THE MOST REMOTE
FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD

18/7 - 26/7 2025

HORNSTRANDIR FILM FESTIVAL

The most remote Film Festival was launched for the first time July 2023 in Iceland's northernmost peninsula called Hornstrandir. One of Europe’s last wildernesses, Hornstrandir is a breathtakingly beautiful, hard-to-reach nature reserve of soaring mountains and precipitous cliffs. A place you can only reach by boat and where there is no mobile or internet connection.

The Hornstrandir Film Festival offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those willing to brave the untamed wilderness and join us at our remote locations. To qualify, you must possess a seasoned hiker's skills and a composure that remains unfazed by the unpredictability of nature. If you're up for the challenge and eager to immerse yourself in this unique cinematic adventure, apply now for the opportunity to trek alongside us in the rugged landscape of Hornstrandir in 2025. Apply here

For those who prefer to journey to our festival from the safety and comfort of their homes, we invite you to sign up for our mailing list and be among the first to receive a lineup of riveting documentaries that challenge our perception of the environment, climate, and health.

* Some of the 2024 special selection films will be available to our HFF members from the 28 - 30 of september.

The making of Hornstrandir Film Festival takes you on a journey through the remote and breathtaking landscape of Hornstrandir as we showcase the unforgettable experience of hosting the world's most remote film festival. You'll witness the magic and determination that brought this unique event to life. Be transported to the heart of Icelandic wilderness and the birth of an epic festival!

Common Ground

Sobering yet hopeful, ‘Common Ground’ exposes the toxic interconnections of American farming policy, politics, and health, by sharing stories of destruction and healing across the United States and beyond, and how regenerative agriculture and soil health plays a vitally important role in changing these systems for the better. At it's root, it explores how people from different walks of life, different political backgrounds, and different places share one thing in common – the very soil beneath their feet.

CANARY

Witness the extraordinary life of Dr. Lonnie Thompson, an explorer who went where no scientist had gone before and transformed our idea of what is possible. Daring to seek Earth’s history contained in glaciers atop the tallest mountains in the world, Lonnie found himself on the frontlines of climate change—his life’s work evolving into a salvage mission to recover these priceless historical records before they disappear forever.

Earthside

In the spring of 2022, four athletes on The North Face team, Emily Harrington, Brette Harrington, Christina Lusti and Hilaree Nelson embarked on the trip of a lifetime. Their expedition to climb and ski epic first descents on Baffin Island, Canada became a celebration—of their accomplishments, of their friendship, and of their lives.

In loving memory of Hilaree Nelson, 1972–2022.

The Forgotten Coast

Inspired by over a decade of documenting Iceland's glacial river systems and their intersection with the ocean from the seats of small aircraft, Chris Burkard sets out for an immersive expedition across 41 of these rivers - by connecting a 400km series of exposed sandbars that provide a barrier between the harsh waters of the north atlantic along Iceland's southern coast, armed only with a fat bike & inflatable raft and accompanied by two seasoned bike-pack/rafting veterans, Steve "Doom" Fassbinder and Cameron Lawson.

A SALMON NATION

Our relationship with nature not only defines our history, it shapes our future, too. Yet beneath the surface of Iceland’s fjords, an industrial fish farming method threatens to destroy one of Europe’s last remaining wildernesses. Open net salmon farms wreak havoc on the fragile environments they’re placed in, polluting pristine ecosystems while mistreating the farmed fish and driving local salmon populations to extinction. It’s an industry at odds with Iceland’s untouched landscape, and as a growing local movement has shown, nothing replaces nature. Laxaþjóð | A Salmon Nation tells the story of a country united by its lands and waters, and the power of a community to protect the wild places and animals that helped forge its identity.

SONGS OF EARTH

A majestic visual symphony for the big screen. The filmmaker’s father is our guide, bringing us through Norway’s most scenic valley. He grew up where generations have lived alongside nature to survive. The sounds of the earth harmonize in this breathtaking journey. Executive produced by Liv Ullmann and Wim Wenders.

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

For Jaeyoun Kim, the ocean is more than a connection to family; it’s a path to healing. Patagonia Films’ Daughter of the Sea follows Jaeyoun, who leaves her island home in South Korea to pursue a more traditional career path in Seoul. But as her mental health begins to unravel and depression sets in, she decides to join the haenyeo, Jeju Island’s famed “women of the sea.” For centuries, these free divers and fisherwomen—some in their 80s—have dived more than 30 feet to gather seafood for their families and villages. Following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, Jaeyoun learns what it means to become a haenyeo and why returning to the ocean ultimately saves her.

Cycling The World

Cycling The World tells the story of one woman’s multi-year journey to see the world by bicycle. Through five continents, 28 countries and 29,000 kilometers by way of Africa, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia, she encounters as much of an exploration of the outer world as her inner landscape.

Hvalreki

The activist documentary Hvalreki explores the different perspectives in the Icelandic discourse on fin whaling, portraying the polarization of events in the summer of 2023. During that time, the societal debate on whaling in Iceland reached a climax, debating whether the practice should be banned as a whole. In the documentary, numerous interviewees from the public debate contextualize the issue legally and historically, considering conservation efforts, where perceived tradition and environmental protection clash with each other. Activists and environmentalists organize protests to address the corrupt practices of whaling in Iceland, with the decade-long conflict between Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson and the last whaler of the nation, Kristján Loftsson, taking centre stage. Among interviewees like politician Andrés Ingi Jónsson, lawyer Jóna Þórey Pétursdóttir, and biologist Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir, the documentary also features the testimonies of three former workers of the last Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf. The importance of whales for the oceanic ecosystem and environment is emphasized and put into the large picture of our current planetary, biodiversity and climate crisis. Will whaling still have a place in Iceland’s future?

Bigger Than Us

For six years, Melati, 18, has been fighting the plas- tic pollution that is ravaging her country, Indonesia. Like her, a generation is rising up to fix the world. Everywhere, teenagers and young adults are figh- ting for human rights, the climate, freedom of expres- sion, social justice, access to education or food. Dignity. Alone against all odds, sometimes risking their lives and safety, they protect, denounce and care for others. The earth. And they change everything.

FIGMENT

Artist Lieke Anna loses her mother in 2020 while she is still here. Her mom suffers a brain hemorrhage while sitting next to her on the couch. Figment is an intimate portrait of Lieke who struggles with the invisible impact of her mom's brain damage and the affects it has on their mother/daughter relationship and their own identity.
What remains, when all you've known to be, suddenly changes?

Groundwork

Groundwork, two-film short series, sharing the story of two farmers who navigate the challenges and triumphs of agricultural life.

#1 Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of rubber, and Chorthip is a key farmer demonstrating and leading a shift to regenerative agroforestry methods. She’s transformed her land from a rubber monoculture to a diverse rubber forest garden, implementing organic practices that improve the quality of life for both her family and her community.

#1 Shifting from conventional farming practices to regenerative agriculture takes courage, but the Kahles believe it could be the key to restoring the health of their soil—and the health of their family.

Augnablik milli augnablika

In order to be in touch with your environment, you first need to be in touch with yourself’ - Suprapto Suryodarmo
Augnablik milli augnablika is a reflective dance film in three parts, emphasising humans’ connection to nature. The pieces are choreographed in flux with the natural setting they are filmed in, and their historical context. Nature and emotional landscapes are the source of movements and expressions, propelled by a poetic thought process in regards to our connection, and disconnection, to the places we call home.

What happens when you create in an environment where you rely on your instinct rather than logic?

ILEANA'S SMILE

Ileana’s Smile is the tragic story of a girl with a lightning smile who endures life in a trash dump community in Managua, Nicaragua, and the unlikely friendships that form around her. The film follows American musician Brad Corrigan, Nicaraguan taxi driver and pastor Bismark Rocha, and several Nicaraguan social workers and educators as they try to open up new paths of opportunity and healing for Ileana, and the devastating choices she makes.

Human Nature

Sophie feels uncomfortable with her life at home, where she is always compared to her siblings.
She wants to take a break from it all and decides to hike 500 kilometres through the Arctic region of Norway.
Soon after, she finds herself in one of the last true wildernesses left in Europe.
Her only wish is to spend some time in solitude and enjoy the magnificence of nature from the comfort of her tent.

In a state of change

As climate change shrinks the Icelandic glaciers, a photographer struggles with the impact of his advocacy work. How do we communicate the most critical issue of our time? Follow Donal Boyd on his journey to discover the role of beauty in nature and the implications of the changing landscape around him. Along the way we meet a writer, a glacier guide, scientists, and a lifetime resident living by a glacier, all connected in some way to the disappearing glaciers.

THE LAST TOURIST

Travel is at a tipping point. From Caribbean beaches to remote villages in Kenya, forgotten voices reveal the real conditions and consequences of one of the largest industries in the world. The role of the modern tourist is on trial.

Under the arctic sky

Six surfers set sail along the frozen shores of Iceland as the worst storm in twenty-five years is about to arrive.

Wild Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is Arabia’s most remarkable treasure. It is a land of surprising beauty filled with unexpected natural wonders, home to some of the rarest animals on Earth – the Arabian Leopard, Arabian Oryx, Green and Hawksbill Turtles – and many more creatures including Arabian Fox, Striped Hyena, Whale Sharks and other sea creatures. Oman’s landscape is as diverse as the variety of unique creatures that it supports.

THE MOST REMOTE FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD

18/7 - 26/7 2025

HORNSTRANDIR FILM FESTIVAL

THE MOST REMOTE
FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD