The National Film Archive of Iceland has launched a new website titled "Iceland on Film." The purpose of "Iceland on Film" is to give the public a glimpse into the rare collection of the National Film Archive of Iceland. There you can find a wealth of information about agricultural and fishing practices, as well as invaluable footage from some of the most significant events in Icelandic history.
On the web www.islandafilmu.is You can view footage from the National Film Archive of Iceland, dating back to 1906. For the time being, the website will offer access to nearly 300 photos and videos from all over the country. The site will be gradually updated as the digitization of the material progresses.
On islandafilmu.is, users can select a location and click on it to view videos from that place. It is also possible to select the clips from the content list.
Each clip is accompanied by a short description, but users are given the opportunity to post comments or suggestions. In this way, the Film Archive hopes that the public's knowledge regarding places, people, or other subjects will be useful to the archive for further content analysis that is worth preserving and sharing. Users also have the opportunity to share the images on social media, such as Facebook.
Rare gems made accessible
The films that are now appearing on the web for the first time are of various kinds. The bulk consists of documentaries made in the mid-20th century by pioneers of Icelandic filmmaking, including Ósvald Knudsen, Óskar Gíslason, Ásgeir Long, photographer Sigurður Guðmundsson, and others. There you can find priceless gems that until now have only existed on film, but the material has now been digitized to give the public access to the web. The oldest film, Fire Brigade Drill, is from 1906 and is likely the oldest film ever shot in the country. It was Thóra Höberg Petersen, the stepdaughter of old Biopeter Jensen, who found the original in Copenhagen, and it was handed over to the National Film Archive of Iceland in 1982.
The selected footage shows the daily life and historical events of the nation, such as openings, sporting events, and activities in fisheries and agriculture. On the website, you can find, among other things, footage from the 1944 republic referendum, video of Halldór Laxness receiving his Nobel Prize, and Þórbergur Þórðarson doing the Müller exercises, to name just a few. Content will be gradually added to the website, but it is hoped that this access to the film heritage will be utilized by general users, scholars, and archives, but especially educational institutions for teaching the culture and history of the country and its people.
The latest images on the web are photos by Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir from the eruption at Fimmvörðuháls in 2010.
The website "Iceland on Film" is a collaboration between the National Film Archive of Iceland and the Danish Film Institute (Dansk Filminstitut/Filmcentralen), which maintains the website "Denmark on Film," where you can find footage related to the history and culture of the Danish Empire. The National Film Archive of Iceland has worked with dedication and ambition on this project in recent months, and it is hoped that the opening of this window into the National Film Archive of Iceland will delight the nation and provide it with entertainment in these unusual times, both now and in the future.
