Beowulf and Grendel, that was filmed in Iceland in 2004, premiered in Háskólabíó last night. The director Sturla Gunnarsson spoke with Fréttablaðið from Vancouver where he is filming a new television series. “Beowulf and Grendel was shot in Iceland in 47 days in the fall of 2004, which was very stormy, and that seems to have worked well for us, since most critics here say that the Icelandic nature is one of the main characters of the film”, says director Sturla Gunnarsson.
The film premiered last night in Háskólabíó and has been shown in Canada and the United States as well as in some European countries. It will come out in Britain in September. “I’m very sorry that I can’t come to the premiere in Iceland myself, but unfortunately I’m tied up in work”, Sturla says. He began shooting the television series Intelligence about espionage the day before yesterday.
But the leading man of the movie, Gerard Butler, was present at the premiere, much to the delight of the younger women. “The movie has been well sought after in both Canada and the US and has received mixed but positive reviews. There has been a sort of “cult” atmosphere about it, some people come dressed as Vikings to go to the cinema. Also busfulls of girls have come to many shows in a row – and then they’re coming for Gerry,” Sturla says and laughs. “Many of them came in busses to showings all over the US and some ordered a bus and took a girls weekend trip to Canada to see the film maybe two-three times. Then they went back home on the bus.”
The film has strengthened the Icelandic tourist industry, because after Sturla wrote a big article about it in Globe and Mail, one of Canada’s most respected newspapers, he has heard about many north Americans travelling to Iceland looking for the places that are shown in the film.
He repeats how sorry he is that he was not able to come. “Beowulf and Grendel” was difficult and many of the actors and the others involved haven’t seen it and I would have liked to be there with them,” says Sturla, who is born in Iceland but moved to Canada with his parents at the age of 6. He spent a total of six months in Iceland working on the film.
Beowulf and Grendel was among the best selling films in Canada for four weeks, where it was shown for sixteen weeks after the premiere there in April.
[i][b]Thanks to Heidijm for the translation!![/b][/i]