Origin of the most attended full-length feature films 2014

Domestic VS International

        Icelanders value culture and creativity, and film in no exception. Filmmakers have made Icelandic cinema an important part of both Icelandic culture the economy. The film industry in Iceland produces several major films a year, and Iceland's scenic landscape makes for a great backdrop for Hollywood films. Plus, Iceland provides a 25% rebate to filmmakers shooting in the country (o16). Some major films that have been shot in Iceland include:  Star Wars: Rogue One, Prometheus, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Die Another Day, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Batman Begins and Flags of our Fathers.

        According to Iceland.is, "Icelandic television production has been on the rise. Children’s television program LazyTown has also seen unprecedented success abroad, with stations in dozens of countries around the world broadcasting its message of living healthy lifestyles. The Night Shift, a sitcom about the hapless lives of the night shift personnel at a petrol station, has received critical acclaim and been broadcast in several European countries, while a US remake is in the works." (o15). Other television shows shot in Iceland include Game of Thrones, Vikings, Black Mirror, and Trapped. (o17).

        Despite the fact that the Icelandic film scene is doing well, a lot of the country's media is still sourced internationally rather than domestically (see chart of Origin of the most attended full-length feature films 2014). An article from Iceland Magazine pulls data from an analysis of movie theaters and cinema consumption in the Nordic countries. It shows that 90% of all movies in Iceland come from Hollywood. The share was smallest in Finland where just 48% of movies shown at theaters were American. Nordic movies only made up 3-7% of all movies shown in the Nordic countries (o18).

         According to Catherine Chambers, one of my interviewees, "most news outlets are Icelandic, I would say few look at BBC for example, but many read popular news and fashion from Denmark." Almost everyone I interviewed said that they get their news from either social media or local news sites/papers. And by local, I mean Icelandic and within the country, not from big sources like the BBC or other world news organizations.

        This excerpt was taken from Inspired By Iceland's page on creativity in Iceland:

"Increasing international success for Icelandic designers, driven by their innovation and commitment to sustainability, Icelandic nature and materials—coupled with the ever growing respect for Icelandic artists in international circles—has further bolstered the reputation of the Iceland's creativity. The recent emergence of Icelandic filmmakers and video game developers on the global stage further attests to the importance of innovation and creativity for the Icelandic society. It is no coincidence that culture and the creative industries in Iceland employ more than five percent of the work force—a larger share than the fishing industry and agriculture combined—and generates a larger share of the GDP than agriculture." (o19).

        Every year, Gallup polls people in more than 140 countries by asking them "In your country, are you satisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?" Iceland happens to rank extremely high in this poll. The results are in the charts to the right and below. Native Icelanders clearly feel like they have freedom within their country to choose their own destiny. (022).

 

 

 

        In a study from Einarsdóttir, Heijstra, and Rafnsdóttir, authors of “The politics of diversity: Social and political integration of immigrants in Iceland,” 2,200 individuals within the adult population in Iceland and 600 individuals each were collected from the Registers of Iceland, targeting Lithuanians, Poles, and Filipinos living in Iceland in particular were asked the following questions on their opinion of how much political influence and knowledge they felt like they had within Icelandic society (a10). They were asked to respond to “four statements, three of which are put forward in a negative way: I have no influence on what the government does; the government doesn’t care what people like me think; I have a good understanding of important political issues; and most people are better informed than I am.” This is right at the core of cultural sovereignty, because it explores how much power people in the country feel like they have, and how much they think their voice is heard; how much they feel like they can control their own destiny.

 

The findings from this section of the study can we seen in the following four charts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The responses for all four questions clearly show that immigrants do not feel like they have much political efficacy, but native Icelanders feel like they generally do. One area where the numbers were close, however, is in the statement “the government doesn’t care what people like me think.” Nearly half of native Icelanders agreed with this statement, which says something about what kind of impact and power Icelanders feel they have within their own country. They may feel “free” and informed, but they do not necessarily feel like they can express their own perspectives or make a difference in the way their lives are governed.