Shortfish 2023
The goal of the competition is to draw attention to aspiring and versatile filmmakers and encourage future achievements with prizes that lay the foundation for the next project. The Rewards are supported by KUKL Rental, Trickshot Post production house and the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. Winners will be included in RÚV VOD this year. The contenders will compete in four categories divided into Fiction, Documentary, Experimental & Artistic Music Video Projects.
Many thanks to our sponsors!
Narrative
- KUKL 1.000.000 ISK – in house rental
- RÚV 700.000 ISK – cash
- Trickshot 200.000 ISK – in house service
Documentary
- KUKL 500.000 ISK – in house rental
- RÚV 700.000 ISK – cash
- Trickshot 200.000 ISK – in house service
Experimental
- KUKL 250.000 ISK – in house rentral
- RÚV 300.000 ISK – cash
- Trickshot 200.000 ISK – in house service
Creative Music Video
- KUKL 250.000 ISK – in house rental
- RÚV 300.000 ISK – cash
- Trickshot 200.000 ISK – in house service
rules for submission
- The films can be maximum 30 minutes length and should not have been produced before 2022. The Icelandic premiere is required to be at Stockfish Festival 2023.
- Films will only be considered if the author, director and/or main producer is Icelandic.
- Icelandic music videos are only considered If the director is Icelandic and the music needs to be made to an original song.
- Submissions are free of charge and executed through FilmFreeway.
- 20 short films will be shown during the festival, 5 projects will be selected to compete in each category.
JURY
We would like to thank all the juries for their important input and contribution but all the jurors are experienced professionals in the film industry here in Iceland.
Narratives: Björn Thors, Tinna Hrafnsdóttir, Ragnheiður Erlingsdóttir
Documentary: Ingibjörg Halldórsdóttir, Álfrún Helga Örnólfsdóttir, Víðir Sigurðsson
Experimental: Hilke Rönnfeldt, Sunneva Weisshappel, Vigdís Jakobsdóttir
Creative Music Video: Eilífur Örn Þrastarson, Hrefna Hagalin, Dóra Jóhannsdóttir
SHORTFISH I
NARRATIVE
poppp
Director: Signý Rós
Producer: Einmitt einmitt
Synopsis: Nonni is excited for the evening. The love of his life is coming for dinner. Dinner like in the old days. But time has passed and their history and memories live only in one of them.
Length: 10 mín
my promised land
Director: Siggi Kjartans
Producer: Thelma Torfadóttir
Synopsis: In occupied Iceland during WW2, up and coming singer Bjork performs at the forbidden underground club “Camp Tripoli” run by US Marines.
Length: 17 mín
prinsipesa
Director: Katla Gunnlaugsdóttir
Producer: Stefán Arnar Alexandersson and Kolka Heimisdóttir
Synopsis: Júlía is invited for a dinner party at her father’s house after not seeing her family for years. Her father is one of the richest men in Iceland. During the dinner party he tells them that he is dying.
Length: 21 mín
felt cute
Director: Anna Karín Lárusdóttir
Producer: Erlendur Sveinsson and Kári Úlfsson
Synopsis: 11 year old Breki is at constant odds with his older sister, but all he wants is her validation. One day when she is out, Breki sneaks into her closet and makeup, leaving the room a mess.
Length: 15 mín
bylur
Director: Óttar Thorbergsson, Fannar Birgisson
Producer: Óttar Thorbergsson, Fannar Birgisson
Synopsis: In the middle of winter, Hallur and his son Áki are hunting in the Icelandic highlands when their truck breaks down, leaving them vulnerable and in need of shelter. The oncoming storm forces them to seek refuge in an abandoned mountain cabin nearby.
Length: 18 mín
documentary
introducing drone fest
Director: Elísabet Íris Jónsdóttir
Producer: Elísabet Íris Jónsdóttir
Synopsis: Five friends come together for a night in the studio.
Length: 16 mín
NÁTTÚRUVÆTTIR
Director: Þórhildur Lárensínusdóttir
Producer: Þórhildur Lárensínusdóttir
Synopsis: Belief in elves has always persisted in Iceland. Elves have a strong relationship with nature and they teach us to respect it. Elves make life more mysterious, exciting and alive.
Length: 10 mín
ROTTEN STRAWBERRIES
Director: Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir
Producer: Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir
Synopsis: Two girlfriends talk about real emotions. One shares her darker feelings and the other offers to help her heal. That escalates to an unexpected scenario and we’re left with the question: When does our help to heal someone else become traumatic or triggering?
Length: 10 mín
Keep F****** Going
Director: Marie Lydie Bierne
Producer: Marie Lydie Bierne
Synopsis: In this documentary about mental health and the relevance of friendship, the light is cast on people being vulnerable while exploring the meaning of “belonging”.
Length: 24 mín
Shortfish II
experimental
BJÖRN KRISTLEIFS
Director: Jakob T. Arnars
Producer: Trausti Valsson
Synopsis: The video is based on fourteen drawings and paintings, and four sculptures of architect Björn Kristleifs made by Trausti Valsson.
Length: 6 mín
story of a blue girl
Director: Alda Ægisdóttir
Producer:
Synopsis: Out of a magical tree a blue girl is born. A handcrafted fantasy world comes to life through stop-motion animation.
Length: 11 mín
steinrunnin (petrified)
Director: Tonik Ensemble, Chris Paul Daniels and Anton Kaldal Ágústsson
Producer: Ágústa Þórarinsdóttir
Synopsis: Steinrunnin (petrified) is a lyrical exploration of collective and cultural eruptions in commemoration of Westman islands’ (Southern Iceland) volcanic outburst fiftieth anniversary.
Length: 11 mín
dúnhagi 11
Director: Magnús Leifsson
Producer: Magnús Leifsson
Synopsis: Dunhagi 11 is a short film containing three vignettes about death.
Length: 10 mín
mother melancholia
Director: Samantha Shay
Producer: Hallfríður Þóra Tryggvadóttir
Synopsis: A multi-layered portrait of four women and a eulogy for the planet set to, and inspired by Sóley’s album of the same title, a self-proclaimed soundtrack for the end of the world as we know it.
Length: 30 mín
creative music video
K.ÓLA – ER ÞETTA ALLT OG SUMT?
Director: Ernir Ómarsson
Producer: Katrín Helga Ólafsdóttir
Synopsis: A music video for the song Er þetta allt og sumt? by K.óla.”
Length: 4 mín
jelly belly
Director: Ugla Hauksdóttir
Producer: BSÍ
Synopsis: About the sore numbness of hiding from one’s own feelings or covering them up in shame, the heavy burden of rigid concepts of unhealthy peer pressure are thrown overboard.
Length: 4 mín
on our knees
Director: Alvin Hugi Ragnarsson
Producer:
Synopsis: “On your knees,” a song by Virgin Orchestra.
An extraterrestrial entity, on a quest of self discovery, is influenced by the current state of the world.
Length: 6 mín
asgeir – snowblind
Director: Erlendur Sveinsson
Producer:
Synopsis: It’s a dystopian tale about a family journeying through the mystical landscape of the Icelandic highland, escaping their past in search of a higher power.
Length: 4 mín
Devil never killed
Director: Tómas Nói Emilsson
Producer: Hermann Jónsson, Theó Paula, & Tómas Nói Emilsson
Synopsis: Broken by a tragic loss, a young man turns to a fight club to battle his inner devil through physical violence, but he risks losing himself in the process.
Length: 6 mín