This essay discusses island films as a possible cinematographic genre based on the case of the Faroese feature film Dreams by the Sea (Sakaris Stórá, 2017). It examines the role and meaning – as focus and locus – of the island in the award-winning Faroese production, which takes viewers to a small remote village in the northwestern Atlantic island community. Dreams by the Sea is about young lives, islandness, and future dreams. New Faroese cinema aims to de-exoticise the islands and to picture and narrate the stories that too often are – intentionally or unintentionally – kept out of the public eye. This essay is based on my extensive ethnographic research among Faroese youngsters since the beginning of the 21st century with special focus on the film landscape of contemporary island youth. The main findings of the essay were presented at the international Islands and audiovisual media conference organised in Torshavn, the Faroe Islands, 26-28 June (2024).

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