úlpa (dir: Dögg Mósesdóttir), Sigur Rós (dir: Agust Jacobsson), and Bang Gang (dir: Ragnar Bragason).

Special thanks to Hamish Robertson, Lisa Kirk, Seth Pomerantz, Fat Cat Records, 12Tonar and Louise Johansen, and the Icelandic Film Centre.

03 / 22 / 06 at The Tank, Tribeca, NYC. SOLD OUT

I Skom Drekans (In the Shoes of the Dragon) 2002, Directed by Árni Sveinsson and Hrönn Sveinsdóttir, 90 mins. Icelandic, with English Subtitles.

This feature documentary is glimpse into the world of the Miss Iceland pageant, a competition that is looked upon by many Icelanders as their most important national pasttime. The hard partying director signs up for the competition as an unlikely contestant, mostly for the sake of making a film and proving a point about the superficiality of beauty contests, but she soon finds herself getting sucked deeper into the competition than she ever expected. I Skom Drekans was the recipient of the Best Documentary award at the 2002 Eddas (Icelandic Film and TV awards). It was also first film ever to be banned in Iceland, its initial release delayed after a legal battle with the Miss Iceland organization.

Midnight 2005, directed by Eyrún Eyjólfsdóttir. 10 mins
A fantastical stop motion animation take on the Edgar Allen Poe classic, “The Raven.”

Toilet directed by Unnar Andrea Einarsdottir. 4:50 mins.
A short form art piece exploring the juxtaposition between primal physical pleasures and the feelings we associate with their aftermath.

Music in Cake directed by Unnar Andrea Einarsdottir, 3:23 mins.
Merging innocence with violence, it all begins with a cake.

Romantic Undead directed by Kristín Björk Kristjansdóttir, aka Kira Kira.

+ Click here to download the press release (.doc)

PACKAGE DEALS' ICELANDIC PROGRAMS ARE SPONSORED BY

Iceland Naturally, and Reyka Vodka.

WITH THANKS TO

Fat Cat Records, Icelandic Film Centre, and 12 Tónar.