The Festival

Skjaldborg - Icelandic Documentary Film Festival takes place annually during the Whitsun weekend (a holiday weekend in Iceland celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday with dates varying from May to June each year). Founded in 2007, the festival is the only specialised platform for the premiere of Icelandic documentaries and it is fair to say that Skjaldborg cinema and, hence, Patreksfjordur have become the home of the Icelandic documentary scene. The surrounding environment, the festival guests and the local inhabitants have joined in creating a unique intimate setting and ambiance which characterizes the reputation of the festival. Experienced documentary filmmakers, newcomers to the scene, documentary buffs and the general audience members all contribute to a vibrant and creative discourse that enhances the development of the Icelandic documentary scene and its mediation platforms.

In addition to the Icelandic documentary premiers the program explores international documentary filmmaking and serves as an important discourse for works in progress. Each year a guest of honour is invited to the festival and celebrated with screenings of his/her previous works, followed by a masterclass. Previous guests of honour have been renowned international filmmakers from the documentary field who have shared their valuable experience, philosophy and working methods with the audience. Furthermore, Skjaldborg offers a packed program outside the cinema with dinners, parties and general fun and games unique to the festival from morning to evening.

The Icelandic documentaries premiering at the festival compete for the the coveted audience award Einarinn and Ljoskastarinn, the grand jury award. The award winning films have later been known to be nominated for Edda The Icelandic Academy Award, the respective following year, and many have successfully travelled the festival circuit.

The beginning

Production designer Halfdan Pedersen, spent a few days in Patreksfjörður in 2006. Wandering around the small town, he came across Skjaldborgarbíó, a cinema that was originally built as a community hall back in 1932. He went inside and found a beautiful cinema run by members of the local Lions Association. The cinema stayed with Pedersen and in a conversation with his friend and screenwriter Huldar Breidfjord they agreed that the Icelandic film scene was lacking a specialised documentary platform. Quickly, a strong group of filmmakers and local residents formed an organising committee and embarked upon the first edition the following. The festival has become an annual celebration of Icelandic documentary premieres, great food, fantastic parties and beautiful atmosphere.