The Children's Book and Film Festival

The Children's Book and Film Festival, a cultural festival for children in Hafnarfjörður, will be held from 15 to 21 February. This week there will be a special focus on books and films and on creative and entertaining activities related to both. The aim of the festival is to foster children's interest in reading and literacy in the broadest sense, and the festival will support the literacy projects of the town's nursery and primary schools that have been running for the past few terms.

Children, books and cinema in the spotlight

The cultural festival is held in close cooperation between the City of Hafnarfjörður and the Hafnarfjörður Public Library, primary schools, nurseries, the town cinema and other partners. The festival's stated aim is to encourage children of all ages to actively participate in constructive and interesting literacy and cultural projects and events during the festival.  This is the first time such a festival has been held in Hafnarfjörður, and it is hoped that it will become an annual festival where children, books and film are in the spotlight.

Free admission to all festival events!
 

Integration with school activities, leisure activities and family life

In the town's nurseries, there will be a strong emphasis on books, stories, reading and listening over the coming days. The finals of the Great Reading Competition will be held in the town's primary schools, where parents of Year 7 pupils are invited to listen to the reading and presentation skills of the students. An exhibition of Ragnhildur Jóhannsdóttir's work is currently on display at Hafnarborg. In her work, Ragnhildur focuses on language, seeking to create visual poems in the form of sculptures, collages and drawings. School groups from nursery and primary schools can book a special visit and receive a guided tour of the exhibition. The Hafnarfjörður Museum of Local History invites school groups to visit on weekdays for a special exhibition on the history of cinemas in Hafnarfjörður and the museum's other permanent exhibitions. Bookings through the Museum of Local History. At the Hafnarfjörður Library, a varied programme of events will be running throughout:

• Poems of young people. National poetry writing competition for pupils in Years 4-10. Pupils should submit their poems to the school library or online via the library's website. For more information, please see your school's library!
• SMS flash fiction competition. The theme of the competition is „reading“35-word micro-story sent to #6960035 by 21 February at the latest. Good prizes for 1st-3rd place.
• Outgoing game. Parents of children in nursery and primary school receive a discount on a new library card. Annual fee is 1,000 kr. instead of 1,900 kr. Parents are role models for their children when it comes to reading. The names of everyone who borrows a children's book or books during this period will be entered into a prize draw. A name will be drawn, and some lucky readers will receive a book prize.
• Let's write a story together. A story written with your participation on wrapping paper in the children's section of the library.
• Don't judge the book by the film. A book exhibition on books and the films made from them.

As always, the library welcomes school groups from nurseries and primary schools for story time or a library tour. Bookings must be made with the library.

The schedule for all days is as follows:

MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 

• Town CinemaFilm screening at 9:30 and 10:30 for 4-5 year olds in Hafnarfjörður nurseries.
• Hafnarfjörður LibraryOpen 10am-7pm for all projects presented above.

Tuesday 16 February

• Town CinemaFilm screening at 9:30 and 10:30 (OPENING CEREMONY) for 4-5 year olds in Hafnarfjörður nurseries.
• Hafnarfjörður Library: Scavenger hunt from 14:00-19:00 (books and film), but the library is open from 10:00-19:00 for all the projects presented above.
   

Wednesday 17 February

• Town CinemaFilm screening at 9.30 and 10.30 am (OPENING CEREMONY) for 4-5 year olds in Hafnarfjörður nurseries.
• Hafnarfjörður LibraryBook bingo at 5 p.m., but open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for all the projects presented above.

Thursday 18 February

• Town CinemaFilm screening at 9.30 and 10.30 for 4-5 year olds in Hafnarfjörður nurseries.
• Hafnarfjörður LibraryThe Brain Teaser homework help is available from 3-5 pm, but the library is open from 10 am-7 pm for all the projects listed above.

FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY

•  Hafnarfjörður LibraryOpen from 11 am to 5 pm for all projects presented above.
• The primary schoolsA programme in every primary school in the town for pupils in all year groups. The focus will be on book presentations, readings from books and films based on books that are suitable for children of different ages. The programme can be found on the schools' websites.

SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY

• fjordChildren's Book and Swap Market, 13:00-15:00. An open market where primary school-aged children can bring their „old“ books and sell them for 200 kr. or swap them for books (on a like-for-like basis) to go home with „new“ ones instead. Sales staff are to meet at 12:45, but they will be spread out across the entire ground floor of Fjarðar.
• Town CinemaFilm screenings for the whole family 
       
         13:00 Line Long Socks
         At 3 p.m. Benjamin Dúfa
         8 p.m. Angels of the Universe. Einar Már Guðmundsson, the author of the novel on which the film is based, will give an introduction to the screening.

• Hafnarfjörður LibraryOpen from 11 am to 3 pm for all projects listed above.
• Hafnarfjörður Museum of Local HistoryOpen 11 am - 5 pm at an exhibition on the history of cinemas in Hafnarfjörður.

SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY 

• Port cityA workshop at 2 p.m. on the reuse of books. Work will involve text, collage and origami. The workshop will begin with a guided tour of Ragnhildur Jóhannsdóttir's exhibition in Sverrisal, Hafnarborg. Ragnhildur's material consists of found, second-hand books which, through her work, are transformed and given a new existence. The workshop is led by staff from Hafnarborg.
•  Town CinemaFilm screenings for the whole family 

        13:00 The Moomins
        15:00 Ravens, Lily and Myrrh. The story's authors, Eyrún Jónsdóttir and Helgi Sverrisson, who are behind the film, will give an introduction to the screening.
        8 p.m. The Devil's Island. Einar Kárason, the author of the novel on which the film is based, will give an introduction to the screening.

• Hafnarfjörður Museum of Local HistoryOpen 11 am - 5 pm at an exhibition on the history of cinemas in Hafnarfjörður.