10/07/2023 - The Akranes-based gathering, which will open with Bogna Kowalczyk’s Boylesque, will unspool from 19-23 July this year

The fifth edition of IceDocs – Iceland Documentary Film Festival will run from 19-23 July. The Akranes-based gathering will open with a screening of Bogna Kowalczyk’s Boylesque [+see also:
film review
interview: Bogna Kowalczyk
film profile] (Poland). In detail, the picture had its world premiere at the 2022 edition of Toronto’s Hot Docs and zooms in on queer performer Lulla La Polaca, who has turned 80 and still wants to dance, play and love.

The event takes place in an iconic small town 50 km away from Reykjavik and framed by mountains and long sandy beaches. It is set to host the screenings of a number of documentary hits (including a swimming pool theatrical screening), a high quality music programme (including a concert by singer-songwriter Una Torfadóttir), pub quizzes, beach parties, film-related events and a dedicated children’s programme.

“Our mission is to introduce quality documentaries to both local audiences and visitors from abroad and to connect filmmakers and industry people from all over the world. Akranes is close to Reykjavik but a little off the beaten path and still has that quaint small-town feel about it. Offering spectacular ocean views and sandy beaches, a beautiful lighthouse, a beach-side geothermally heated pool and most importantly a brilliant cinema, Bíóhöllin, which is one of the oldest and nicest in the country,” says the festival team.

Some of other the doc hits included in this year’s programme are Theo Montoya’s Venice-premiered, queer youth-focused Anhell69 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Theo Montoya
film profile] (Colombia/Romania/France/Germany), Heba Khaled, Talal Derki and Ali Wajeeh’s painful, Damascus-set Under the Sky of Damascus [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/Denmark/Germany/Syria), Guy Davidi’s doc against military conscription Innocence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guy Davidi
film profile] (Denmark/Israel/Finland/Iceland), Maciek Hamela’s collective war portrait In the Rearview [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Poland/France/Ukraine), Sarvnik Kaur’s friendship tale Against the Tide (India/France) and Mariam Chachia and Nik Voigt’s treatment and isolation testimony Magic Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt
film profile] (Georgia/Poland).

The festival will be held in collaboration with West Iceland Queer Days, an event taking place on the same dates.

To check out the full programme and find out more, visit this website.