Queer Women Take Center Stage In New Icelandic Web Series, Norms

A new Icelandic web series featuring a queer woman as its protagonist debuted on YouTube last week as well as on Icelandic streaming service Stod 2 plus.

The series, Norms, follows Sara, a 29-year-old woman who is out to rediscover her passion for life, even if that means some self-destruction along the way.

In the first episode, Sara's fiance tells her she isn't running enough or she isn't cleaning properly. Eventually, this leads Sara to another woman's arms and an awkward encounter with the fiance.

Sara runs away from Reykjavik, ending her troubled relationship and quitting a job she's tired of. However, her escape isn't all she had hoped. Finding herself in Berlin, she discovers she is missing parts of the life she left behind.

Solveig Johnsen wrote the comedy-drama and Julia Margret Einarsdottir directed -- marking her first time as director. Sara is played by Icelander Marta Sveinbjornsdottir.

Norms screened at the Reykjavik Feminist Film Festival in January of this year. The festival opened up the new Web Series category to accommodate the series, according to a release by the creators.

The series has also been selected at the 2021 Sicily Web Fest and the Seoul Web Festival.

Leading up to the premiere in early June, Einarsdottir said, "We want to paint a picture of every day lives of young people trying to find the right path in different situations in two cities, small city of Reykjavik and the big city of Berlin. It's not the story of what divides them but unites them -- and maybe all of us."

Norms consists of six episodes and runs about 60 minutes in all. The series explores both Iceland and Germany, examining the local underground scene in both countries' capitals. Icelandic singer Gaby De Spain is featured on the series' soundtrack with producer Unnur Andrea.

Funded in part by Erasmus+ and the City of Rekjavik, Norms is backed by the new film company Lost Shoe Collective.

Norms will debut new episodes every week. Follow the series on Facebook and Instagram @norm.webseries.