Alief Nabs Icelandic Doc ‘Band’ Where Failure Leads to Creativity (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Marta Balaga Paris-based Alief has secured international rights to Icelandic documentary “Band.”Following its world premiere at HotDocs earlier this year, the film will now be shown in Haugesund’s New Nordic Films section, with an Icelandic premiere set for Nov.

4. Sena and Siminn handle Icelandic rights.Directed by debuting helmer Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir, the melancholic yet humorous doc has already drawn comparisons to cult classic “Spinal Tap,” but it’s actually dedicated to her own band, The Post Performance Blues Band aka ThePPBB.

Struggling to get some traction but bravely soldering on, all the while working on lyrics about “waffles and coffee” and playing in half-empty rooms in front of visibly stunned people. “We are excited to jump on board Álfrún’s side-splitting verité musical, a true gem that effectively uses mockumentary storytelling in a believe-it-or-not, make-it-or-break-it tale of Iceland’s electro punk trio ThePPBB,” said Alief’s Miguel Angel Govea.“I actually thought of ‘Band’ as a documentary pretending to be fiction.

This ambiguity is exciting to me,” admitted Örnólfsdóttir before the film’s bow in Norway.While she is not ruling out making a proper mockumentary in the future, she loves the grey area between the truth and a lie.“In ‘Band,’ reality and fiction are so mixed up that I don’t always know if I am being completely honest or if the presence of the camera is influencing my behavior.