Amongst the Birds

It is very rare for a human to stray to the Loðmundarfjörður, a fjord in easter Iceland. There’s no wifi or mobile phone reception, just lush fields, cool water, and fog-shrouded mountains. But each year in the spring, the area comes alive as a home to hundreds of eider ducks. They swarm the breeding grounds that Ólafur and his wife Jóhanna have lovingly decked out in old lampshades and homemade wooden huts. Ólafur’s friend brings his wife and grandchildren along to help. At the end of the season, they collect by hand the down shed by the eiders and sell it to high-end outdoor clothing manufacturers. It is backbreaking work for the four seniors. But apart from a comfortable income, it is above all life in harmony with the seasons and the breeding rhythm of the birds that makes it difficult for them to consider giving up the tradition. This film dives into the world of the birds to tell the tale of a special relationship between humans and animals in a remote corner of the world.