The Dave Eggers publishing venture McSweeney's, their Icelandic printer, and the Eggers family house band are sponsoring America's first Icelandic film festival this week (on Friday and Saturday) at the Castro.

Bjork will not be acting in any of these films (though she makes an appearance in one of the documentaries) -- but all the films have won numerous Edda awards (Iceland's Academy Awards -- who knew the word "Edda" was used outside a crossword puzzle?) and are in Icelandic with English subtitles. Icelandic dignitaries will be present, and staff will be available for simultaneous translation of all English introductions for ease of comprehension. Plus, Icelandic musician Mugison is playing two shows, one on Thursday and one on Saturday.

The movies include , a documentary about the Miss Iceland pageant that was banned due to protests by the pageant owners, the 2003 Film of the Year, Black Sea, about a fishing family's crisis (and featuring "acidic accusations, exposed secrets, and forbidden sexual encounters" -- awright!), a number of movies about the Icelandic music scene, and Noi Albinoi, a movie involving a teenager trying to escape the Iceland West Fjords: "All that is certain, it seems, is more snow."

All proceeds benefit the after-school writing program at 826 Valencia.

In the Shoes of the Dragon