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Together in isolation: The lockdown of the Faroe Islands

For almost one hundred days the Faroe Islands – a small and isolated Atlantic nation – were under the initial lockdown, struggling together to avoid fatal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Faroe Islands are one of the few countries that dealt with the COVID-19 epidemic in a quick and efficient way. Thanks to a sense of collective responsibility and swift action, the Faroese avoided tragic consequences which could befall such a small and isolated population. To this day, no fatalities due to the virus have been reported, and the number of infected inhabitants didn't exceed 200 people.

Kuba Witek, the film's director, got "stuck" on the Faroe Islands during the initial lockdown. He used this opportunity to document the struggles of this small nation in their fight against a global threat.

  • Kuba Witek
    Director
    ICE MOTION, FAROE WAY, ISOLAND
  • Kuba Witek
    Writer
  • Northcam Pictures
    Producer
  • Łukasz Palkiewicz
    Music
  • Kuba Witek
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Television
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Faroe Islands, pandemic
  • Runtime:
    33 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 4, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Faroe Islands
  • Language:
    English, Faroese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kuba Witek

Filmmaker, traveler, author of books. Born on November 19th, 1983 in Cracow, Poland. A graduate of the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

An enthusiast of the North. Participant of the scientific expedition AREX19 to Spitsbergen, which resulted in making a film ICE MOTION, about the melting Arctic. He visited Sweden and Norway, and been to Iceland nine times – He wandered around the largest Vatnajökull glacier, visited the ice caves and climbed the highest Icelandic peak. He toured the entire island three times. For the first time in 2016, during a lonely trip on two wheels, which he later described in the book – Ring Road: Around Iceland on a bicycle. The second time in the summer of 2017, to make his first documentary – ISOLAND: Icelandic stories of Polish immigrants. His second documentary – FAROE WAY: The art of survival in the Faroe Islands – is an effect of many trips to the Faroes and his relations with their small, isolated community. In 2020 he is filming new project in Greenland.

Participant in youth exchanges and non-governmental initiatives. Worked on commercial film projects in New York, Berlin, Paris, Reykjavik, Oslo and other places.

A runner, advocate of a plant diet, minimalist. Author of the autobiographical novel RE: Tusz, describing his fight against addiction and the hardships of growing up in post-communist Poland.

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Director Statement

In the beginning of this year, once again I went to the Faroe Islands. This stay, dictated by the desire to experience the Faroese winter, was planned for 3 months, after which I was supposed to fly to Greenland to start a new documentary project. Unfortunately, on the day of my departure, the Danish borders were closed – I guess you could say I was "stuck" in the Faroe Islands.

At first, the pandemic struck me down and confused me. I had so many beautiful plans for this year, I had been trying to go to Greenland for two years, and I was worried about my relatives and the future. After the first weeks of the lockdown, when the emotions subsided a bit and we all started to get used to the new situation, I started going for long walks regularly. In Poland, at that time, the possibilities of leaving the house were very limited, so I thought it would be stupid not to take adventage of the fact that I’m in such a beautiful place, where there are no bans and restrictions. During these walks, I began to observe how the Faroese community is dealing with the crisis, uncertainty and even greater isolation than usual. One day I saw a concert by Hallur Joensen – a country music star – who came to a retirement home, set up an amplifier, a few loudspeakers and played his favorite songs for the elderly. Taking advantage of the fact that I had all of my film equipment with me and a lot of free time, I began to document life in the Faroe Islands during the coronavirus lockdown.

The film was made in about four months. During that time, I interviewed 18 people: doctors, politicians, artists, journalists, professors, and even a pastor – who shared with me their observations and feelings about the pandemic. I also visited islands of the archipelago, which I haven’t seen before, where I learned the legends and stories of old diseases and epidemics.
Working on "Together in isolation" gave me a lot of satisfaction, experience and many new relationships with interesting people, whom I would like to thank very much for participating in the project (Takk fyri!).