‘Northern Comfort’ Review: Amiable Comedy Follows Fearful Flyers on a Surprise Trip to Iceland

Actor Chris Pine has revealed he has taken part in one of the most famous and popular pub crawls in the north. The Star Trek star spoke about his time attending Leeds University - making him most likely the only Hollywood A-lister to attend the uni.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sagafilm Nordic, the Icelandic banner behind Cineflix’s hit show “The Minister,” is set to produce another politics-themed series, “President Salka.” The six-episode comedy series is penned by Jóhann Ævar Grímsson, the talent behind the critically acclaimed series “Stella Blómkvist.” It has been commissioned by leading Icelandic streamer Siminn, and is expected to go into production this year for a delivery during the second quarter of 2024. An up-and-coming stand-up comedian is in negotiations to take on the lead role. “President Salka” follows the adventures of a vivacious and prominent influencer, Salka Guðrúnar Eddudóttir, who gets elected as the president of Iceland in a stunning nationwide upset. The unexpected news throws the government into a state of emergency, leading to an intense all-night crisis meeting. Meanwhile, Salka moves into the luxurious presidential residence at Bessastaðir and captivates the whole country with her charisma. However, her unconventional methods put Iceland’s independence and sovereignty at risk, causing concern among those around her.

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to London today and fans were shocked to see him outside of a UK courthouse.

Kate Middleton this week urged business leaders to prioritise wellbeing in the workplace to support family life as she launched her Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, of which supermarket giant Iceland is a member. A video shared on Kensington Palace’s social media channels on Saturday shows Kate’s recent visit to an Iceland food warehouse in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, with the firm’s executive chairman Richard Walker.They discussed the long-term Shaping Us campaign, spearheaded by Kate, which aims to “transform the issue of early childhood from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time”.

Brits saw a stunning Northern Lights display take over the sky in some parts of the UK last night (Thursday March 23).

The Northern Lights could be visible from the UK tonight, according to the Met Office.

Prince William is following in his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s footsteps.

Alissa Simon Film Critic The ninth edition of Iceland’s Stockfish Film & Industry Festival, which runs March 23 to April 2, is innovating under an ambitious new team that includes one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch, Hrönn Kristinsdottír (“Lamb”), as artistic director and festival veteran Carolina Salas as managing director. Among the highlights will be a masterclass with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister (“Tár”), who is currently in Iceland shooting the fourth season of HBO’s “True Detective.” The screening program opens with Ukraine’s “Pamfir,” directed by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk and includes tributes to Oscar-nominated Polish helmer Jerzy Skolimowski and U.K. producer Mike Downey, recipient of the fest’s first “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry” kudos.

Iceland shoppers have been left buzzing about a recent announcement regarding an exciting collaboration with a much-loved food brand. The budget supermarket, along with its sister store The Food Warehouse, is known for its affordable deals on frozen goods as well as bakery items and cupboard essentials.

Kim Kardashian been enjoying a sight-seeing tour of London, after she left fans stunned last night by making an appearance at an Arsenal football match with her son Saint. The reality TV star, 42, headed out in rain earlier today as she and Saint, 7, enjoyed a spin on the London Eye, before later stopping by Nike Town.

Daði Freyr, Iceland’s 2021 representative in the Eurovision Song Contestant, has announced his debut album and shared four songs from it.‘I Made An Album’ will be released in late summer, and today (March 17) Freyr has released the tracks ‘I’m Fine’, ‘Limit To Love’, ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Thank You’.Of the upcoming release, he said: “Good vibes only. Love who you are, unless you’re a horrible person, then change! I’m making an album. I started making it in 2021 and I’m almost done with it.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Xavier Henry-Rashid’s London-based sales agency Film Republic has closed deals for multiple territories on “F*cking Bornholm,” a tart comedy of social discomfort. The film had its international premiere in the main competition section of Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where it won the Europa Cinemas Label award. In his review, Variety’s Guy Lodge commented that Polish writer-director Anna Kazejak‘s “precise, piquant film deserves wider festival exposure and discerning distributor interest.” It has now been acquired by Iceland’s Bio Paradis, Arsenal for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Lithuania’s Garsas, Slovenia’s RTV, Israel’s Yes and Sweden’s Lucky Dogs. The international trailer has its debut below.

Frozen food supermarket Iceland has closed a number of stores in the last few weeks - and now, a further three are set to shut within the next two weeks.

Shoppers can get £10 off a food shop this month as part of a supermarket cashback deal. The offer, which runs for a month, could be a lifeline for those struggling in the cost of living crisis.

Love Island's axed stars Will Young and Casey O'Gorman have unfortunately had to miss out on attending the show's live final tonight despite attending the last episode of Aftersun in South Africa only a day earlier.The duo ended up having a spat during the programme as host Maya Jama revealed the truth about Casey and Jessie Wynter's awkward issues in the villa, when the latter was labelled "fake" by some of her fellow islanders. While he was laughing on the sofa in response to Maya's quizzing, 23 year old Will ended up calling over to Casey, 26, and calling him a "snake".

Love Island’s Olivia Hawkins and her beau Maxwell Samuda are still going strong after leaving the villa. The pair said they have been together for most of the time since they left the South African villa, alongside other couple Claudia Fogarty, 28, and Keanan Brand, 24, and have even met each other's family. They also revealed that they are planning a romantic trip away together.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charades has boarded “Northern Comfort,” an Icelandic black comedy by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (“Under the Tree”) which is world premiering at SXSW. The well-established sales company (“Sanctuary,” “Disco Boy”) has unveiled an exclusive clip for the film ahead of its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section. “Northern Comfort” follows a bunch of phobic flyers, including a middle-aged property developer, a couple of twenty-something influencers and a former SAS-serviceman turned crime-novelist in his 60’s. Seeking to overcome their fear of flying, they embark on a high-end therapeutic course on a flight whose final destination is Iceland. But the experience ends up being a complete nightmare. When the group finally steps onto solid ground, their anxiety levels are off the charts and the idea of taking a flight back home to London becomes an unbearable prospect. As their intended flight is repeatedly delayed, they end up in a remote luxury ‘wellness’ hotel somewhere in the bleak, wild moonscape of the Reykjanes peninsula, finally forced to deal with one another.

An iconic Northern Quarter store which boasted the Gallagher brothers as regulars has announced it will be closing. It has been reported today (March 9) that Oi Polloi's founders are currently in talks with the owners of the company, JD Sports, over the future of the brand.

Many people dream of the perfect proposal and spend months planning out every last detail in order to create a magical memory they will never forget. It’s rarely smooth sailing to achieve a dreamy proposal without encountering any bumps in the road along the way - and for one man from Cheshire it was no different.

Rylan Clark was quick to bite back after he exclaimed 'I can't believe I'm saying this' as he shared a series of images to both his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Like plenty of others across the county, the BBC Radio 2 host nipped outside on Monday night (February 27) as the Northern Lights were amazingly visible in the UK.