Package Deals and Scandinavia House present Sigur Ros's "Heima" February 23, 2008

Package Deals and Scandinavia House present Sigur Ros's "Heima"
Directed by Dean DeBlois, "Heima"—which translates as both “at home” and “homeland”—chronicles a series of free concerts Sigur Rós, Iceland's biggest musical export after Björk, played in their native Iceland in the summer of 2006. The film provides unique insights into one of the world's most fascinating and inscrutable bands captured live while exploring their natural habitat—the mysterious, otherworldly landscape of Iceland—like never before. They played in deserted fish factories, outsider art follies, far-flung community halls, sylvan fields, darkened caves, and the huge, horseshoe-shaped Ásbyrgi Canyon (formed, legend has it, by the hoofprint of Odin's six-legged horse Sleipnir). Material from all four of the band's albums is featured, including many rare and notable moments. Among these are a heart-stopping rendition of the previously unreleased Guitardjamm filmed inside a derelict herring oil tank in the far West Fjords; a windblown, one-mic recording of Vaka shot at a dam protest camp subsequently drowned by rising water; and first-time acoustic versions of such rare live beauties as "Staralfur," "Agaetis Byrjun," and "Von." Loosely following a documentary format, "Heima" serves as an alternative primer for Iceland the country, which is revealed as less a stag party destination-du-jour than a desolate, magical place where humans have little right to trespass. The question of the way Sigur Rós's music relates to, and is influenced by, their environment has been reduced to a journalistic cliché about glacial majesty and fire and ice, but there is no doubt that the band is inextricably linked to the land in which they were forged. 91 min. Reception sponsored by Reyka Vodka. Arrive early to see Sigur Rós music videos on the big screen starting at 6:30 pm.

Official Website: http://scandinaviahouse.org/programs.html#films