DECEMBER
By Hilmar Oddsson
SYNOPSIS
Tomas Lemarquis, the star of NOI THE ALBINO, plays Jonni, a musician who after a long time living abroad returns to home Iceland to spend Christmas with his family and record an album with his old (one-hit-wonder) band. He soon finds out that family circumstances have changed dramatically and that his friends have moved on. Dealing with this blunt new reality, Jonni also has to wrestle with the reigniting of an old flame, as he helps his family make Christmas merry in spite of everything.
DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Hilmar Oddsson, born in Reykjavík in 1957, studied film directing in Munich. One of his earliest films, IN THE SHADOW OF SCARTARIS, dealt with the mysteries of Snæfellsjökull glacier, the setting for Jules Verne's classic Journey to the Centre of the Earth. His first feature-length film, THE BEAST, a psychological thriller dealing with the fate of two young people in a remote and bleak landscape, was well received by the public and critics. Oddsson not only directed the film, but also wrote the screenplay and composed parts of the musical score. His film COLD LIGHT (2004) was nominated for and won awards in numerous festivals and competitions.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
I was inspired to make this film after watching the documentary THREE WOMEN, about three families in Iceland who couldn´t celebrate Christmas like most people do because of poverty. Christmas is not only a family celebration, giving us the good old feeling we probably knew as children; the other face of Christmas demands sacrifices and excludes those who can´t prove themselves worthy in the sick race for more and more of life´s trivialities, where nobody wants to be a loser.
I see this film as some strange mixture of English comedies - those that make you laugh and cry at the same time - and films by Kaurismaki. ... It´s a warm film that wants to treat its protagonists with respect and dignity.
CAST
Jonni: Tomas Lemarquis
Ásta: Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir (Lay Low)
Gunni: Laufey Elíasdóttir
Albert: Stefán Hallur Stefánsson
Hallur: Ellert Ingimundarson
Adalbjörg: Guðrún Gísladóttir
Alla: Unnur Birna Jónsdóttir
Danni: Haki Darrason
Steinar: Helgi Svavar Helgason
CREW
Director: Hilmar Oddson
Writer: Páll Kristinn Pálsson
DOP: Víðir Sigurðsson
Editor: Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Original score: Hróðmar Ingi Sigurbjörnsson
Production sound: Árni Gústafsson
Sound design: Kakóhljóð
Production Design: Eggert Ketilsson
Costume: Margrét Einarsdóttir
Make up: Fríða María Harðardóttir
Picture post: Kukl efh
Producers: Anna María Karlsdóttir, Hrönn Kristinsdóttir
Co-Producers: Hilmar Oddsson, Kukl efh., Páll Kristinn Pálsson, Eggert Ketilsson, Víðir Sigurðsson, Margrét Einarsdóttir, Fahad Falur Jabali
Produced by: Ljosband with the support of the Icelandic Film Fund
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Original Title: Desember / Red One / 1.2:35 / Colour / Dolby / 91 min /
Original Language Icelandic with English Subtitles / Iceland 2010
