''Autumn Lights'' is an American–Icelandic international drama film written and directed by Angad Aulakh. The film stars

Guy Kent Guy Kent is an American actor and producer. He stars in and produces the American-Icelandic international drama '' Autumn Lights'' with the producers of the Icelandic Academy Award winning film '' Metalhead'', David Gordon Green's ''Prince Avala ...

Marta Gastini Marta Gastini (born 2 October 1989) is an Italian actress, best known for playing Giulia Farnese in '' Borgia'' and for starring in the film '' The Rite''. Life and career After receiving an elementary education, she debuted as an actress on I ...

, and

Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson is an Icelandic stage and film actor who starred in and co-wrote 2011's ''Either Way'', Ragnar Bragason's '' Metalhead'' and Baltasar Kormákur's '' The Deep''. Career Gunnarsson stars in the film Rams which premiered ...

. 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 ) 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 interview prog ...

New York Film Critics Series (NYFCS) pick before it opened in limited theatrical release in North America on October 21, 2016 from

Freestyle Releasing Freestyle Releasing, LLC is an independent film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2004, specializing in releasing films theatrically. Unlike most distributors, Freestyle Releasing does not put up any prints and advertising ...

and Freestyle Digital Media. The film opened in theaters in Northern Europe on November 4, 2016 and was nominated for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

Riviera International Film Festival The Riviera International Film Festival (RIFF) is an international film festival dedicated to filmmakers under 35 that takes place every year in Sestri Levante. Since the 2018 edition, there is a section entirely dedicated to documentaries RIFF ...

. 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 (

), 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 (

), an Italian woman whose shiftiness betrays not only her beautiful face but her Icelandic husband Jóhann (

) 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

as David *

as Marie *

as Jóhann * Thora Bjorg Helga as Eva * Salome R. Gunnarsdottir as Liv *

Stefán Hallur Stefánsson Stefán is a common first name in Iceland. According to Icelandic custom, people are generally referred to by first and middle names and patronyms are used if disambiguation is required. ''Stefán'' is the Icelandic version of the Greek name Step ...

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 IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

, ''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

, and Italian actress

, the rest of the cast and crew were Icelandic, include BAFTA winner

Valdís Óskarsdóttir Valdís Óskarsdóttir (born 1949 in Akureyri, Iceland) is an Icelandic film editor, whose work includes '' The Celebration'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Finding Forrester'' and '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind''. She received multiple awa ...

, 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, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

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 "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland f ...

but filming also took place in studio in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Crew

In addition to producers Angad Aulakh and

, 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 largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

in 2013; ''

Either Way A hybrid offence, dual offence, Crown option offence, dual procedure offence, offence triable either way, or wobbler is one of the special class offences in the common law jurisdictions where the case may be prosecuted either summarily or as i ...

'', which premiered at

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...

; and

David Gordon Green David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He directed the dramas ''George Washington'' (2000), ''All the Real Girls'' (2003), and '' Snow Angels'' (2007), as well as the thriller '' Undertow'' (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote. In 2 ...

's ''

Prince Avalanche ''Prince Avalanche'' is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written and directed by David Gordon Green and starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch. The screenplay is based on the 2011 Icelandic film ''Either Way'' (''Á annan veg''). The film was shot ...

'', which was a remake of their original film ''Either Way'' and premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Release

''Autumn Lights'' was acquired by North American distributor

, 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

, 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, actor and costume designer. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2 ...

It's Only the End of the World ''It's Only the End of the World'' (french: Juste la fin du monde) is a 2016 drama film written, edited and directed by Xavier Dolan. The film is based on the play of the same name by Jean-Luc Lagarce and stars Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, Mario ...

Amanda Kernell Amanda Kernell (; born 9 September 1986) is a Swedish, Southern Sami director and screenwriter. She is best known for the movie ''Sami Blood'', which won several awards. Biography Amanda Kernell was born in Umeå. In her early teens, she devote ...

Sami Blood ''Sami Blood'' ( sv, Sameblod) is a 2016 Swedish coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Amanda Kernell, as her feature film debut. The first 10 minutes of the film (and part of the end) comes directly from the short film ' (2015, dir. Am ...

Leyla Bouzid Leyla Bouzid (born 1984 in Tunis), is a Tunisian screenwriter and film director. Early life and education Born in Tunis in 1984, Bouzid is the daughter of the director Nouri Bouzid. She grew up in Tunisia, spending her adolescence in Tunis. A ...

As I Open My Eyes ''As I Open My Eyes'' (french: À peine j'ouvre les yeux) is a 2015 French-Tunisian drama film directed by Leyla Bouzid. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Baya Medhaffar st ...

, and

Ciro Guerra Ciro Guerra (born 6 February 1981) is a Colombian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2015 film ''Embrace of the Serpent'', the film was nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Film ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated film

Embrace of the Serpent ''Embrace of the Serpent'' ( es, El abrazo de la serpiente) is a 2015 Colombian international co-production, internationally co-produced adventure film, adventure drama film directed by Ciro Guerra, and written by Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vi ...

Soundtrack

The soundtrack includes the original score by

Hugi Gudmundsson Hugi Guðmundsson (10 June 1977) is an Icelandic composer of contemporary classical music. His work is performed internationally at concerts and music festivals. He lives and works as a composer in Copenhagen, Denmark. Early life and education Gu� ...

and Hjörtur Ingvi Jóhannsson and the original song "Seconds" by

Hjaltalín Hjaltalín is an Icelandic indie rock band that has published four studio albums as of 2020. Their second record, ''Terminal'', was chosen as the album of the year at the 2010 Icelandic Music Awards. They have also played throughout Europe, most ...

's Sigrídur Thorlacius, with music and lyrics written by Johannsson. The soundtrack was released in 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 with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

for the 2017

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Accolades

The film was In Competition at the 2017

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 ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

calling the film "a blast of quiet chilly melancholy". Michael Calleri at the

Niagara Gazette The ''Niagara Gazette'', also referred to as ''The Gazette'', is a morning daily newspaper published in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, which covers several parts of Niagara County, including the Town of Niagara, and the City of Niagara ...

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 (

), Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated - Jury Prize, Best Actor (

), Riviera International Film Festival (Italy) *Nominated – Best Film, Cinema Scandinavia Awards (

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

)

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