A star is born: The magical Laufey on location

Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir born April 23, 1999), known by the mononym Laufey, is an Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter. She achieved notability in the early 2020s, and describes her musical style, a mixture of jazz pop and bedroom pop, as "modern jazz".

Having performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at age 15, Laufey was a finalist in Ísland Got Talent (2014) and semi-finalist on The Voice Iceland (2015). In 2021, she released her debut EP Typical of Me and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, United States. Her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, was released in 2022 and charted in Iceland and the US. It was followed by her second studio album, Bewitched, which was released in 2023 to critical acclaim; the single "From the Start" found moderate success in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Laufey has cited Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker and Taylor Swift as sources of influence.

Laufey - Fragile

Business owners in Iceland tell their stories

Óbyggðarsetrið

Kokka

Hella

Geosilica

Narfi

Samtök Atvinnulífsins

Scenes from Afar: Live concert in Harpa for Deutche Grammophone

ABOUT:

Deutsche Grammophon proudly presents From Afar, a personal love letter to life and music by one of the most critically acclaimed classical artists of our time, Víkingur Ólafsson. In his most ambitious album to date, Ólafsson delivers a new album full of beautiful arrangements with the repertoire mirrored on both grand piano & upright piano. “Throughout the album, there are intimate conversations and messages from afar – closely knit canons, transcriptions and dedications, as well as distant echoes of nearly forgotten, ancient melodies.” – Ólafsson. In an innovative move, he has made not one but two recordings of the same repertoire – ranging from Bach to Adès, as well as works by Kurtág himself. Version one was made on a Steinway concert grand, version two on an upright piano. Listeners will be able to compare and contrast these two equally colourful and atmospheric soundworlds when the double album is released in all formats by Deutsche Grammophon on 7 October 2022.

Vikingur - From Afar

Reykjavik International film festival (world premiere)

Synopsis: 
A nervous robber arrives at a remote convenience store with the goal to rob the place, but finds himself in an awkward situation when he realises that another robber has got the same idea. The two strangers with conflicting wants must work together to resolve the situation when a cop surprisingly shows up for a pit stop.

Moon Pie Vanilla(short film)

Head-on collision on a remote road in Iceland

Winner of the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at the 2019 Aspen Shortsfest.

44th Odense International film festival 2019 
5th Plymouth Rebel Film Festival 2019 
9th KO:SH FILM FEST 2019 
16th Indy Film Fest 2019 
22nd Brussels Short Film Festival 2019 
7th Speechless Film Festival 2019 
28th Aspen Shortsfest 2019 
20th Landshuter Kurzfilmtage 2019 
21st Mecal Barcelona 2019 
35th European Film Festival of Lille 2019 
31st Minimalen Short Film Festival 2018 
20th Fargo Film Festival 2019
31st Foyle Film Festival 2018 

SYNOPSIS:

Vala and Benni are leaving Reykjavik to start a new chapter in their lives. While driving through the remote, snow-covered fjords, another car slams into them head-on, sending them tumbling off of the road. After fighting her way out of their overturned car, Vala discovers that Benni has not survived the accident. Her grief is cut short when the driver of the other vehicle begins to call for help, leading to a confrontation of dire consequence.

Kanarí (short film)

sensor.tv - hafnartorg

Why we brought this piano to a deserted island?

ABOUT: 

Celebrated for his innovative programming and award-winning recordings, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is offering a window into his musical life story with his new album, From Afar. The highly personal double album reflects Ólafsson’s musical DNA, from childhood memories growing up in Iceland to his international career and contemporary inspirations. 

Recorded on both upright and grand pianos, the album captures two distinct sound worlds with works by Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms and Bartók, alongside Icelandic and Hungarian folk songs, a world premiere by Thomas Adès, transcriptions by Ólafsson himself, and interconnecting pieces composed by his hero, 96 year-old Hungarian composer and pianist György Kurtág. Exploring such evocative themes as home, childhood and family, the album features Hungarian and Icelandic folk songs, nature-inspired works, interwoven homages and three previously unreleased transcriptions by Ólafsson.

Víkingur Ólafsson - Ave María

Víkingur Ólafsson – Behind the Scenes at the Ave María Video Shooting

A music video for a former twitter employee? 

The second single by Önnu Jónu Son from the upcoming album The Radio Won’t Let Me Sleep coming out in 2024.  ---  Önnu Jónu Son is the stage name of Haraldur Thorleifsson. Haraldur was active in the Icelandic music scene in the late 90s but took an extended hiatus from music to focus on his alcoholism, followed by a career as a designer, ultimately selling his design agency Ueno to Twitter in 2021.  The name Önnu Jónu Son is a reference to his mother, who he lost when he was eleven years old. Haraldur has struggled with finding a path forward and finding confidence in himself as an artist and a performer. By wearing his mothers name he was able to user her memory, love, support and nurture as protection from any self doubt or fear of external criticism.

Önnu Jónu Son - Big Boy Boots

1st Bristol Rebel Film Festival 2019 22nd Intl. Film Festival ZOOM - ZBLIZENIA 2018 41st Poitiers Film Festival 2018 5th Student Intl. Film Festival Rijeka 2018 18th Un festival c’est trop court! Nice 2018 2nd Bolton Film Festival 2018 42nd Open Air Filmfest Weiterstadt 2018 24th Palm Springs International ShortFest 2018 14th FEST – New Directors | New Films Festival 2018 10th Leiden Intl. Short Film Experience 2018 20th Mecal, the International Short Film Festival of Barcelona 2018 19th Landshuter Kurzfilmtage 2018 24th Intl. Short Film Festival in Drama 2018 29th Odense Film Festival 2017 14th Reykjavik Intl. Film Festival 2017

At a local party in the suburbs of Reykjavik, Hanna (19) and Jonas (20) escape into the laundry room to share an intimate moment, but when boundaries are crossed the emotional aftermath of guilt quickly follows.  

thick skin

8 years of Iceland Airwaves session videos 

Inspector spacetime

Rugl

Vök

Birnir

The Christmas Sweater

Unplugged series for the Blue Lagoon & Iceland Airwaves

Myrkvi

Elín Hall

Record breaking chinese blockbuster shooting in Iceland

When humans built huge engines on the surface of the earth to find a new home, they discovered that the road to the universe is perilous. In order to save earth, young people once again have to step forward to start a race against time.

Sensor successfully serviced the Iceland shoot for the Wandering earth 2 100% remotely for G! film in China. 

The Wandering Earth 2

THE WANDERING EARTH 2 Official Trailer (2023) Sci-Fi, Action Movie HD

Ghetto film school: Los Angeles, New York and London united in Iceland

Sensor serviced Ghetto Film School and it's 30 students from Los Angeles, New York City & London, filming three short films during their 10 day visit to Iceland in November 2022. Short films that students had written themselves, for Icelandic culture. Sensor helped them produce the films along with hosting them while staying in Iceland.

Iceland BTS - 2023 GFS International Thesis Film Project Trip

Green by Iceland is a cooperation platform on climate issues and green solutions. The role of Green by Iceland is to fight climate change and promote the export of Icelandic green solutions. In addition to specializing in “traditional” uses for geothermal energy such as electricity generation and district heating, Icelanders have also found innovative geothermal applications that suit the circular economy mindset of making the most of our resources. Geothermal direct use applications include carbon capture, synthetic fuel production, luxury bathing spas, specialized food production, cosmetics manufacturing, and supplements. 

Read more: https://www.greenbyiceland.com/geothermal-energy/

NOWNESS premieres Dustin O'Hallorans new music video

The music video for Dustin O'Halloran's "Spiritus Naturae Aeternus," featuring the evocative dance and choreography of Fukiko Takase, serves as a poignant allegory for the cycle of life. The long, uninterrupted scenes uphold the dance's integrity and allow the choreography to connect with the haunting melodies, the requiem-like cadence, and the profound themes of O'Halloran's composition. The contrast between Iceland's natural beauty and the desolate urban settings provides a transformative journey from organic to artificial environments. Within a bleak world, Takase's dance becomes an expression of the enduring process of growth, renewal, and eventual decay - Markus Englmair

Dustin O'Halloran - Spiritus Naturae Aeternus

In the blink of a night : from the national theater to RÚV

Synopsis: 
It's a beautiful evening in the summer cottage. The grill is heating up when Björk introduces her new boyfriend to her older sister Ragnhildur and her husband. The sisters were raised in a broken home, but their lives have taken different paths. Ragnhildur has recently been voted into parliament and is married to the former soccer player Magnús, now a successful entrepreneur. Björk is on the cusp of making it as a star with her punk band and has recently met Óskar, who looks like a nice guy. Surely this must turn out to be a fantastic evening...

A young Icelandic playwright steps forth with a ruthless reflection on current affairs, a riveting piece straight from Scandinavian reality. A tragicomic play about investors, footballers, politicians, artists and social workers: on the surface, the different generations argue about the meaning of life and what it is to be successful, happy or a valued member of society – but underneath, secrets are uncovered, lives splintered, and beliefs shattered.

In the blink of a night

A moment of silence for those who have not discovered this absolute belter

ABOUT:
German DJ, producer and label owner HOSH teams up with Italian newcomer 1979 on his new single ‘Midnight (The Hanging Tree)’ Feat Jalja, which sees its commercial release on Friday 10th January via Ministry of Sound. A scintillating slice of melodic house, with vocals by London based singer Jalja, ‘Midnight (The Hanging Tree)’ feat. Jalja sees HOSH and 1979 craft a sparse, emotive soundscape that lingers long in the memory. The stunning official video sees Tim Burton-reminiscent animation that acts as a perfect visual representation of the track’s eerie yet emotive vibe. “This track happened like a magic call,” HOSH explains. “When 1979 sent me an instrumental it made a click and in my head I heard the hanging tree vocal on top of it. It turned out it was a perfect match, so I took it from there, made my adjustments and re-recorded the vocal with the talented Jalja.”

Hosh & 1979 - Midnight (The hanging tree) feat. Jalja

Recent work

Unicef - Make Space

Scenes from Afar

Hafnartorg

Thick Skin

Blue Lagoon x Iceland Airwaves

Green by Iceland

In the blink of a night

Laufey - Fragile

Moon Pie Vanilla

Ave maria

Iceland airwaves

Wandering Earth 2

Vodafone

Samtök Atvinnulífsins

Kanarí

Big Boy Boots

Pósturinn

Ghetto Film School

Dustin O'Halloran - Spiritus Naturae Aeternus