Woman at War (Kona der í stríd) is produced by France’s Marianne Slot and Carine Leblanc (Slot Machine) and Erlingsson ‘s Icelandic outfit Gulldrengurinn, with support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

The Critics Week’s Artistic director Charles Tesson, described it as “an infectiously energetic film, much like its female hero who fights a war on her own to protect an endangered planet. Funny, invigorating and inventive.”

Director/actor/writer Erlingsson who first pitched Woman at War at Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market, said his film is an “arthouse musical thriller”, a “heroic tale about a strong-willed woman who wants to save the world and finds a way to do it”. The director co-wrote the script with Ólafur Egill Egilsson (Trapped).

In the main role as Halla is Halldóra Geirhađsdóttir (Metalhead, Of Horses and Men). The film is co-produced by Ukraine’s Solar Media Entertainment, and Iceland’s Kögull Filmworks and Vintage Pictures. Sena handles distribution in Iceland, Camera Film in Denmark, and UFD in Ukraine. In France Jour de Fête is in charge of theatrical distribution. Beta Cinema handles world sales.

Woman at War will compete against six other feature films including Switzerland’s Chris the Swiss by Anja Kofmel, co-produced by Finland’s IV Films, and Poland’s Fuga by Agnieszka Smoczynska, co-produced by Sweden’s Common Ground Pictures and Film i Väst. The seven films in the main competition slot were selected among 1,100 film entries.

Joachim Trier who was in competition in Cannes 2015 with Louder than Bombs, is joined on the main jury by Chloë Sevigny, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Eva Sangiorgi and  Augustin Trapenard.

The opening film of the 57th Critics Week is Paul Dano’s directorial debut Wildlife starring Jake Gyllenhall and Carey Mulligan. In the short film programme, 10 films were selected among 1,500 contenders, such as Finland’s off-beat comedy Tiikeri (The Tiger) by Mikko Myllylahti, co-writer of The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki with Juho Kuosmanen.