Doc10 Presents: THE DAY ICELAND STOOD STILL

Tuesday, March 3, 6:00 p.m. | When almost all the women of Iceland walked off the job and out of their homes one fall morning in 1975 refusing to work, cook, or take care of the children, they brought their country to its knees and catapulted the island nation to its status as one of the best places in the world today to be a woman. Told for the first time by the women themselves and released in the lead-up to the strike’s 50th anniversary, the story is subversive and unexpectedly funny. “We loved our male chauvinist pigs,” recalls one of the activists, “We just wanted to change them a little!” This is the true story of one day that changed everything. THE DAY ICELAND STOOD STILL is a collaboration between U.S. director Pamela Hogan, who campaigned as a high school student in the 1970s with her activist mother to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and Icelandic producer Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, who at the age of 7 accompanied her mother to that very strike in 1975 and thought that when she woke up the next morning “everything would be perfect.” The E.R.A. never passed in the U.S., and Iceland still isn’t perfect – but it’s the only country to have closed over 90% of its gender gap, and committed to reaching full equality in the near future. Dialogue: Associate Producer Grima Irmudóttir in attendance.

Select Awards & Nominations

Winner Audience Award - Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival
Winner Audience Favorite - Mill Valley Film Festival
Audience Award - Noordelijk Film Festival (Netherlands)
Best Documentary, Victoria Film Festival (Canada)
Best Documentary, Nordische Filmtage Lübeck (Germany)
Nomination, Shanghai TV Festival's Magnolia Award (Asia)

Since its launch, Doc10 has earned a reputation as Chicago’s home for world-class documentary film, curating the year’s ten most acclaimed nonfiction features and bringing filmmakers and audiences together for screenings, conversations, and connection. Over the past decade, it has become not only a festival but a forum for dialogue and discovery, where art, ideas, and community intersect. In 2026, Doc10 will expand upon this momentum with the launch of the Speak Truth Series — a bold new enhancement to the festival that elevates our mission and extends Doc10’s reach across Illinois. Building on the spirit of Docs Across Chicago, the Speak Truth Series will use powerful documentary films and filmmakers to create spaces for meaningful conversation, community engagement, and civic participation.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu