THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN
ABOUT
Set against the spectacular landscape of Iceland, THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN is a magic realist documentary about invisible elves, financial collapse, and the surprising power of belief. The documentary follows Ragnhildur “Ragga” Jónsdóttir, a grandmother and “seer” who has the ability to communicate directly with a parallel realm of elves, or huldufólk (hidden people) - invisible spirits of nature that over half of Iceland believes in. As one of the country’s most respected seers, government officials, businesses and individuals enlist Ragga to consult the elves to learn where they can and cannot develop land. But when Ragga is called upon to be the elves’ 'Lorax' and speak on behalf of nature under threat, she enters a political battle to save an ecologically important lava field set to be razed by road construction - just one of the many needless projects launched in the wake of Iceland's spectacular financial meltdown in 2008. Through Ragga's fight, THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN explores the invisible forces - be they elves or capitalism - that shape our world and transform our natural landscapes, revealing not only what is worth seeing but what is worth saving.
(2024 bio) Sara Dosa (Producer) is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker that tells character-driven stories about the human relationship to ecology and economy. Dosa wrote, produced and directed the 2022 documentary film FIRE OF LOVE, which was nominated for a BAFTA and an Academy Award. Dosa won the 2023 DGA Award for Outstanding Directing for the film. Her other works have received Emmy and Independent Spirit Award, as well a Peabody win. Other works include THE LAST SEASON (Director), THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN (Director), AUDRIE & DAISY (Producer), and AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER (Producer). (older bio) Sara Dosa is an Oscar nominated nonfiction filmmaker whose work centers on the human relationship with non-human nature. For her directing work, on titles such as FIRE OF LOVE (2022), THE SEER & THE UNSEEN (2019), and THE LAST SEASON (205), Dosa has won a Peabody and the Directors’ Guild of America Awards, among others, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA, Emmy, and an Independent Spirit Award. Dosa’s work has been shown at festivals worldwide including Sundance, SXSW, New Directors/New Films, CPH:DOX and Visions du Réel, among others, and has screened in partnership with museums such as the MOMA, BAMPFA and The Louvre. In 2018, Dosa was named to DOCNYC's "40 under 40" and was also inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture's Documentary Branch. She graduated from Wesleyan University in sociology and anthropology, and has a joint masters in cultural anthropology and international development studies from the London School of Economics & Political Science.
CREDITS
Sara Dosa