The Ground Beneath Our Feet () is a 2025 documentary film written and directed by Yrsa Roca Fannberg. A co-production of Iceland and Poland, it follows the everyday life of the Grund nursing home and the people who live there.
The film had its world premiere in the NORDIC:DOX section of the CPH:DOX 2025 on 25 March. It was theatrically released in Iceland on 2 October. It was also selected as the Icelandic entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
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16mm film shots
The documentary is set in Grund nursing home in Reykjavík, Iceland, where it observes the daily lives of elderly residents over the changing seasons. Shot on 16 mm film, the documentary uses the texture and grain of celluloid to create an intimate visual style. Its warm images of aging bodies, changing light, and Icelandic landscapes accompany the residents through their daily routines.
Sunset of life
The film presents old age not simply as a period of decline or anticipation of death, but as an active and present stage of life. When a resident asks why the film is being made, the answer is simply, "life." Through its quiet observation of everyday existence, the documentary reflects on aging, community, and the universal passage of time.
Ordinary activities and interactions
Rather than focusing on a single person or a major event, the film presents a series of quiet, everyday moments that reveal the residents' personalities, relationships, routines, and physical abilities.
The film shows ordinary activities and interactions, including residents listening to music in bed, arranging their rooms and flowers, caring for one another, moving to music from their wheelchairs, and welcoming a resident who returns to the dining room after a long absence. These scenes portray old age as a diverse and shared human experience, shaped by individual character, companionship, and changing physical circumstances.
Production
The film was shot on 16 mm film. It was supported by The Icelandic Film Center, The Polish Film Fund, RÚV, YLE, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, and Eurimages.
Release
The Ground Beneath Our Feet had its world premiere at CPH:DOX 2025 on 25 March 2025, where it competed in the NORDIC:DOX. Subsequently on 8 May 2025 it was screened at DOK.fest München for its German premiere. The film competed in International Competition at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in September 2025, where it had its Asian Premiere and won the Grand Prize. It was screened at the Zurich Film Festival on 28 September 2025, where it received special mention.
The film had its Icelandic Premiere on 2 October 2025 at the Reykjavik International Film Festival in Vitranir, New Visions. On 14 October, it had Special Screening at the Warsaw Film Festival. The film was screened in 'Open Horizons' at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival on 5 March 2026.
Reception In June 2026 Edda Awards, it won the 'Documentary of the Year award', the Iceland's honours for its best in film and television.
Accolades
Award Date Category Recipient Result CPH:DOX 30 March 2025 Nordic Dox awardGround Beneath Our Feet DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 18 September 2025 Grand Prize Zurich Film Festival 5 October 2025 Documentary Film Competition Tromsø International Film Festival 25 January 2026 Tromsø Palm for Best Feature Film Hong Kong International Film Festival 12 April 2026 Firebird Awards Documentary Competition Edda Awards 1 June 2026 Documentary of the Year
See also List of submissions to the 99th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Icelandic submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links