The Day Iceland Stood Still (2024): A screening and discussion on the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic women’s strike

On October 24, 1975, ninety percent of women in Iceland walked off the job and out of their homes––refusing to work, cook, or take care of the children–– bringing the country to a standstill. On the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic women’s strike, we are hosting a screening of The Day Iceland Stood Still (2024), a new documentary by filmmakers Pamela Hogan and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir. A post-film discussion will follow the screening with visiting scholars from the University of Iceland who will reflect on the history of the strike and its legacy 50 years later. The filmmakers joined Biz Nijdam and Sydney Lines in a pre-recorded conversation about the creative use of animations to fill archival gaps and capture historical memory, which is available to view asynchronously below.

In Person Discussants 

Panel moderated by Brynjarr Þór (Perry) Mendoza, Doctoral Researcher at the University of Turku and Affiliate in the UBC Centre for Climate Justice.

• Ólöf Garðarsdóttir, Professor of Social History, Dean of the School of Humanities, University of Iceland 
• Birna Bjarnadóttir, Research Specialist, Faculty of Languages and Cultures, University of Iceland, and former Chair of Icelandic (2003 —2015), University of Manitoba 
• Sofiya Zahova, Director of the Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding, School of Humanities, University of Iceland

Discussion with Filmmakers Pamela Hogan and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir 

Biz Njidam and Sydney Lines from the UBC Pop Culture Cluster hosted a discussion with filmmakers Pamela Hogan and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir as a companion dialogue to the in person screening, where they talked about the creative use of animations to fill archival gaps and capture historical memory and reflected on the legacy of the strike 50 years later and why it’s still important today.