The Faroe Islands has a small population, and due to the high initial cost of filmmaking, the islands cinema history is modest. The first film director of the Faroe Islands was Katrin Ottarsdóttir. Her first film set in the Faroe Islands was Atlantic Rhapsody in 1989.
The first feature films in Faroese language with full Faroese castings ("Rannvà" 1975, "Heystblómur" 1976 and "Pall Fángi" 1977) were made in the mid-seventies by Miguel Marín Hidalgo, a Spaniard who stayed for several years in the Faroe Islands. In July 2015, the three films were screened again in the Faroe Islands, at the Nordic House in Tórshavn, with the presence of its writer, Miguel Marín Hidalgo. The Faroese National TV, Kringvarp Føroya, broadcast "Rannvá" on 25 and 27 December 2016 and "Heystblómur" on 1 and 3 January 2017.
Recently self-taught Johan Rimestad directed the self-financed feature Karrybollarnir, which takes place in Tórshavn.
In 2012, the first Faroese film prize was established, it is called Geytin. The young Faroese director Sakaris Stórá won the first award for his short film Summarnátt (Summer night). In 2013 he directed a new short film Vetrarmorgun (Winther morning), which was awarded at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2014, grants for filmmaking were on the Faroese Government Budget (fíggjarlógin) for the first time. 22 applied for a grant, 9 of these received a grant, all together the grants were 485 000 Danish krone.[1]
- ^ Rana, Danjal av (2 July 2014). "Ferð setast á føroyskar filmar" (in Faroese). in.fo (Sosialurin). Retrieved 17 October 2015.