And Breathe Normally

and breathe normally A FILM BY ÍSOLD UGGADÓTTIR SYNOPSIS Reykjanes peninsula is where AND BREATHE NORMALLY ÍSOLD UGGADÓTTIR - DIRECTOR At the edge of Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, a quiet and un- takes place. And it is no coincidence. Reykjanes is a cross Ísold Uggadóttir is an award-winning director from Iceland. Her assuming Keflavik airport rests, surrounded by vast volcanic section of Icelandic society from all walks of life, including short films have screened at over 100 festivals, including Tellu- landscape and the periodic soaring of an airplane. asylum-seekers and refugees — in particular those who are ride, Sundance and New Directors / New Films at MoMA and the It is here that Adja from Guinea-Bissau finds herself strand- temporarily sheltered at local refugee asylums. These are in- Film Society of Lincoln Center. ed, during a layover on route to Canada. Her sister and daugh- dividuals who often find themselves in a traumatic limbo, un- She has been honored with 6 nominations for the Icelan- ter, who make it through border patrol unaffected, quietly sure whether they are coming or going, waiting aimlessly while dic Academy Awards, winning twice for Best Short Film, in watch from afar in devastation, as Adja is taken into police immigration officials slowly process their paperwork, and de- addition to multiple festival custody due to false documentation. termine which asylum seeker is given permission to stay, and awards. Ísold holds a mas- It so happens that one of these border patrol officers is which shall be deported — often forcefully, in the dead of ter’s degree in film directing Lara, herself a struggling young mother, on the verge of night. Reykjanes peninsula is also home to a variety of Iceland- from Columbia University homeless, whilst in-training to become a guardian of the law. ers, some of which have been evicted due to defaults on their in New York, where she was As destiny will have it, these women’s paths will continue to mortgage payments. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the recognized as Best Female cross in the small Icelandic town, culminating in the forma- highest percentage of evicted Icelanders lives in Reykjanes. Director. Screen International tion of an unlikely bond. It should then come as no surprise that a certain degree of named Ísold “one of the rising turmoil and unrest is common in the area. stars of Icelandic film.” DIRECTOR’S NOTES With the area serving as Iceland’s only international airport, AND BREATHE NORMALLY The portrayal of Iceland in the films of late has created a myth the constant arrival and departure of planes in the near dis- marks her feature film debut. of mere beauty – involving waterfalls, black beaches, moun- tance is an uncanny reminder to inhabitants how close they tains, glaciers and midnight sun. But the reality for some on are to an escape, yet so far away. this remote island, is all but that. I felt compelled to share a It is here, in one of Iceland’s most interesting but least cele- story of my home country. A story not often depicted in the me- brated areas, that two women from opposite sides of the world dia, of the bleak and true everyday life of those less fortunate. cross paths and forge an unlikely bond. And breathe normally (Andið eðlilega) Feature film Iceland, Sweden, Belgium 2017 Format DCP 2K Color 2.35:1 Dolby Digital 5.1 Length 95 min Original language IN POST-PRODUCTION Icelandic, English, Creole and others Director & Screenwriter Ísold Uggadóttir Production Zik Zak Filmworks, Entre Chien et Loup, Cinetic Films Pegasus Pictures, Skot Productions in coproduction with Ricardo Freixa, Geissendörfer Film- und Fernsehproduktion, CinePostproduction, Torus Producer Skúli Malmquist Co-Producers Diana Elbaum, Annika Hellström, Lilja Ósk Snorradóttir, Inga Lind Karlsdóttir Supported by Icelandic Film Centre, Centre Du Cinéma et de la L’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, The Swedish Film Institute, Casa Kafka Pictures Movie Tax Shelter empowered by BelfiusCinematographer Ita Zbroniec-Zaj Editor Frédérique Broos Cast Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir, Babetida Sadjo Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson.

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