Autumn Lights
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''Autumn Lights'' is an American–Icelandic international drama film written and directed by Angad Aulakh. The film stars Guy Kent, Marta Gastini, and Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson. Set in Iceland, the film is a meditative story of morality, virtue, and relationships as seen through the eyes of a foreigner in a strange land. The film was honored as a
Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born June 27, 1943) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film i ...
New York Film Critics Series (NYFCS) pick before it opened in limited theatrical release in North America on October 21, 2016, from Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media. The film opened in theaters in Northern Europe on November 4, 2016, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Riviera International Film Festival. The film is produced by Angad Aulakh and Guy Kent, alongside Ashley M. Kent, Davíd Óskar Ólafsson and Árni Filippusson.


Plot

The story follows David ( Guy Kent), an introverted American photographer adrift in remote Iceland while on assignment. When he gets caught in a local investigation after discovering a deserted body washed ashore, David is temporarily bound to a place he doesn't call home and he acquaints himself with the few inhabitants in the area, among them Marie ( Marta Gastini), an Italian woman whose shiftiness betrays not only her beautiful face but her Icelandic husband Jóhann ( Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson) and his own unruffled demeanor. As days pass, David's fascination with the couple intensifies and he slowly begins to find himself entangled in their mysterious lives.


Cast

* Guy Kent as David * Marta Gastini as Marie * Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson as Jóhann * Thora Bjorg Helga as Eva * Salóme Gunnarsdóttir as Liv * Stefán Hallur Stefánsson as Sveinn * Kolbeinn Arnbjörnsson as Alex * Snorri Engilbertson as Lars * Sveinn Geirsson as The Detective * Lilja Birgisdottir as Elisa * Jordan Goldnadel as Marcel * Charlotte Vercoustre as Isabella


Production


Locations

According to IndieWire, ''Autumn Lights'' was the first American film in history to have been both shot and completed in Iceland. Aside from American writer/director Angad Aulakh, American actor/producer Guy Kent, and Italian actress Marta Gastini, the rest of the cast and crew were Icelandic, include
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
winner Valdís Óskarsdóttir, Icelandic Academy Award-winning production designer Hulda Helgadóttir, and Icelandic Academy Award-winning make-up artist Steinnun Thordardóttir. ''Autumn Lights'' was shot on location throughout
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
and in Paris, France. Production of the film primarily took place in
Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter thorn (letter), "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Althing, Alþing, the annual ...
,
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
but filming also took place in studio in
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
.


Crew

In addition to producers Angad Aulakh and Guy Kent, Icelandic producers Davið Óskar Ólafsson and Árni Filippusson also produced the ''Autumn Lights''. Their previous films include Icelandic Academy Award-winning films '' Metalhead'', which premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
in 2013; '' Either Way'', which premiered at
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
; and David Gordon Green's '' Prince Avalanche'', which was a remake of their original film ''Either Way'' and premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
.


Release

''Autumn Lights'' was acquired by North American distributor Freestyle Releasing, ahead of its limited theatrical release in the United States and Canada on October 21, 2016. The film opened in theaters in Northern Europe on November 4, 2016. Ahead of its European release, the film was programmed in Italy's inaugural Riviera International Film Festival, where it competed in the Main Competition for the Grand Jury Prize against films such as
Xavier Dolan Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2009 for his feature ...
's It's Only the End of the World, Amanda Kernell's Sami Blood, Leyla Bouzid's As I Open My Eyes, and Ciro Guerra's
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated film Embrace of the Serpent.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack includes the original score by Hugi Gudmundsson and Hjörtur Ingvi Jóhannsson and the original song "Seconds" by Hjaltalín's Sigrídur Thorlacius, with music and lyrics written by Johannsson. The soundtrack was released on October 16, 2016. The film's original song "Seconds" and the film's score were shortlisted by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
for the 2017
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
.


Accolades

The film was In Competition at the 2017 Riviera International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor. The film was considered divisive among critics, with the Village Voice calling the film "a blast of quiet chilly melancholy". Michael Calleri at the Niagara Gazette wrote: "Aulakh's exceptional movie explores the emptiness that shadows so many lives. A fleeting image can take on a powerful meaning. What are people, really, than what they choose to reveal to others?". Calleri further mentioned the divisive nature of the film with: "Movies like this either wrap moviegoers in a welcome cocoon of anticipation, or they falter due to cryptic inferences that don't quite come together. Aulakh succeeds". *Nominated – Grand Jury Prize, Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated - Jury Prize, Best Director ( Angad Aulakh), Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated - Jury Prize, Best Actress ( Marta Gastini), Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated - Jury Prize, Best Actor ( Guy Kent), Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated – Best Film, Cinema Scandinavia Awards (
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Autumn Lights 2016 films 2010s mystery drama films American independent films Icelandic independent films French independent films 2010s Icelandic-language films Films set in Iceland Films shot in Iceland Films shot in Paris Films set in Paris Films shot in France Films about sexuality 2016 drama films 2010s American films 2010s French films