Journey
“Vigdís,” the four-part biopic about Iceland’s renowned previous president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, extensively called the world’s very first democratically chosen female president, will bow Feb. 17 at the Berlinale Series Market Selects, thanks to REinvent International.
The program– which narrates Finnbogadóttir’s journey from 1948, when she completed secondary school, up till her governmental election in 1980– lands in Berlin off the back of a strong nationwide operate on pubcaster RÚV, where it premiered on Jan. 1.
“It’s one of the most effective television series transmitted in Iceland, with around 60% collected watchings per episode,” boasts manufacturer Rakel Garðarsdóttir, co-creator with co-writers Ágústa M Ólafsdóttir and Björg Magnúsdóttir (“The Minister”). In the little country of 390,000 residents, ruled by 2 females- President Halla Tómasdóttir and Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, the series about Finnbogadóttir, who promoted equality and ladies’s rights throughout her presidency (1980 to 1996), has actually stimulated a nationwide fad for whatever associated to Vigdís. According to ruv.is, books and souvenirs about her are offering like hotcakes, similar to knitting patterns of the renowned wool gown that she used the day after her governmental inauguration.
“It seems like the program has actually had an amazing reach,” stated Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who plays Finnbogadóttir in 2 episodes. “Families have actually come together on Sundays, with kids asking different concerns, while the older generations have actually thought back the times they lived [under Finnbogadóttir]In a manner, Vigdís has actually unified us again,” the star informed Range
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For Garðarsdóttir, who initially created the concept for the series in 2009 when she was provided the “Vigdís” bio by author Páll Valsson, Finnbogadóttir’s tradition shines far beyond the nationwide border, thus the significance of a television biopic.
“Vigdís Finnbogadóttir’s story is an ideal suitable for a fiction adjustment due to the fact that it transcends her individual accomplishments and speaks with an axiom about the power of representation and trailblazing management. For us in Iceland, Vigdís is more than a historic figure. She is a good example who revealed a whole generation of females that anything is possible. This story is not simply Icelandic; it’s international.”
Discovering the best fiction story turned out to be a long and winding roadway for the co-writers and Vesturport creatives– Garðarsdóttir, Filippusdóttir, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, and actor/director Björn Hlynur Haraldsson are all credited with Iceland’s other current hit program, “Blackport.”
More than 10 years have actually expired from the minute Garðarsdóttir set out to produce the Vigdís biopic to shipment. An initial function variation was dropped mid-way for a four-part episodic format, as the developers kept digging up more crispy product from Finnbogadóttir’s backstory, included in sequential order in the program: from her late teenagers, her duration in France where she studied French literature, her drama academic year in Copenhagen, time as a theater supervisor in Reykjavik up until her governmental triumph. The opposite of the coin of the warm public figure exposed dark areas in Finnbogadóttir’s personal life: the loss of her bro at a young age, her miscarriages, her divorce and an uphill struggle to embrace a kid. “Her story has lots of dissatisfactions and difficulty, however she constantly continued and held her head high,” Garðarsdóttir observed.
If tweak the tone, perspective and story were significant obstacles, getting the approval from the primary lead character– Finnbogadóttir herself- was a simple accomplishment as the manufacturer described: “Vigdís originates from a theatrical background, so she totally values the innovative liberty that artists need. She felt great in our cumulative vision to the level that she picked not to evaluate the script, putting her total rely on our procedure.”
Vesturport group with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Credit: Vesturport
Iceland’s previous president likewise accepted Filippusdóttir as her screen change ego, beside Elín Hall( European Film Promotion Shooting Star 2025, star of”When the Light Breaks”), who plays her from her late teenagers to her thirties in the very first 2 episodes.
Discussing her function, Filippusdóttir stated she immersed herself totally into her character, seeing, checking out and studying whatever she might discover. “I invested hours examining [Vigdís’] motions, her existence, the subtle shifts in between her public and personal self, how she brought herself in the workplace versus how she was at home, merely consuming coffee. And I might feel her taking control of my existence. Her posture, her speech, even the rhythm of my own motions began to move. Any star will inform you: when a character genuinely settles into you, when they begin forming you from the within out, that’s one of the best benefits of this task,” stated the respected star who has actually appeared in “Trapped,” “The Valhalla Murders” and “Blackport.”
Directing tasks were shared in between Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (“The Minister”, “Descendants”). “Both directors brought a lot enthusiasm to the task,” Garðarsdóttir stated. “Björn directed the very first 2 episodes including the young Vigdís, a time when patriarchy was still the dominant force in society, while Tinna directed the 2nd 2 episodes -with Filippusdóttir playing Vigdís-in which the ladies’s [liberation] motion ended up being a force and required modification. Both directors are stars too which truly displays in the efficiency of the stars on screen.”
Another significant obstacle was recreating the late 1940s to 1980.
“Creating a duration drama in Iceland is absolutely a substantial difficulty,” confessed Garðarsdóttir. “Financially, it’s difficult, and as a little country, it’s difficult to discover places that do not look too modern-day. At the very same time, it’s an enjoyable difficulty; it truly presses you to believe outside of the box and come up with imaginative options. We really shot every scene in Iceland, even those that happen in Scandinavia and France. That’s what we call film magic! Thankfully, we were exceptionally lucky to have a fantastic team filled with a few of the most gifted individuals, and their effort and devotion made the series as sensational as it ended up being.”
“Even though the majority of our outfits were leased from Peris Costumes in Madrid, we likewise connected to the Icelandic country for assistance. We asked individuals to inspect their basements and storage areas for clothing or intriguing pieces they might provide us for the shoot, and the reaction was amazing! Vigdís herself kindly provided us some of her own clothes, which included a really unique and genuine touch to the production.”
Thinking about the product, funding the program was a reasonably simple undertaking. The significant commissioner RÚV, the Vesturport group protected financing from the Icelandic Film Fund, Nordisk Film & & Television Fond, Creative Europe, and the rest of the Nordic pubcasters part of the N12 alliance: NRK, DR, SVT, and YLE. Transform then came on board versus global rights.
“The program has actually been exceptionally well gotten. We have actually currently made sales, and more deals are on the method. It is a definitely lovely story, and we can’t wait to provide it at the Series Market Selects in Berlin,” stated REinvent sales and marketing director Helene Aurø.
Iceland’s talent-driven Vesturport, quickly to be housed in a brand name brand-new multi-disciple creative location in Reykjavik, is hectic with different jobs, consisting of a brand-new phase variation of “Frozen: The Musical” for the Nordic nations and a brand-new series: “Stick ’em Up,” which Filippusdóttir explains as “a spiritual follower of ‘Blackport.'”
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