"Under The Tree" in Orizzonti Competition at Venice IFF

W cieniu drzewa (Under the Tree / Undir Trenu), an Icelandic-Polish-Danish co-production directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, has been selected to screen in competition in the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice IFF.

Polish Co-Production at the 74th Venice IFF

W cieniu drzewa (Under the Tree / Undir Trenu), an Icelandic-Polish-Danish co-production directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, has been selected to screen in competition in the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice IFF, which showcases the latest trends in contemporary cinema.

The film was directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, written by Huldar Breiðfjörð and Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, and lensed by Monika Lenczewska. Under the Tree was produced by Netop Films (Iceland) and co-produced by Madants (Klaudia Śmieja, Beata Rzeźniczek – Poland), Profile Pictures (Denmark), and One Two Films (Germany). The film was co-financed by the Icelandic Film Center, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the Polish Film Institute, DiFactory, the Danish Film Institute, and ZDF/ARTE. World sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales. 

W cieniu drzewa (Under the Tree / Undir Trenu)

This dramedy about family life focuses on various aspects of a shared existence. The film’s main protagonist Atli is accused of betrayal and thrown out of his home, forced to move in with his parents. His ex-fiancee and the mother of his child cuts him off completely and makes it impossible for him to see his four-year-old daughter. At the same time, an old conflict between Atli’s parents and their neighbours resurfaces and escalates daily. The dispute is over a beautiful old tree that grows in Atli’s parents’ backyard and casts a shadow over the neighbours’ terrace. The neighbours demand that the tree be cut down, but Atli’s parents won’t hear of it. Atli is slowly sucked into this dispute, while his own problems reach new dimensions.

The 74th Venice International Film Festival runs from August 30 through September 9, 2017.

The festival’s official website is available at www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2017.