The Party Film Sales Nabs Rúnar Rúnarsson’s ‘When the Light Breaks’

Paris-based The Party Film Sales has boarded renowned Icelandic auteur Rúnar Rúnarsson’s fourth pic, “When the Light Breaks,” which is selected for Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market’s works in progress session.
Rúnarsson serves as producer together with Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films, in co-production with local banner Halibut, Holland’s Revolver, France’s Eaux Vives/Jour2Fête and Croatia’s MP Film.

Lauded for his coming-of age tales set against Iceland’s majestic scenery, Rúnarsson saw his international breakthrough in 2008 with his Oscar-nominated short “Two Birds.” Since then, he has delivered equally poetic fare in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 entry “Volcano,” San Sebastian 2015 winner “Sparrows “ and 2019 Valladolid and Lübeck fest winner “Echo.”

As in his earlier works, Rúnarsson was inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”. “Ever since experiencing the loss of a friend as a young man, I wanted to deal with the emotions I experienced the day it happened by telling a universal story. Another recent loss in my life re-awoke that urge, and the storyline became more concrete,” Rúnarsson explains.

His aim was “to create a narrative or image that encompasses the complex feelings on a day of losing someone unexpectedly, when reality is altered and the future changes at an instant,” he told Variety.
“The film takes that moment and expands it. It unfolds in a…