Feature Film Production

Here is how this works in practice. We deliver feature film production in Iceland as a complete line-production service, carrying a project from development feasibility through principal photography to wrap. Our line producers build budgets that capture the 25% reimbursement of eligible Icelandic spend, rising to 35% for larger qualifying shoots, and structure schedules that account for the country's weather volatility and seasonal access.

Here is the short of it. We crew from a skilled Reykjavík base of directors of photography, gaffers, grips, and department heads with global credits, setting up with Icelandic unions and scaling up from the UK and mainland Europe for major studio shoots of 150-plus crew. Our team handles ATA carnet clearance for incoming camera, lighting and grip packages through Keflavík, arranges 4x4 super-jeep transport and remote-unit logistics for Highland filming on summer F-roads, and gives stage space at RVK Studios in Gufunes when controlled interiors are needed. We run daily production operations, set up co-production treaty compliance, and connect shoots with Icelandic post houses for edit, grade, VFX and sound to global delivery standards.

Here is the breakdown. Iceland's reputation in feature filmmaking rests on landscapes that read as other worlds. Christopher Nolan shot 'Interstellar' and 'Batman Begins' here. 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', 'Oblivion', 'Star Trek Into Darkness', 'Noah' and 'The Fate of the Furious' all used Icelandic locations, and Ridley Scott filmed 'Prometheus' at the thundering Dettifoss. The draw is the geography: a subarctic island on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the rift valley of Þingvellir, Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier, the Jökulsárlón lava-and-ice lagoon, the volcanic Highlands of Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk, and the Mývatn region.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. The country also has a celebrated national cinema — Baltasar Kormákur's 'Everest' and 'The Deep', Hlynur Pálmason's 'Godland', and the A24 feature 'Lamb'. Filming runs on close to 100% renewable energy. The country sits in the EEA, EFTA and Schengen but not the EU, with the Icelandic króna as currency and 24% VAT. The fragile environment makes leave-no-trace filming key, with covered-area permits set up through the Environment Agency of the country.