The County
Héraðið
Directed by
Iceland, Denmark, Germany, France
2019
92 min
- Icelandic
Drama
Toronto IFF - Contemporary World Cinema
Set in a small Icelandic farming community, THE COUNTY tells the story of Inga, a middle- aged dairy farmer who rebels against the all powerful local Cooperative. Inga tries to get other farmers to join her in rising up against the Co-op’s corruption, but encounters great resistance, forcing her to confront the community’s dependence and loyalty to this single, dominant enterprise. Inga must use her resourcefulness and cunning to break free of the Co-op’s grasp and live life on her own terms.
Credits
- Cast
- Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir
- Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson
- Sigurður Sigurjónsson
- Screenplay
- Grímur Hákonarson
- Cinematography
- Mart Taniel
- Editing
- Kristján Loðmfjörð
- Production
- NETOP FILMS
- Production
- PROFILE PICTURES
- Production
- HAUT ET COURT
- Production
- ONE TWO FILMS
- Sales
- NEW EUROPE FILM SALES
Press
-
"A remarkable performance (from Egilsdóttir) as the indomitable farmer in this engrossing drama. Hákonarson once again emerges as an assured and confident voice and one of the country’s best filmmakers."
-
"Egilsdóttir is fantastic in the lead role thanks to a relatable mixture of futility working a tireless job and ferocity… The County shows that it only takes one person to beat the drum for change to occur."

Grímur Hákonarson
Iceland
In most of my movies, there are conflicts between these kinds of old farming societies and the newer urban society. It’s in most of my films—the conflict between traditional Icelandic values and modern society’s capitalism.
The Icelandic director Grimur Hakonarson was born in 1977 and graduated from FAMU - Film Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 2004.
His graduate short film, SLAVEK THE SHIT (2004), was the first film that got international attention. It was selected to the Cinefoundation section of Cannes Film Festival and won 12 festival prizes, including the Silver Hugo in Chicago IFF. A decade later, his second feature film, RAMS (2015), was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes IFF where it won the top prize. His latest film, THE COUNTY (2019), had its world premiere at the Toronto IFF in the Contemporary World Cinema section.