Film Screening: The Day Iceland Stood Still

2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107

206.789.5707

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Celebrate International Women’s Month by Honoring Empowerment, Leadership, and the Icelandic Spirit

Join the Museum and Seattle–Reykjavík Sister City Association as we draw inspiration from the remarkable example of female empowerment shown in the documentary The Day Iceland Stood Still (2024).

This inspiring evening brings together two civic leaders — Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Icelandic the newly elected leader of Iceland's Progressive Party, Lilja D. Alfreðsdóttir — to honor women’s empowerment, reflect on Iceland’s extraordinary progress, and foster meaningful dialogue about leadership, equity, and collective action.

6:00pm

Watch The Day Iceland Stood Still, a documentary that captures the historic 1975 moment when nearly all women in Iceland went on strike for equality — sparking a cultural transformation that reshaped women’s leadership across the nation and ignited change across generations.

7:00pm

Fireside chat featuring Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Lilja D. Alfreðsdóttir, newly elected leader of Iceland's Pogressive Party and longstanding lawmaker and former cabinet minister.

7:45pm

Join us for a reception featuring civic leaders and beer, wine, soft drinks, and light bites hosted by the Icelandic-American Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers

Katie Wilson

Mayor of Seattle
Bio

Katie Wilson

Mayor of Seattle

Katie B. Wilson is the Mayor of Seattle, taking office in January 2026.

A longtime transit advocate and community organizer, Wilson co-founded the Transit Riders Union and then led the organization for over a decade, during which time she had extraordinary success building coalitions to win better transit, affordable fares, higher wages, stronger renter protections, and new progressive revenue.

Wilson approaches the role of Mayor from the perspective of a coalition builder and has assembled a diverse and experienced team ready to deliver responsible, effective governance and make progress on our city's biggest challenges. She rents an apartment in Capitol Hill which she shares with her husband and young daughter.
Lilja Alfredsdottir

Newly-elected leader of Iceland's Progressive Party
Bio

Lilja Alfredsdottir

Newly-elected leader of Iceland's Progressive Party

Lilja Alfredsdottir a longstanding lawmaker and former cabinet minister. She previously served as Iceland’s Minister of Culture and Business Affairs, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, and Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade.

Before her participation in politics, Alfredsdottir served as Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Iceland’s General Secretariat and International Affairs Department. Since her graduation from Columbia University, Alfredsdottir, has been a central banker, apart from temporary secondments to Iceland’s Prime Minister’s Office as a Special Liaison and previously, to the International Monetary Fund’s Nordic-Baltic Executive Office as an Advisor.

Alfredsdottir holds a master’s degree in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and received a Fulbright grant during her studies. She holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Iceland. She also studied at the University of Minnesota and Ewha University in Seoul. Alfredsdottir has written numerous articles on economic and educational affairs in Icelandic papers and international journals. In additions, Alfredsdottir has held presentations on economic affairs in the United States and Europe.