The Day Iceland Stood Still: A story of strong women changing society in 1975
The 24th annual Gimli Film Festival (GFF) is proud to be presenting the film The Day Iceland Stood Still (2024) by Paula Hogan – a documentary that delves into one of the most pivotal moments in Icelandic history.
Sometimes, all it takes is resilience, connection, and perseverance to create change. The Day Iceland Stood Still (2024) is the true story of how Iceland became a world leader in gender equality.
It recounts how women in Iceland transformed their position in society.
The brief documentary by Hogan that captures the remarkable moment when 90 percent of Icelandic women staged a strike to advocate for their rights. Collaborating with renowned Icelandic producer Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, Hogan skillfully weaves together the accounts and viewpoints of women and a few men who participated in this significant event. Notable works under Hogan’s direction include Africa Reframed, Ultimate Weapon: The H-Bomb Dilemma, and Wildlife Wars USA: Bears Under Siege.
The Day Iceland Stood Still has received numerous awards, including the Iceland Film Commission award and the New York State Council on the Arts award. Key crew starring in the documentary included Kate Taverna, Editor; Helgi Felixson, Director of Photography; Joel Orloff, Animator; Margrét Rán, Original Score; Björk, End Credits Song.
The Day Iceland Stood Still stars prominent women from the 1975 strike that turned Oct. 24 into “Women’s Day Off.” On that historic day in Iceland, “women came from all directions, like rivers, united in the square.” The women wanted equality – nothing more, nothing less. Fed up with the gaping inequality in their society between the value of a woman’s labour and wages, female employees, wives, and mothers took a day off — stopped working, cooking, cleaning, and looking after their children — all standing together in solidarity that morning, on the ground, and overseas. Women refused to work in factories, stores and duties in their homes. Most schools and airlines, among other storefronts, were closed the day. Society was paralyzed – everything was closed. This moment in Iceland was a revolution, a standstill for the country.
There were many firsts for men in Iceland the day the women took the day off. Chores typically conformed to the housewife, such as dishes, cooking, and cleaning, were left to the men of the home for that day. For many men, it was their first time doing regular tasks like dishes and changing a diaper. The men called it the “Long Friday.”
The Day Iceland Stood Still did well in getting its main message across to its audiences. One of the documentary’s key strengths was recounting the critical information, focusing on how it affected people’s lives as human beings and not just the event itself. In the film, the women’s emotions, perspectives, and struggles came across well and were impactful as a viewer. The documentary did well for its genre in providing information about the historical event without focusing heavily on statistics; sprinkling statistics in here and there fit the film well.
As a viewer, it was impactful and meaningful to see individuals from both sides of the political movement sharing their perspectives on what participating in the movement meant to them. It was interesting to see how, even amongst women, there were different opinions about the day they went on strike. Many women were worried and feared for their jobs or feared what others would think of them for not conforming to their gender roles.
A non-formal societal feminist group called the Red Stockings in Iceland, formed in 1970, was a large part of the difference made that day. So many women in Iceland didn’t like the Red Stockings. They were controversial because they were thought to be destroying the role of the housewife and putting society on its head. Some women even felt that the group was mocking women for how they were living – as housewives. Although, their perseverance and resilience showed through their turnout on Oct. 24, 1975, with 90 percent of women taking the day off in solidarity.
“Today, Iceland is celebrated as one of the best places to be a woman.” It is a dignified feeling that wouldn’t have been possible without the courageous woman who showed that woman can do and be anything. “I dare, I can, I will.”
Catch this film at the Lady of the Lake Theatre in Gimli on Thursday, July 25 at 12 p.m., as part of GFF. Be sure to also check out other screenings and events from July 24-28.
