REGINA!

An exclamation point was never more in order! Shooting two CIFF regulars, the eminent Icelandic filmmaker Fridrik Thor Fridriksson and Canadian producer Rock Demers (often compared to Walt Disney for his legacy of high-quality family features) partnered up for this gleeful, high-energy delight, bright and colorful as a candy store. Regina is an 11-year-old Reykjavik girl facing the dire prospect of being out of school for the summer all alone except for her little friend Peter when lack of finances prevents her from accompanying all the other neighborhood kids to idyllic “Camp Rainbowland.” En route to a scheme for earning the necessary money, Regina hits on the idea of playing matchmaker between her widowed mother Margaret and Peter's shopkeeper dad Atli, thus gaining a stepbrother in the bargain. One point in their favor: Regina discovers that she can magically influence people and pets merely by singing to them. One strike against them: Ivar, the charismatic but sneaky wig salesman, new in town and a veritable master of disguise, sought by INTERPOL. Ivar's endlessly dancing feet (and pocket-picking fingers) take him purposefully towards Sunny Days, the retirement home where Margaret works, with nefarious intent. Our English-language version of REGINA! Arrives with a script and score by two former members of Iceland's world-famous band the Sugarcubes, and a dedication “to musical fans of all ages – fans of old musicals, new ones, and all those to come.”