10. September 2003
Björk and Terry Jones to star in an animated film produced in Iceland
Terry Jones and Björk have joined the cast in the animated film Anna and the Moods, currently being developed at CAOZ Ltd. in Reykjavík. The music will be composed by Julian Nott and performed by the Brodsky Quartet. Björk will provide the main character’s voice and Terry Jones, from the Monty Python team, will narrate. The film is scheduled for release at the end of 2004.
Digital animation has gained a foothold in Icelandic film production, as Icelandic production houses and studios have through the years gained internationally recognised expertise in the field of digital animation and graphics. Motion pictures and television programmes using digital animation are eligible for a 12% refund on all production costs incurred in Iceland.
The production company CAOZ, whose background is in digital animation for films and commercials, received a first-place award in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the computer animation and digital video category, as well as two Icelandic EDDA awards last year for the short film The Lost Little Caterpillar. The film has also been nominated for several other awards, for example as Best Children’s Film, in Frederikstad, Norway.
The CAOZ Managing Director, Hilmar Sigurdsson, has stated that working on digital animation in Iceland is cost-effective in comparison to Europe and North America, due to Iceland's pool of highly talented people using state-of-the-art equipment, besides the attractive 12% refund arrangement.
