Godland

Directed by Hlynur Pálmason

The struggle between the strictures of religion and humankind’s brute animal nature plays out amid the beautifully forbidding landscapes of remote Iceland in this stunning psychological epic from director Hlynur Pálmason. In the late nineteenth century, Danish priest Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) makes the perilous trek to Iceland’s southeastern coast with the intention of establishing a church. There, the arrogant man of God finds his resolve tested as he confronts the harsh terrain, temptations of the flesh, and the reality of being an intruder in an unforgiving land. What unfolds is a transfixing journey into the heart of colonial darkness—one that’s attuned to both the majesty and the terrifying power of the natural world.

Director Hlynur Pálmason is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter, and visual artist. His debut feature film Winter Brothers (Vinterbrødre), which was filmed in Denmark and debuted at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in 2017. It went on to win the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film and the Robert Award for Best Danish Film, with Pálmason also winning the Robert Award for Best Director.

His second feature film, A White, White Day (Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur), was filmed in Iceland. A White White Day was selected to screen in the International Critics' Week section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and was selected as Iceland's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020.

Godland premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as Denmark's 2022 submission for the Nordic Council Film Prize. The film, its director, and several actors were nominated for many awards and won a number of them, including Gold Hugo for Best Feature Film at the Chicago Film Festival and Best Feature Film at the Riga International Film Festival in Latvia. Pálmason won Director of the Year at Iceland's 2023 Edda Awards.

01:43:00, Iceland