Glacier's Goodbye: Iceland's Melting Ice Documentary

Filmmaker Sara Dosa's latest project, 'Time and Water,' set to premiere at Sundance on January 27, 2026, delves into the emotional impact of climate change through the story of Icelandic eco-activist Andri Snær Magnason. Dosa, previously recognized for her Oscar-nominated film "Fire of Love," reconnected with Magnason, who consults on environmentalism and writes poetry.

"Time and Water" centers on Magnason's family's deep connection to Iceland's glaciers. Dosa was inspired by Magnason's poignant writing about saying goodbye to the first-ever documented dead glacier, a concept that resonated with the widespread grief experienced during the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film thoughtfully integrates a rich archive of Magnason's grandparents' photographs, capturing Iceland's glaciers in a past era before their rapid disappearance. This visual legacy, combined with Magnason's narration, aims to explore themes of human memory and planetary memory, framed by a narrative of love and profound loss.

Production involved extensive shooting in Iceland during the summer of 2023, with Dosa and her team navigating precarious glacial landscapes. Cinematography aimed to capture both the grandeur of the ice and its connection to archival footage, using 16mm and digital formats. The film concludes with Magnason contemplating Iceland's future without glaciers, questioning its very identity.

Dosa acknowledges the universal experience of grief due to climate change, stating it has been challenging to create a film about loss while experiencing it. Her future projects include shorts and a film about cyclical earthquakes in Mexico City, exploring themes of geologic time and memory.