With her team’s producer, editor and cinematographer, the Icelandic director Asa Hjorleifsdottir addressed the audience after her debut film THE SWAN. She wore the beautiful fringed jacket worn by the wild Ásta (Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir), playing the older cousin of the young star of the film Sól (Gríma Valsdóttir).
Quotes: “…a 1940’s love story in the middle of Iceland…This book, by Guðbergur Bergsson with its complexity of characters  inspired me to make films. My mother wrote her PhD thesis on this writer; how people can be so many things at once.”
“We are always struggling with our own lives.”
“Sól was 11 when we started. I did a short film just to test her; at least she could carry the swan.”
“…he promised we’d have swans for the film, but he disappeared with the eggs.”
“Culture clashes: not for me at all. Filming is a universal language. It made us become ultra-articulate in describing what we wanted to do.”
“Editing took four months.”
“We are still looking for distribution in Germany, but will be shown on Arte. The Swan opens December 29 in Iceland.” (NT)