Ég er Jón Ennerisen Gustavsson og ég er film-direktor.Ég hef filmöfningi um B.O.Paradís í september 10th,film sem hefði hligðið Annorgasmja, All the things we do to survive.it's about a generationthat has a hard time committing to anythingso I put them upin the highlands of Icelandwhere they cannot swipe left to get rid of each otherHello and welcome to the drop-inI'm Jón Tröstiand I'm Bar Cameron, the editor of The GridvineThank you for dropping inJón, nice to have you hereThank you guysYou have had such a longcareer intelevision and indocumentary making and filmmakingthat it's very kind of hard tonot kind of start at the beginningbecausefor me personally, because it'sit'syou were avery strong presence on television in Icelandin the 80s anddid a lot of shows thereWell, you're leaving out my early yearsLet's start with your early yearsWe're going to begin at the beginningI startedin musicYou started in music?Music was my first loveOh, that's funny because in this new movieyou have Michael Brook doing yourdoing yourWhat a treatDoing the score and he's amazingHe's the guy who did Joshua Tree soundon the guitar, I mean, among other thingsnot to tout you too, butyou have one of the most influential musiciansI can, do you want me to talk aboutMichael or me?I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interruptBut this is how you found Michael?You're a musician?I didn't know thatThe reason I found Michael Brookfor my movieis that I waswe were struggling to find the rightcomposer, to find the right musicI wanted to work with an Icelandiccomposer whom I love, who's a greatfriendand I've worked with beforeHilmar ÖrnNo, noI love Hilmarand I'veHilmar is incrediblebut for this movieI was going to work withanother composerwho's lived in the US for a long timebut he had a heart attackso he had to cut back on workand go into hospital and rehabso we were struggling to find the rightI almost made the joke that you were going to getBjörk, because we all knewyour video work because you did theKukl video that we always watch, right?No, no, I doThere was a show on Icelandic televisionbutwe were looking for music andmy wife watched a moviecalled The Perks of Being a Wallflowerthat has Emma WatsonEmerald, is that Emerald Fennell?Anyway, that's a major movieIt isand she said you have to watch this movieyou have to see and listenhow they use music and scorein this movieso she kind of forced me to watch thisand I absolutely fell in lovewith the scoreso we found outwho composed the scoreand I was just likein myinferiorityI wasjust going to show thisto some composersand say hey, take this as an inspirationbut then I realizedwhat an idiotic thing that wasI should at least ask the actual composerso I found outhis agent and we sent out an emailwe sent a cut of the movieto Michael's agentand he saidand two weeks laterI got an email backsaying he likes the moviehe wants to score itand here's a guywho hasprobably his most famousscore is fora Sean Penn moviecalled Into the Wildthat Sean Penn directedit'sone of my favorite scoressosoluckily I didn't know anything about thiswhen I started working with Michaelall I knew is that he had donePerks of Being a Wallflowerhe was Canadianand that allowed me to hire himbecause I hadfor this movie I had funding from Icelandfunding from Canadaand the Czech Republicso for key creative positionsyou have to hire people from thesecountriesso he wasoriginally from Canada so I was allowed to hire himandduring the processof working with himI start discoveringall the things that he's doneso we'rein the middle of a sessionfor one of thepieces of score for the movieand him and his assistantare talking about some channelssaying oh that's an infiniteand that channelis also an infiniteso I asked like an idiotwhat's an infinite?is that an instrument?and Michael said oh yeahinfinite guitarit's my instrumentso I started researchingand I found out he hadinvented this guitarcalled infinite guitarwhere he takes an electric guitarwith three pickupschanges one of them into a speakerand then hebuilt this technology that feedsthe signal into thatthird guitarso you strike one noteand it plays forevertherefore the guitar becomesa different kind of instrumentbecause you can play it in a completely different wayyou don't have to strumyou don't have to pickyou can just play it in different wayssohe had a friendcalled Daniel Lenoirwho was a music producereven I have heard ofright and we bring the little noisebut we know him because we're a big Bob Dylan fanyeah he's also thereyou know likeso butMichael used to work with Peter Gabrielfor a few yearsand I didn't know thiswhen I was working with himwe started working with himbut we talked about Peter Gabrielin our sessionsso he and his friend Daniel Lenoircalled him one dayand saidcan you come to the studioand bring your guitarI want to show thisto this young bandthey're called U2and so he brought the guitarand showed the infinite guitarto themthe Edds fell in love with his guitarand the Edds demandedthat Michael builtanother copy for himsothe Edds used itfor exampleon With or Without Youback thenwhen that song came outnobody knewwhere these sounds were coming fromthese long sustainedhigh notesand this was the infinite guitarandthen Daniel Lenoirdemanded that he buildalso one for himso there are threecopies of this guitarthat exist in the worldonly threeinfinite guitars existand one of themwas used onthe score of my movieby the guy who invented the guitarsorry for the distractionbut I was obsessed with thisbecausewhen I saw his nameand you knowI had known it fromhe did the score for Brooklyn toowhich is kind of a cool scorehe did Brooklynthe Fighterohof courseMark Wahlbergso basicallyhe just run down your academyhe did the scorefor the Al Gore documentarythe environmental documentarythe one thatnobody remembers nowbut there wasthe Inconvenient Truthit turned out to be all fictionrightnow we find outyeahjust coincidentalthat everything he saidcame truesorrywhoopsthe score was of coursefantasticyeahnoI think the moviewasthe inconvenienceof the truthwas also inconvenientpainfully accurateyeahhe did like a long listof moviesand many of thembig and very successful moviessoI'm stillin awethat hewanted to scoremy little moviebecause it's a small filmyour little movie's done pretty wellyou and I talkwhenever you'regetting off the planegoing backyou're going off toI remember you're going off toI think Amsterdam waswewe premieredin Warsawokayat the Warsaw Pimp Festandwhich is an A-list festivalit's awhich likewe had a world premiereyeahandit'sit's a big enough festivalthat likeMichael was willing toto fly fromLA toto attendandI gotgot likeyou knowthe core crewtoto comeand a great responseI mean I was following onlinepretty good responseyeahwe've been to like20you knowover 20 festivalswon some awardsandit'sit'sit'sit'sbetter than I hoped forbecause like I keep sayingit'sit'sit's not likeyou knowI don't have mega starsI just have reallyreally really good actorsyou come outwith such a tempered viewand I guess this is becauseyou started your lifeas a musicianso you used to likenotlow barrightokayokayso I started as a musicianI was in ain ain alike asynthesizer bandcalledSonus FutreohokayI know thatI've heard of thatso we hadwe had likewe had like one hitcalledSkir me Rjómauh huhandwhich is somethingpeople wouldn'tbe able to consume nowunfortunatelywhatit's hard to get actual skirbut yeahwe were inwe were in high schooland we got some attentionwe got on televisionwe got on televisionwe got on televisionwe got on televisionandand we were noticedat the timeokaywe were like the firstIcelandic bandthat used only drum machinesandand synthesizersandumsort of newnew romantic influenceyou knowYasuDeppish Modekind oftimeperiodand uhI wasa really bad musicianI was the guy with ideasand umbut I was never a good musiciansoIthe the otherswere great musiciansso IImy job became more and morerecordingandandso onso II ended upbuying my wayinto a studiowith some other guysand umI started producingrecording and producingumbandsandandindividualsthatthatwere very successfullikebutmay have heard ofa guy calledBöbi Mortensveikliðfamiljurwe did aalbum calledKonaalso veikliðfamiljurok his biggest albumbasicallyand uhyou did thatyeahwell yeahI mean I wasthere was another guywho started recordinghiswhich was supposed to be demosyeahthe guy wasnot that goodand don't tell methis was in Norway or somethingno this wasthis is 1984soso hehe showed upthe other guyshowed up latefor Böbi's sessionso Böbicamelikequiteaggravatedyeahso after two weeksthis guy called meand said you have toplease come and take overthe sessionsyou have to record Böbihe'she's driving me nutsso I took overand II just made surethat Ishowed up15 minutes beforeI went to the bakeryand had somesomething to eatI made coffeeBöbi calmed downandwe startedwe continued recordingand thisthis became sogoodthat therecord labelguydecided to make itinto an albumso it developedinto an albumoh Kona startedas a demoyeah it was a demooriginallyoh my goodnessso the sessionstarted as a demothe sessionstarted as a demowowandthesoat that pointI hadplayedkeyboardson some of the tracksbecause they justneeded a fillerit wasit wasit was aa drummerbassistand Böbiand then I wouldfill in onon some keyboardsokso when they decidedto make it intoan albumthat was going to bereleasedthey hireda guy calledThomas Thomasonwho was thebass playerfrom Sturmaandtototo take overandso Ispent two weeksjustteaching himhow the studiooh becausehe waswasn't used to the studioI sort of taught himthe basics of the studioandput him inyou knowwhere we had recordedcertain tracksand so onso in the endhe took overwowhe replaceda lot of theinstrumentsonthat had beenrecorded beforeso I'mone of few peoplewho heard the actualand remembersthe actualoriginal demosof Konaokbut this of coursebecame a verypolishedsophisticated recordandThomasThomasonTommy Tomhe wassuch anincrediblynice guyhe washe leftsome of mykeyboardson some of therecordingsokor at leasthe left my nameon thetrackssowell congratulationsyou're onthe bestalbums of the20thcenturyrighthe's probablyone of the bestBöbbi albumsyeahhe justre-released itagain onvinylyeahand it wasa fantasticinteresting timewith Böbbi Mortensbecause he wasat the beginningof thishe was stillusingyeahin themiddle of ithe wentfor arehabandsoin thefirst halfof therecordingsIhad decidedI'm notgonna trycocaineI justI'm toocheapI don'twant tospend allmy moneyon cocaineso IneverI nevertook cocainein thestudiosowhen hewent torehaband hecame backI wasbasicallythe onlypersonhe couldworkwithbecause hehad todistancehimselffromthe usethe useofsubstancesso Iwason thesafe sideso Icouldcontinueafter hecame homefromrehabthere isthere wasI meanthere werethesedocumentariesthis springon Rufand oneof themabout Böbbi'scareerand oneof themcoversthesefirstfouryearswhere he'sdoingat leasttwo orthreesoloalbumshe'sdoingtwo orthreeechoalbumsand he'sdoinga coupleofutakarsmenalbumallinlikethreeorfouryearsand thejokewasthetakeoutforsomepeoplewasthatthisis agreatadvertisementfordrugusebecausetheoutputisamazingyeahthoughIspenta lotoftimewithhimjustrecentlybuthewouldhaveobviouslythiswashad tocometo anendbutitwasyougotakarmaatthekindofhistortyforceofcreativitylikeyouitwasabsolutelyamazingbothbeforeandafterrehabyeahIthinkthat'sit'sdrugsdon'tcreateartnonoheisthecreativeforceinhimselfandheofcourseIlikedhimmuchmoreafterrehabbuttherewaslikethesefantasticmomentsbeforewhenhehadnotsleptthewholenighthehadbeenwritingsongsandhewouldstopatafriendofhisplaceforbreakfastforcoffeeandshewouldreadthelyricsandmassagethemfixthema littlebitandhewouldcometothestudioandrecordthesewerefantastictimesbackthenI knewtoomuchabouthimIknewallhissecretsbecauseit'sanintimateenvironmentin thestudiobutIhavelovedhimeversinceyouknowhe'sadifficultmantodislikeIdislikedhimgreatlyfor20yearsthenIended upspendingabout aweekwithhimtocoverhimforthegrapefineforhisanniversaryconcertandifhedecidesyou'regoingtolikehimhe'sverycharmingwhenhewantstobebutIdidfindhimtobeshockinglyintelligentandhardworkingandIcan'tyousaidhe'sanadvertisementfordrugusebutyouhavetoseetobelievetheenergyhehasandit'soverwhelmingbutit'salsoanadvertisementforsobrietybecausehecomesinnowhedoesn'tevenhavecoffeeinthemorningit'sjustwaterandhe'sjumpingthroughtheceilingIhavealotofrespectandloveforhimthereweremanymanydayswhereIhadtobuyhimlunchbecausehejustdidn'thavemoneyforlunchsoIhadtogooutandbuyahamburgertoputintothemicrowaveovenorsomethingsothathecouldhavesomefoodbutduringtheprevioustimeperiodifheneededsomesubstancesyoualwaysfoundawaytofinancethosebutIthinkyouknowbacktomyjokeonthisIthinkonceyou'vespenttimewithBibiorseenhowheworksortalkedtopeoplewhohaveworkedwithhimyourealizethatitisactuallyamazinghedidthosealbumsinthatperiodgiventhesituationbecauseit wasinhibitinghimnottheotherwayarounddoyouknowwhatImeanhisenergyisobviouslyincrediblebutIhavequiteafewfriendsnowwhohavestoppedusingandforsomereasonIconnecttothemIfindthemfascinatingthere'sthisreallyinterestingADHDgoingonfantasticbrainit'salwayssomethingthatmakestheminterestingtomeyesIfindthatmoreand morethatpeoplewhoaregettingoffofthesubstanceabuseyourealizetheywereprobablyjustmedicatingtotrytocontrolmakethemselveslooknormaltotheoutsideworldsometimesIcouldbewrongsothatwasyourfirststintinmusicwasactuallyproducedone ofthegreatestalbumsofthe20thcenturywasoneofthefirstwewererecordinga lotofdifferentalbumsImadethatalbumwithMagnusThorSimundssonwhowroteÍslander landhe'sone ofthebestpopmusiccomposersofÍslandhe'sagoodfriendofminesincethosedaysandthatalbumwasquitesuccessfulyeschildren'salbumyesIworkedwithBergþóraÁrnadóttirandfora songcalledLivspókinwhich isabeautifulsongI dida musicvideo forher alsoafter wefinishedthe recordingand shesaidI have7000kronircan youmake mea musicvideoso wedidthe firstÍslandicmusicvideothat isjustoneshotnocutIputadeafgirlinfrontandshedeliveredthelyricswithsignlanguageandBergþóraplayingbehindherit'saclassicvideobynowthat'scoolsojusttokeepthisgoingbecausewecouldstayinthiseraofyourlifeforprobablyanotherhoursoyouthenstartedhostingTVinthemidinthe80syeahduringhighschoolthe guywho satnext tomebecamea veryclosefriendhehad aradioshowonIcelandicnationaltelevisionbecausehisfatherwastheheadofthetechnicaldepartmentso hesort ofgrew upinradioand Ithought itwas agreatway tomakelittlemoneyso IfoundmywayintoIcelandicradioIgotaradioshowattheverymomentwhenchannel2wasstartingsotherewasvacanciessoIsnuckingotmytraininginradiothatwayandIrealizedIwanttoIcanseemyselfdoingthisas alivingthisisagreatprofessionso Iwent tothe BBCinLondonandstudiedradioproductionfortwo orthreemonthsfortheBBCinLondonandIcamebackandsuddenlythere wasnojobformeinradiosoIfiguredmaybetelevisionissimilaryouknowcanusethesametechniquessoIwalkedovertotelevisionstationandaguycalledfilmdirectorhadjuststartedastheheadofprogramsandhewasthrowingbombshewaschangingthingsaroundsoIgotameetingwithhimyouknowlikeafiveminutemeetingsoIpresentedmyselfI'vedonethisandthisyouknowIwanttoworkintelevisionpleasehiremeandhesaidokayI'llgiveyouonedayinthetelevisionstudiogivemethreeshowsgoifIlikethosethreeshowsmaybeI'llhireyousoIhadthestudioforadayIwasworkingwithaproducerwedecidedtodoamusicshowhewantedtobringIcelandicmusicsoIcalledsomefriendsofminefromthemusicworldguysthatI'vebeenworkingwithgotthemtospendadaywithmeinthestudioandplaytheirmusicandwecameoutwiththreeshowsandwhichwasthefirsttimeIcelandicbandshadbeengivingthisopportunityyeahsoandthisshowranforawholeyearanditbecamequiteanimportantvenueandIthinkIcelandictelevisionhasn'tdonesuchsuchathingforIcelandicmusiceversincenoit'sprettycomplicatedandprettydifficulttodoImeanyeahyoudon'tseemanycountriesactuallyhavingaproperlivemusicwelltherewassomethingcalledAmericanBandstandbackinthedayandsoIneverseenitbutthosearealwayslipsyncingkindofsituationswe'retalkingmoreshindigorthiswasoldlifethiswasbandsplayingliveinstudioandthenIwouldinterviewthemandIwasveryyoungIwas22yearsoldIwasverynaiveanddumbandnotthesamethingbutIwasdoingmybesttointroducethesebandsandsoonandthenpeoplethat I'dbeenworkingwithinstudiosomeofthemhadformedabandcalledKirkandincludingEinarArndtwhoIhadknownsincewewere12yearsoldbecausewewereintheboyscoutstogetheryouknowandsotheyhadstartedthisbandcalledKirkandtheyhadthissingercalledBjörkandtheyhadabout10fans ifthattheywerecompletelyundergroundbandbutIgotthemtobeontheshowandtheydidn'twanttobeinterviewedbutIgottointroducetheminthebeginningandtheendbuttheydecidedtotrustmyverycheesy80ssetandtheydidthisshowtheyhadastripperonthestageagirlwhowasapartofastripgroupthatwasanactiveatthetimeshewassupposedtobethedangerbutBjörkwasheavilypregnantatthetimewithherfirstchildandshewaslikethecutestpersoneverinthatyoucouldeverseeshewentandtheyrecordedthisshowwhentheshowwasbroadcastIcelandwentcrazyalltheoldladiesinIcelandwentnutstherewerehundredsandhundredsofphonecallstotheTVstationstherewereletterstherewerebecauseBjörkdidaMadonnaspoofshecalleditaMadonnaspoofshehadabraandaminiskirtwithanakedpregnantbellystickingoutandshewasheavilypregnantshewasalmostclosetotwodaysandsoIgotcalledintotheboss'sofficeandhewasgoingtofiremefordoingthisthiswaslikeanembarrassmentapparentlysothisbandthatnobodylikedandthentheydothisscandalyouknowsoImanagedtotalkmywayouttobelikegivenanotherchanceandhemadearulelikecouldonlyhavebandsthatsanginIcelandicnoEnglishshitonthisshowsobutImanagedtotalkmywayintolikebeingabletoallowtocontinueatleastyouknowacouplemoreshowsthatIhadbeencommittedtoafewmonthslatertheychangedthenametosugarcubesandtheyhadlikeahitsongcalledbirthdayandformanymanyyearsIcelandictelevisionrepeatedthisshoweveryyeartheyweresoproudwehadthembeforetheybecamefamouswewerebeforethebeforeeverybodyelseyeahbutImeanit'slevelas ascandalat thetimeitwassohighthatyouknowbecauseIImeanI'mfouryearsoldthreewhenthishappensbutit'ssomehowthis isstillsomethingthatsort ofleaksinto myexistenceandI'veknownaboutthisasbeingascandalsinceI wasliketwelveorsomethingsomehowsoitwasabigdealiswhatI'msayingyoutalkedaboutthisinabookthatwaswrittenaboutherIthinkandshetellsastorythatsomewomanthreatenedtotakehertocourtbecauseherthatwoman'smotherhadaheartattackwatchingtheshowthisisawhileagothiswasbeforethatfamousAmericanactressappearedwithanakedpregnantbellyonacoverofamagazinesoandIthinkBjörkandthesupercubesandthatgroupofpeopleareresponsibleforasuccessinIcelandicmusicorIcelandicsuccessinmusiceversinceIthinktheygaveIcelandicmusicianstheconfidenceIcelandicartiststheconfidencetobeunapologeticandjustyou knowwheneverpeopleask mehowcomewecomeupwithallthesegreatthingsinIcelandIsayit'sthemtheideaofdoingtheir ownthinginstead oftrying tocopysomethingelseIthinkanelementto itabsolutelyandthatsomehowthenbecameanexportablethingto dothroughthemandit'sonlyveryrecentlywhereyoucanactuallydotheotherthingandgetawaywithitasalocalmusicianbecauseI'mthisoldIremembertimebeforewhenallthebandswerejusttryingtocopysomeAmericansandBritsandsoonsotheygavethemconfidencetobejustourselvesIthinkithadaneffectontheattitudeofhowbandssoundedandwhattheywrotesubsequentlyfor alongtimeIthinkitwasstillthevibehereyoustillhearitreverberatingtodaysoIlovethemforthatsothat'sasnapshotofyourcareerintelevisionthere'soneotherthingonthetelevisiondoyouwanttotalkaboutthequizshowit'ssuchahugepartofIcelandicidentitythatwe'venevertalkedaboutinthepapereveryyearthere'sa quizshowonroofwherethreepersonsfromeachofthehighschoolsinIcelandcompeteina quizshowandyoubasicallyproducedand ranthe firstseasonof thisIwashiredthis wasan ideafromtwohighschoolstudentswhoaretodayveryverysuccessfulinvestorsandbusinessmenohboyverysuccessfulguyssotheycame upwiththisideaandtheIcelandictelevisioncalledmeandaskedmetoIcelandicbroadcastingaskedmetotocreatetheshowsoI tookthe ideaand IstartedresearchingothergameshowsquizshowsIstudiedmastermindwhichwasrunbywhat'saBBCshowrunbyanIcelandicguycalledMagnusMagnussonone ofmyfavoritewritersbythewayoutsideofhistelevisionyeahIgottoknowMagnusMagnussonohnoI lovehisworkandIvisitedhimstayedwithhiminScotlandyouknowsothiswasmyinspirationIdecidedtotakethebestyouknowstealthebestpiecestostructureashowthisquizshowandIdecidedtogiveitalotofrespectandaskalotofthestudentswhowerecominginsojustlikemastermindIwantedtoaimhighsowecalleditthehighschoolquizandcompetitionshowyouknowandwetheinterestingthingiswhat IfindinterestingbeforethatwhenanybodywasinvitedtocometoIcelandictelevisiontheywouldputontheirbestclothestheywouldlookpoliteandtheywouldsitthereandclaplikethissoIhadtostopthefirstrecordingIhadtostop,stepinfrontoftheaudienceandIhadtoaskthemcanwepleaseimaginethatweareafootballgamecanwepleaseloosenupcanyoucheerforyourteamcanyoucanyouifyouwanttostandupstandupcanyouclaploudercanyoumakenoisesandpeoplewerekindofinshockwe'reallowedtodothatuntiethetiesthat'samazingsothat'sthat'sI meanthat'sbeenthevibeweshouldnamethatwhattheshowwashassincechangedhisnamesomethinglessrespectfulgettobetterwhichmeansguessbetteryou knowyou makea betterguessyeahorsomethinglikethatwhichIfinddemeaningIthinkit'sawrongnameforthisshowbecausenowadaysyou havestudentswho studyfor awholeyeartotobetopreparefortheshowbecausebrilliantmindsthatcompeteintheshowI havea bitof apanicattackwhen Iwatchitbecauseyeahit'skindof ahighwireactabsolutelyit'sit'ssoyou knowmaybemaybeI'mwrongbutIdon'tlikethenamegettobityeahIreallydon'tknowitunderanothernamesoI'veneverreallythoughtaboutitinthatwaysoIhosteditthefirstyearwestartedinradioandtherewasafriendofminewhohadalsobeenstudyingattheBBCatthesametimeIgothimtobetheradioproduceritwasthefirsttimeIcelandicradioshowhadaproducersomeandhimwestructuredthistogetherthenitcametotelevisionIcelandictelevisiondidn'ttrustmebecausetheydidn'thaveahistorysotheyhiredanotherguytohostitwithmebythenIwasunknownsowewerethehostsforthefirstyearandeverybodyexpectedmetocontinuebutIwantedtogotouniversitysoIleftmycareerintelevisionandtelevisionandwenttoEnglandtostudyokaysoyouinventedIcelandicculturethereyeahsoit'snowI'msoI'msoproudyeahImeanthisshowis stillgoingyesandithasn'tchangedthatmuchnosoitjustshowsthatwhenyoudothingsproperlyinthebeginningitismaintainitsformatIthinkmoreorlessalmostcompletelybutIwellIdon'tremembermuchbeforethemid90sonthatshowbutitfeltatleastquitesimilarnowandthensoyeahIthinkit'sreallycoolthatMagnusMagnussonisinvolvedinthefoundingofthisshowIdidnotknowthatIdidnotknowuntilyouspokeandIgenuinelyloveMagnusMagnusson'swritingshe hasa niceIcelandbookisthatcalledIcelandSagawhatdoyoutitleitIdon'trememberthathe hasaninterestingIcelandbookandthenhehasanamazingScotlandhistorybookcalledthehistoryofScotlandbutit'ssocharmingIlovecallingoutthiswhatIfindtobeafascinatingindividualandthatheendedupshapingbecauseIfeltlikea lotofpeoplewhentheyleaveIcelandtheydon'tgettocomebackiskindofhowyouandImetbecausethere'sa lotoflikesomethingsthatdevelopinIcelandthatgoawaytheyfeelconnectionwithIcelandbutIcelanddoesn'tfeelconnectionwiththemthisisoneofmyfavoritedocumentariesthat'severbeenmadethatyouandIthat'showyouandImetIdidn'tknowyouwereIactuallythoughtyouweremyagebecausewe'vebeeninthesamecirclesforalongtimebutyoumadeIdidn'tknowaboutyourtelevisionhistoryoranythingbutyoumadethisamazingdocumentarycalledTheImportanceofBeingIcelandicwhichisabouttheCanadiantownofGimliandtheirconnectiontoIcelandandhowthesewesternIcelandersliveandhowtheycelebratetheiridentityyeahyouended upproducingthatwiththeCBCasIrecallyeahIdirecteditIhadaCanadianproduceronitbutIfoundoutthattherewerethesepeopleinthemiddleofCanadathatwalkedaroundsayingI'mIcelandicandtheyweresoproudoftheirheritageandsoproudoftheirislandbackthenwe'retalkingabouta fewyearsagoIwasn'tnecessarilythatproudofIcelandIcelandwasn'tin agoodplacewhenImadethisdocumentaryitwasn'tlikewe'redoingascomparedtothisweekwhenwe'redoingfantasticallywellsorrythisistheweekofthereferendumwewerespeakingoffmicaboutadifficultreferendumanywaywhat anexcellentcontrastanywayyeahwellit wassoIfoundoutaboutthesepeopleand Iwantedto getto knowthemand IfoundoutIthoughtthere wasa storyin ita pizzato theCBCCBCboughtthe ideaandputmoneyintothisdocumentaryand itbecameadocumentaryaboutthreeCanadiansof Icelandicdescentwho hadbeenspoonfedidentityfromearlychildhoodyou'reIcelandicyou'reIcelandicyou'reIcelandicwithoutunderstandingwhat itmeantto beIcelandicso allthree ofthemdecidedat acertainpointin theirlivestogoandspenda yearinIcelandandtheywereallinIcelandatthesametimethesearepeoplethatfinishedtheiruniversitydegreestwoofthemsonowtheyhadtospendayearinIcelandtofindoutwhatitactuallymeanstobeIcelandicsotheycamehereandtheystudiedIcelandictheytriedtobecomeIcelandicandallofthemwenthomeafterayearwiththeunderstandingthattheywereIcelandicCanadiansthattheywerereallyCanadianswiththeIcelandicaccenttheyunderstoodthatwheretheycamefromyeahokthathas tohavebeenquiteajourneyfortheminasenseIwasveryyoungIwasveryarrogantIwasverystupidImadethisdocumentaryIwaspointingacameraatacommunitythatisfeltverygenuineandhonestbutyouhaveanAmericanNorthAmericanfestivalweekendfestivalit'scalledthedayoftheIcelandIcelandicandthere'sthebiggestparadeinManitobais onthatdayand90%of theparadeispeopleinclowncostumespeopleinyouknowScottishoutfitsandkiltstheyhavesoithasreallyverylittleto dowithbeingIcelandicandjustbypointingthecameraatthesethingsalotofpeopleturnedagainstmetherewerefishermeninGimlithatthreatenedtobeatmeupifIevershowedmyfaceinGimliagaintherewerepeoplethattriedtogetmedeportedfromCanadatherewerepeoplethattriedtomakesurethatCBCwouldneverputmoneyintoanythingthatIdidagaintherewasIwasstayinginasummerhouseinGimlionthebeachoneweekendandinthemiddleofthenightafishermandrunkfishermandroveoneofthesebombardierslike ahugebigsnowmobileyouknowthevehicletheytakeoutonthefrozenlaketofishhewasgoingtodriveitthroughmysummerhousewhereIwassleepingtokillmehewassodrunkhegotstuckinaditchandnevermadeittothesummerhousesothiswascontroversialdocumentaryforthelocalpeopleI'msorrynothecontroversynowhatI'vealwaysfoundfascinatingwiththisrelationshipbetweenIcelandandGimliandthepeopleofIcelandishowonesideditisinasensetheythinkabouttheythinkaboutthemselvesasIcelanderstheythinkaboutIcelandweneverthinkaboutthemthat'smyexperienceyeahnoit'snottothesameextentnobutIhavesomeofmybestfriendsandpeoplethatIconsideralmostfamilynowarethereIlovea lotofpeoplethereIunderstandwheretheycomefromit'sbecomesa partoftheneedtobelongitbecomestribalbutwhatIsaythisbecauseIitkindoftroublesmethatthereisn'tabiggerrelationshipfromheretotherelikeIthinkit'salossforIcelandIthinkthereshouldbeastrongerconnectioninstitutionalizedconnectionI'vegonetherewithIwenttheretoGimliandWinnipegforoneofthoseIceland'sIcelandrelatedthingswithabandyouknow15yearsagoanditwasitwassoitwassuchanamazingexperiencetohangoutwithwhatwasitJaniceT.JohnsonorsomethingandwithRobbieRousseauwho'stheRobbie'sgreatRobbie'samazingRobbie'sgreatandallofthesepeoplewereterrificandIwaslikeIthisyouknowit'sit'saconnectionthatshouldbefosteredmorethanitiswellIthinkIdidmybestIdidmybestIafterthisdocumentaryafterpeoplethreatenedtobeatmeupandkillmeinsoongenerallyhadnoideainfactIwasgoingtotakeyouwithuswhenwegobecauseIwanttogodowntherecoverforthegreatfightnowIwasgoingtotakeyouwithusbutnowI'mfreenowyou'regoingtobealiabilityI'lljustputyouinfrontofmeatalltimesfollowingthatIfoundoutthatsomeoftheyoungpeoplecametomeandsaidfinallyfinallysomebodygetsussoIwasinsultingtheolderpeoplewhonobodyhadeverputamirroruptothembuttheyoungerpeoplebecamemyfriendsandsoIstayedfor alongtimeIputonlikethreestageshowsdirectedthreestageshowsbecauseI'malsoatheaterdirectorandImadeamovieareallyreallylowbudgetmoviethatweshoton60millimeterfilmbutitwasafulllengthfilmsoIwantedtoshowitinGimlibecauseIhadshotitthereandIrealizedifIputitintothelittlecinemaIwouldget10or20peopletoshowupbutifIstartafilmfestivalandIputitonthebeatsandmakeitintoafreescreeningI'llgetlotsmorepeoplesoIdecidedI'mgoingtostartthefilmfestivalcalledtheGimlifilmfestivalsoIyouknowgotintouchwithsomeofmyfriendsfromthefilmindustryoneofthembeingGuyMaddenwho'sadirectorofIcelandicdescentwhohadmadeafilmcalledTalesfromGimliHospitalhe'sahe'sahe'sayouknowmakesthesesortofreallyreallyartsymoviesokaysoIcalledacoupleofotherguyssoonceIhadfourfilmsIsaidyouknowIcannowcallitafestivalsomanagedtoscrambletogethersomefundingtalktoSenatorJaniceJohnsonforcedhertwistedherarmtobeontheboardofthefestivaltogiveitsomeprestigeandweputonthisfestivalthousandpeopleshowedupforthebeatsfirstnightwehaveascreenonthewaterstickingoutofthewaterpeopleshowupwithblanketsandchairsandwatchthemoviefromthebeatsanincrediblefestivalandI wasthefestivaldirectorforthefirstthreeyearsbecauseIwantedtokeepgoingbutit'sstillgoingIwasgoingtosayIthinkthisisDonaldGarthoneofourfriendsfromBritishColumbiamaybehaspresentedtherebutthisisamazingsoyeahthat'sfantasticandthatmoviethatyou'retalkingaboutisthattheCanadianait'scalledCanadianayeahIhaven'tseenthatyetbecausenonoveryfewpeoplehaveseenititwenttoanumberoffestivalsbackwhenitcameoutbutthenthetwoactorsImadeamistakeImadethem50%partnersinthefilmtheystolethefilmanditwaslikefilmprints35millibarfilmprintstheystoletheactualfilmandthentheysubmittedittofestivalsanditplayedinTehranforexampleandIfoundoutthattheyhadtoldthefestivalnothedirectorisnotavailablesotheygottogotopresentthefilminDublinandTehranandmanyplacessoitwaskindofwownobutit'snotafilmworthwatchingI'minlovewithlowbudgetfilmsthataredoneforverylittlemoneydonebutwithabigheartthat'salwaysbeentheonlythingthatexcitesmeyeahIlikethatI'mfindingsomeofthateverythingyougetclosetoyouaddcolortoyeahyeahwellthisgetsmetothenextonethoughyesthere'sanotherdocumentarythat Ilovethatyoudidandit'sactuallyabigIthinkitwasabigbudgetmoviebecauseitwasthelaunchofGerardButler'scareerthatyouplayeduphehadn'tbeeninanythingelsehadheweputhimonthecoverIwasobviouslytheeditorofthegrapevineatthattimestrangelyenoughandIguessI'dheardthattherewasabigScottishguycomingandhewasgoingtobeatthattimetheythoughthewasgoingtobemaybeJamesBondhewasatthetimehewasoneoftheseguysthathewaskindoflikeIkindofrememberthevibebeingbecausethiswasbeingtalkedaboutlikekindofinandaroundtheofficeatthetimethatyouknowweshouldputthisguyonthecoverhe'sabouttogetbigandthismightbethemoviethatbreakshimthroughlikethisbreakthroughmovieIdon'tthinkitwasthisbreakthroughmovieIthinkthatwaslaterbutitwasboundtohappenbecauseIthinkitIdon'tknowifthisiscuriousaboutbeinginthemediathatwehearthesenamessomanytimesbeforetheyactuallybreakandyou'relikewhyisthispredeterminedandespeciallywithhimbecausewedidn'thavecharmingexperienceswithhimuntilwesawyourmovieokaysohere'stheit'snotmymovieIwashiredtoactinnonoImeanthegodsisfarfunnierbutthisis2004orfiveandthenwhenevertwothreehundredcomesoutheishebecomesasuperstarandIdon'tyeahsohere'sthethingsomepeopleintheindustryknewthatthiswasaguywithpotentialoneofthosepeoplewasa,wasanoldclassmateofminefromManchesterShonaAuerbachshedidasmallScottishmoviecalledDearFrankieandshehiredEmilyMortimerforthefemaleleadandshehiredGerardButlerforthemaleleadandshehadtoarguewithherproducerstogettohireJerryButlerbecausehewasunknownshejustbelievedinhimsothatmoviewasreadyandearly2004I wasliving inTorontothismoviewaspickedupbyMiramaxanddistributedall overtheworldsomyfriendShonaandherhusbandGrahamcalledmeandsaidwe'regoingtoplayinTribecacomeandspendsometimewithusbecauseHarveyWeinsteinisgivingusalimo24hoursfordaysthelimowilljustbewaitingoutsideourhotelwecangopartyinManhattansocomedownsoItookthebusdownIwascompletelybrokeItookthebusdowntoNewYorkandjustbeforeIwentdowntoNewYorkanotherdirectorcalledmeafriendofminehe'sborninIcelandbuthegrewupinCanadahewaspreparingaVikingmoviecalledBeowulfandGrendelandhesaidI'mgoingtorunalistbyatthebottomofthelisttherewasanameGerardButlersomebodyhadsuggestedGerardButlertothemsoIsaidheyI'mgoingtoNewYorkI'mgoingtopartywithGerardButlercomewithmeandI'llintroduceyousoSturlahadmoneyheflewdownhegotahotelroomIsleptonthisfloorwiththecockroachesandhotelroomandwepartiedwithmyfriendShonaandGerardfortwo orthreedaysandsoIintroducedhimtoGerardwhowasonhiswaysomewhereSturlapitstheideaofplayingBeowulfthereinNewYorkGerardendeduplikingthisideasohesignedonforBeowulfandGrentlwhichwassupposedtobeshotinIcelandthatsummersoSturlahiredmetoplayBeowulf'swarriornumbertwotherewereliketensoldiersBeowulfwastheherohehadanarmyoftenpeoplesoIwasoneofthosethatdidn'thaveanamejustBeowulf'swarriornumbertwosoandSturlagavemealittlecameraandboxof50tapesandhesaidfilmeverythingthathappensfilmeverythingbehindthescenesjustshooteverythinglikeaminiTVonDVDsbackthentherewasBmaterialyoucouldwatchthemovieandyoucouldwatchbehindthescenesandtheweallwenttoIcelandandmovedintothemountainstherewasJerrytherewasthesecondleadwasanamazingSwedishactorcalledStellanSkarsgårdandheandtheninthearmytherewerelikeScottishactorslikeTonyCurranwhohasdonewellsinceandaguycalledRoryMcCannwholaterbecamethehoundonGame ofThronesbigRoryMcCannofcoursesoweweallmovedtothiscountryhotelinthemountainsinIcelandandthenthefilmingtheshootwasdelayedsotherewasthreeweekswherewehadnothingtodobutjustdrinkandsmokeandtellstoriesandbecomelikecrazyfriendsinthiscountryhotelsonowwhatcitywasitImeanwhattownisitexactlyitwasIrememberwhenyouweretherebecauseIkindofcaughtwindofitandIthinkyouandIwasitouteastornonoitwasclosetoVíkmostofitaroundVíkinthehighlandsandthere'ssomeif yougofivekilometersafterVíkyougettoalittlecountryhotelHavðabrekkayoudrive uptothathighlandsHavðabrekkaandwebuilta setthereonthewaytoKertlíkardandsoinlikethewindiestwettestplaceinIcelandsoit'sa badpartofthedriveifyou'redrivingtheringroadaroundsomanylikeRoryMcCannhadspenthiswholepayforthemovieonbeersbecauseheboughtdrinksforeverybodythewholecrewthewholetimethat'sgoodsorryit'sjustnicetoheargoodthingsaboutbuyingpeopledrinksI'msorrymanyanightwithmeandStellastaggeringthroughthehallwayslookingfortheincredibletimesandthenwestartedfilmingandbecausewegotdelayedintothefallweendedupinstormsonedaywelosteightcarsbecauseofflyingrocksthewindwassostrongitwaspickinguprocksandsmashingwindowswhenyougotthefrontwindscreenblownoutyoucan'tusethecaranymoresoeightcarsduringthedayanothermorningwewokeupafterastormynightandthewholesethadblownouttoseasoIsoonrealizedin themiddleofthisIhadmaterialonmylittlecameraIhadmaterialforadocumentaryandthemomentwaswhenIwassittinginthecarwiththeproducerandhe'sarguingwiththedirectorwhowasstandingoutinthestormandinthemiddleofthatargumentarockcomesflyingandsmashestherearwindowofthisvehiclewe'resittinginsoandIrealizedokayIhaveastoryyeahthisdocumentaryended upbeingwhat wassupposedto beB materialon theDVDbecameastandalonedocumentaryfulllengthfeaturelengthdocumentaryandforsomestrangereasonsittraveledbetterthantheactual20milliondollarvikingmovieandI'lltellyouIgottousethescorethathescoredforthemovieheallowedmetouseitformydocumentarywhichmadeitmuchmuchbetterbutJerrywassupposedtobreakthroughandbecomeastarandthatdidn'thappenhegotaroleplayingPhantomoftheOperaohyeahofcourseohthatwasadisasterandthenlikeyouknowamaskcoveringhisfacetherewasnofacerecognitionafterthatsowhenI'mfinishingmydocumentarywemetupinTorontoandJerrytoldmeohI'mdoingamovienowthatismuchtougherformethantheIcelandicAdventureandthatwas300itwasphysicallysodemandingsoIfinishedmydocumentaryoneortwomonthslater300cameoutandheexplodedlikehebecameamegastarovernightforthatfilmandthatmeantsuddenlyeverybodywantedtoseemydocumentarysoitwastimingandluckbutalsoperseveranceyeahI meanyou'recatchingwellI meanI guessthat'syou'recatchingkind oflikethisthingthatcouldhavebeenthebreakthroughandit'snotlikeit'sproblematicto makeit'sfull ofgreatpeoplebutitstilldoesn'tworkoutI meanthat'sagreatthemeforadocumentaryisn'titin asenseyouknowifthat'sareadingofitIdon'tknowofcourseofcourseit'salsomanagainstnatureyesandit'sa storyaboutthisdirectortryingtomakethisdocumentarymakethismovieinthisharshestmostdifficultconditionsandalsolikeatallauthorbecauselikeit'sbeenpeoplehavetriedsomanytimestomakelikeavikingmovieincludingyouroldemployeryeahandit'saveryhardthingtodoandtherewerepeoplethattriedtokillmydocumentarythatwanteditnottobemadetheythreatenedlegalactiondidtheybelieveitwasanembarrassmenttothemorsomethinglikethatpeoplethoughtthatIwoulddestroyIceland'sreputationbutwhatreallywasgoingonisthatthedocumentarycouldpotentiallyexposenastythingstheydidillegalfinancialthingsbutit wasnever myintentiontoexposeanybodybecauseIrespectpeoplewhoactuallyyouknowlietogetmoviesmadeIthinkit'sanhonorablequalitythat isanexcellentquotethankyouforthatandstopthepressesthankyoulieandcheatdoanythingtogetmoviesmadedoanythingtogetartmadesobutJerrywantedthe storyto betoldso hebecameaco-produceron thedocumentaryhe puthis nameon ithe wasgoingtonarrateitandI wassupposedtogo toIrelandtorecordhisnarrationbecausehe wasbusyshootingafilmwithHilarySwanksomethingandthenheendedupneverhavingtimebecausehiscareerwastakingoffsoIendedupnarratingitbuthelovesthedocumentaryhestoodbehinditandwe'restillgoodfriendsI feltterriblefor youwhen Isaw thedocumentarybecause Iknew youasI guesssomewhatlike mesomewhatof anacademicpersonsomewhatofas adocumentarianasyou knowbecause IknewagainI knewyourCanadianworkand thenwe wouldalwaystalkyoualwayshelpedmewithkindofIcelandicbackgroundinformationand thenI thoughtthis poorguy gotput ina Vikingcostumein theworstweatherpossibleand hadtowatchsomebodystrugglethroughmakingamovieIdon'tknowyourpatiencewasamazingaclosefriendofmineitwaspainfulhe'soneofmyclosestfriendsandstillisandIconsiderhimabrotheryouknowhe'sanabsolutefantasticguyandIwaswatchinghimsufferandIhadtoremindmyselfeverydayitismyjobtodocumentthishimgoingthroughthetoughtimeofhislifeandtherearemomentsinthedocumentarywherepeopleaskmetoturnoffmycameraandputmyhandin frontofmylensofcourseyeahafascinatingstoryafterafascinatingstoryImeanwethisisliketheoriginalpointofthisistotalkaboutyournewmoviewhichcomesoutseptember10thatbiopartofthesewhichisareallycooltheaterthatwedon'ttalkenoughaboutit'simpossibletotalkenoughaboutitwe'retryingtofigureouthowtogetthemmoreinourwavelengthbecausethey showeveryicelandicfilmthatcomesoutbuttheyalsodosomethinginterestingwithsomethinglikeanagasmirtheykeepitaroundforawhiletheydon'tdolikeyouknowfourshowingsadayforfivedaysandthenonithinkthiswillprobablyhavelikeathreeweekrunmaybesoyeahforthoseofusifyoulivehereinicelandorifyou'revisitingbiopartisconstantlymentionedasoneofthebesttheatersineuropeforthisreasonbecauseit'sgotthissmallorganizationwiththeicelandicfilmfundandtheyshowicelandicfilmsbuttheygiveittheproperit'sproperduesoyou'llbeseptember10thwellyoudoaq&ainthatfirstinthatfirstdaywhatwe'regonnadoonseptember10thislikeaprescreeningwhereiwanttoinviteasmanystudentsas icanfindstudentsoffilmtheorystudentsoffilmmakingiwanttoiwanttotrytofillthetheaterwiththepeoplewhoaregenuinelyinterestedintheartoffilmmakingbecausethosearethekindofpeoplethatilikeiwanttofillitwithfriendlypeopleidon'twanttodoashowwiththecelebsorwhateveriwantthefilmstudentsiwantthepeoplewhoaregenuinefilmenthusiastsunlessthere'saslightoverlapinthosetwogroupslet'sseearialtjordisallowedwe weretalking aboutourcurrentcoverstoryhe'sachampionforfilmmakingand agenuinelikea guywhogenuinelyknowsicelandfilmhistoryreallywellabsolutelyyeahsobecauseiimeanistudiedfilmdirectingmanyyearsagomymentorwasanoldbritishdirectorwhowas,whodidsomeealingcomedieshedidliketheoriginalladykillersforexampleandmanyothergreatfilmssoistudiedclassicalfilmlanguagebutlatelyi'vebeensoboredwithmostofthestuffthatiseeandstreamerslikenetflixarejustdestroyingtheartoffilmmakinggenerallytheonlythingthatexcitesmehasbeensmallfilmsi'llgiveyouanexampleafilmcalledverathatplayedinreykjavikin22italianfilmandwhen istartedwatchingitihadtolookatmyticketisaidithoughtiboughtaticketforafictionfilmwhyamiwatchingadocumentaryandthenislowlyrealizeditwasafilmthatmanagedtoblurthelinebetweenfictionandrealityandibecamesothrilledwiththisfilmtherewasaq&aafterandifoundouttheyhadmadeitwithatwomancrewamanshotthefilmon60millimeterawomantheirhusbandandwifeshedirecteditandsherecordedsoundatthesametimeandiwasabsolutelyfascinatedbythismethodofworkingbecausetheymanagedtogetperformancesthatblurredthelineformeiwasn'twatchingactorsdoingyou knowclockinginfortheirworkdayitcanbepainfultowatchactorsactmyopinionigetreallyfrustratedwatchingactorsactreallyhardthishadbecomemyproblemandthenisawthisandthenisawanotherfilmcalledumrianafootinfrancezerofucksgivenokayumbythisfantasticfranceactressuhatthetopofthisorsomethingit'slikefromgreeknameshewasinblueisthewarmestcolorokaysothey didthe filmin thesamewaysmallcrewtinytinycrewverysmallflexiblecamerasoihadknownforawhileiwantedtodoafilminthesamewayandthisgavemethecouragetogoaheadbecauseverawaswinningawardsandfestivalsandsoontheywonbestdirectorandbestactressinvenicein22forexampleandsoidecidednowit'sthetimehascomeformetotomakeafilmlikethestorythathadbeenlivingwithmeforawhileandumitriedtogetsomefinancingforastorycalledallanddidn'tgetanymoneysoichangedthenametoanorgasmiaandsuddenlymoneystartedflowinginandfilmfundsstartedgivingmethemoneythepackagingthepackagingandiumiauditioned2500actressesfortheleadpartandwentthrough2500auditionstofindbecauseihada,tofindtherightpersondoyoudeliberatelytrytomakepartsofyourlifealivingnightmareyesyesit'sumit'sachoicenoit'smyit'smymyshortcomingit'smyit'smyi'mthis isyouri'mnotverycleverithinkimadethatclearyou'vebeentryingtoestablishthattheneverythingyou'vedoneseemstoflydirectlyagainstthatclaimsosobutit'syou couldcall itkind ofa partof amethodiguessoftryingtolikebuildwhatyouwantinasensesoyoudolikeyouhaveisitlikeisitlikesorrythat i'mtryingtolikeisitlikekindoflikebecausesomeideaskindofareunclearsoonefumblesaroundinthedarkforalongtimebeforefindingthethingyouknewyouwerelookingforiwantedyoubecausethefilmmakingislikemusicyesitcanbeoneofthemostumgivingcollaborativeartsendeavorsbecausewhen youwhen youhave yourshortcomingslike idoyou knowi'mdyslexicandnotverycleveritrytosurroundmyselfwithgoodpeopleandthatcantakewhati'mwhatiwanttodofurtherandmakeitintosomethingbetterandthatincludesthedirectorofphotographygrahamdunnwho'sanoldclassmatefrommanchesterfilmschoolandihadtofindtherightactorsandihadspecificideasthattheactorsthatcouldthatcouldtakemyideasfurtheriwantedittobeacollaborativeprocessittookthistimetofindallthesetofindtherightactorsiworkedwithsomeactressesforalongtimeinbetweenoneofthemoneofthegreatestcomingactressesoffranceworkedwithherforawholeyearwhenwegotthefinancingshegotanofferfromnetflixtobeinaseriessoshechosethemoneyandsoihadtofindanotheroneandifoundthismathildevarnierinaveryshorttimeandsheisabsolutelyfantasticandihadagonethroughoverathousandauditionsformaleactorsandimatchedherwithaguycallededwardhateranactorfromlondonbroughtthemtoicelandwespentaweekinasummerhouseinskoradalurandwetalkedaboutthescriptandthecharacterswedrovearoundthecountryplayedmusicwesortofjustattheendoftheweekweallagreedwewanttomakethisfilmtheywenthomeandpackedforaweekortwocamebackandwestartedshootingwemadethefilmwiththerewasfourofusinthecrewbiggestreasonwasthatiwantedtomakeitwithasecondreasonwasthattherewastouristseasoninicelandsoicouldn'tfindhotelroomsforabigcrewafriendofmineownsafarmthatisnotuseditjuststandsemptyonthesouthoficelandiborrowedthefarmithadsixbedroomssoihadtwoactorssoiknewicouldyouknowiwasgoingtobetheresoihadthreemorepeoplesoumfantasticumartistmusicianand actorcalledguðmundurinnkitharogogyeahguðmundurinnkitharogandheevenplaysaroleinthefilmbuthewaseverythingelsehe'safantasticguyhe'sanamazingguyandyouknowifyouwantacollaboratoryouneedtofindacollaboratorlikehimbecauseheneversaysnohejustfindsasolutionhetalksusoutofproblemsstickysituationsidecidednevertoaskforpermissionspermissionanywherenevertoclosethestreetnevertotoumjustgoguerrillastyleandmakethisfilmandweendedupinasituationwhereafarmershowedupandandsaidwellyou'reactuallyon mylandandfoundoutsomefamilyrelationsandthoughtguerrillaisraisedinruralhe knowsthedrillyeahbut tobe fairyou'dseentheoppositesideofthecoinyou'dseenyourfriendmakebeowulfandgrindlewitheverypermissionhugecasthugecrewandyou'veseenwherethattakesyouanditcanbeorcanyeahImeanevenwhenhewasdoinghisravenseriestheendofthelastfewattemptstomaketheravenmoviesjustmassivespendingonthesethingswithlimitedresultsitseemsitseemsnaturalthatnowthatthetechnologyis alittlebitbetterbecauseIhaven'tseenIhatetosaycolonanticasmiabecausethat'snotevenreallythetitlesthethingswedotosurviveIguessIhaven'tseenthefullmovieI'veonlyseenthepreviewsfromthefestivalsthatwereshowingthetrailersorrybutitdoesnotlookcheapinfactlooksveryprofessionalIguessbecausethetechnologyisthereyoucangettheequipmentthatdoesn'trequirelightingcrewthecameraequipmentis sogoodbynowanditbecomesaquestionofgoodlensesbuttherearescenesinthisfilmIshota littlebitofitmyselfsoI'mintheKevlarairportwiththeactresswalkingthroughtheairportjustholdingitIlooklikeatouristandItriedtoIcalledsomebodyandsaidshouldIgetpermissiontheguysaidnodon'tbotherbecausethenwehavetohavelikesecurityguardsandshitjustbuyaticketcheckinshootthethingthisisalsoIwouldliketopointoutverymuchtheadviceyouwillgetwhenyoutrytodoanythinginIcelandsomehowweshouldn'tbesayingthisIguesswhichislikejustdoitdon'tshootfirstthenaskabsolutelybutyouknowthisisnotanamateurproductionthisisGrahammydirectorofphotographyhehasshotmoviesthatweredistributedbyMiramaxall overtheworldincinemasyouknowhe'sarealprofessionalsoIhaveakindofahalfformedquestionherewhichisveryusefultomebutwe'vekindoftalkedaboutwebrieflymentionedNetflixandwehaven'treallytalkedaboutkindofhowbigmoviecompanieswhatdirectiontheyhavebeenmovingintermsoftheiroutputoverthepast101520yearsbutthereisthisfeelingthatyou'realwayswatchingthesamebigbudgetfranchiseandthere'snota lotofvarietyinwhatyouseeandwherethemoneyisislikeisitrightformetokindofseethisasamaybeareactiontothatrealitywhereyoucanactuallygowithatinycrewrequirebulkand you can justwalk aroundwith itto actuallycreate somethingthat isinterestingin a worldwheremost of thestuffwe'refatisbecomingquitenarrowandnot veryinterestingat allI meanI don't knowif I'mphrasing thisrightbut do youknow what I'mdoes it make anysense to youthis requiresa wholeanother episodebecauseI will gooff a rantbutbasicallythefilmworldhasbeena lot ofinhijackedbyventurefundsyessotheirprioritiesaretodeliversome sortofsafeyesresultsyestheobjectivesofNetflixare notto makegood filmsnothat'snotwhat theyaim forthey aimto hookyou as asubscriberand keepyousubscribedbecause it'sso difficulttocancelyoursubscriptionsothey'veneverputmoneyintodevelopmentof projectsthey putintoproductionso thedevelopmenthas beenleft outfilmmakingused tobelongto theartiststhere arecompanieslikeyou knowCharlieChaplinand othersstartedyou knowUnitedArtistsandthis isthat'swhere itcame frombutthere isstilla lotof peoplethere arestill a lotof peoplewho arestill therelove itfor theart offilmmakingandyoumany yearsagowhen I wasa studentin Californiaand I wasstudyingclassicalfilm languageI workedat theSundanceFestivalfor fouryears in arowandthere wasthe goldenera ofAmericanmoviesfor fivedays Iwas hangingout withfor examplea directorcalled RobertRodriguezhe wasthere witha filmcalled ElMariachithat heshot for$7,850anddid henot dothe 300movie lateris thatRobertno that'sanothergreen screenguybecauseRobertRodriguezbecamefamousfor usinggreen screenrighthe didall kindsofspy kidsand allkinds offilmsafter thathe becamea verybig namebuthe shotthat filmaloneand recordedsoundafterwardsit wasjust himand acameraand somefriendsandhe ismy originalheroin thefilmmakingworldand yousaid youspent timehanging outwith himas youmade thatmomentbecause wetalkedoff micabout youhanging outwith RobertRedfordwhichof coursesorryno Iguesssomebodyexplainedthis tomewhen Iwasdescribingmyunenlightenedfrustrationwith whatI wasbeingofferedas amovieconsumerinIcelandor elsewherethat atsome pointthe studiosand thisis theanalogywould havespenta milliondollarson ahundreddifferentmoviesa milliondollarseachknowingthat theydidn'treallyknowwhat wasgoing toget bigbecausethat'sjusthowthingswerebutnowbecauseit'srunbyyouknowhatsfundsorsomethingthisisnowbasicallyfiveor tenmoviesforthetotalofahundredmillionandthey'rebattingoneachoneofthemanditcannotfailthereforeitcannotdoanythinginterestingwellthisistheeraofbackroomsthoughyeahbutthishasbeenkindofthecaseforawhilethisiswhyyougetthesixteenthadventuremovieandwhateverthependulumluckilyswingsyesanditseemstobeandwhichyouknowgivespeoplelikemesomehopeandthattheremightbeinterestingfilmssoIgettoseea lotoftheseinterestingfilmsthesefantasticfabulousfilmsthat onlytravelinthefilmfestivalcircuitandtheyhaveareallyhardtimegettingouttothegeneralpublicbecauseNetflixiftheybuysmallindiefilmstheypaythemnothingalmostnothingandtheydemandtheworldtheywanttheworldrightssotheyaredestroyersofthefilmworldinmymindandtheybecauseofthesimplefactthatit'snottheirobjectivetomakebestfilmspossibleandsothesefilmsstillgetmadetheyareoutand Igettoseetheminfilmfestivalsbuttheydon'tgetanaudienceanymoreinthesamewaytheyusedtodon'tgetanaudienceanymorenotonlylikeit'sasidenotebutIthinktheNetflixcontractsaysnottheworldbuttheuniversejusttomakesuretheyownyourrightsincasewefindalienlifeitcouldbeonthatnotebecausewehaveafiniteamountoftimethishasbeenadelightfulexperienceIlovedeverysecondofthisthankyousomuchfortalkingtousthankyouforforforgivinga littlebitoftimetopromoteasmallIcelandicfilmImeanit'swe'llbeputtingthisonlineI'llbeputtingyourwhateverURLsI haveto putinournewslettersandsee ifthatdoesanythingandIhopetobeabletoseeitorbethereonthetestit'saFridayrightnothat'stheThursdayit'sthenightwegotowehaveeitherwayourproblemourproblemsasideIlookforwardtoseeingitandIhopeallofyouwhoareinIcelandandhaveanightoffwe'llfindanightoffinthenexttwoweekstoseethoseotherdocumentariesImentionedwhatIcansafelysaythemoviehasafantasticscorebyMichaelBrookeoneofmyheroesyeahsoifeverythingelsefailsyoucanjustleanbackcloseyoureyesandenjoythemusiche'ssobeautifulyouknowhedecidedtomakethecoreinstrumentofthescoreaharmoniumafootpeddledharmoniumandthenasthescorebuildsheaddsapianothathehasalsoinhisstudioandtheharmoniumandthepianoarealittlebitoutoftunehecouldhavesoeasilyfixeditwithtoday'stechnologybuthesaidnolet'sembracetheimperfectionsandthisbecomesone ofthemagicalelementsinthescoreIthinkthat'sagoodthingtoendonlet'sembracetheimperfectionsthankyou allforlisteningandwatchingthiswasadropinbyebyebyeyougot ityou
