Film Makers

Þorfinnur Guðnason – Director

Þorfinnur Guðnason is a documentary filmmaker of genuine talent being Iceland’s most established filmmaker in the field. He has made award winning documentaries with worldwide distribution (including National Geographic, TBS, ARTE, ZDF, NRK, TVP, Discovery Europe etc.) Þorfinnur graduated from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1987. He began his career working for the Icelandic Broadcasting Company and worked for years as a cinematographer, editor and producer. In the early nineties he started making his own exceptionally creative and charming documentaries. Þorfinnur’s first film was Húsey (1993), a journey into Icelandic reality where man lives in complete harmony with nature, and won the DV Cultural Award. His second film, Woodmouse-life on the run (1997) essentially a love story between two mice trapped at an Icelandic farm, is also his most critically acclaimed film internationally, receiving many awards and broadcasted around the world. His third film Lalli Johns (2001), about a homeless small-time criminal in Reykjavík, broke all records for documentary attendance in Icelandic cinemas, and received the Edda Award for Best Documentary. He went on to document the legendary bar Grand Rokk (2003) and in 2004 he made Running with the Herd, bringing him back out into nature filming horses in their natural habitat, also broadcasted widely on European channels. In Dreamland (2009) he teams up with author/director Andri Snær Magnason for the first time delivering an epic film about a nation standing at cross-roads, and again breaking records for attendance in Icelandic cinemas.

Andri Snær Magnason – Director

Andri Snær Magnason is one of Iceland’s most celebrated young writers. He has written novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays and CD’s before directing the documentary Dreamland (2009). His work has been published or performed in more than 25 countries. His novel, LoveStar was chosen “Novel of the year” by Icelandic booksellers in 2002, it received the DV Literary Award and a nomination to the Icelandic Literary Prize. His children’s book, The Story of the Blue Planet, was the first children’s book to receive the Icelandic Literary Prize and has been published in 18 countries. The Story of the Blue Planet received the Janusz Korczak Honorary Award 2000 and the West Nordic Children’s Book Prize 2002. The play from the story was performed on the main stage of LKTYP in Toronto in 2005. Andri has collaborated with various artists, such as the band múm and he was one of the organizers of the Nattura concert in Reykjavik 2008 with Björk and Sigurros. Andri was vice-president of The Icelandic Writers Union, he is a board member of The Culture House in Reykjavík and has been active in the fight against the destruction of the Icelandic Highlands. His book – Dreamland – a Self Help Manual for a Frightened Nation takes on these issues. Dreamland has been published in English and is now a feature length documentary film. Andri was born in Reykjavik where he lives with his wife and four children.

Ground Control Productions – Production Company

Ground Control Productions is a young production company with a bright future. The company was established in 2006 by Sigurður Gísli Pálmason, a well established and well known entrepreneur in Iceland. Sigurður Gísli started his business career at an early age and his career expands a wide-range of business and cultural activities, book publishing and art collecting among them, in locations such as London, California and Reykavík. He founded Ground Control Productions with the aim to produce high quality documentaries with a social agenda for local and international market. Dreamland (2009) by Þorfinnur Guðnason and Andri Snær Magnason is Ground Control’s first feature length documentary and already broke the record for cinema attendance in Iceland for a documentary and received raving reviews from critics. Previous co-productions include At The Edge of the World (2007) by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon and Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson and Dieter Roth Puzzle (2008) by Hilmar Oddsson. Several new documentaries are now in development at Ground Control Productions.

Zik Zak Filmworks – Co-production Company

Zik Zak Filmworks was founded in 1995 by Skúli Fr. Malmquist and Þórir S. Sigurjónsson. The company is leading in Icelandic film production, its films have been sold worldwide and been selected to prestigious international film festivals (Cannes, Toronto, Rotterdam, Telluride, Karlovy Vary etc.) receiving numerous awards and special mentions, including an Academy Award nomination for The Last Farm by Rúnar Rúnarsson in 2006 in the category of Best Live Action Short Film. The film Nói Albinói by Dagur Kari became an international hit. Zik Zak’s catalogue of projects consists of works by Iceland’s most promising and successful screenwriters and directors. Zik Zak focuses on feature film production and documentaries. Seeking and tending to new talents is a priority within the company. Zik Zak also co-produces films from the US and Europe.

TC Films – Co-production Company

TC Films is an Icelandic film production company, established in 2002 by producer Hrönn Kristinsdóttir and director Valdimar Jóhannsson. The company produces documentaries, shorts and features. Among the company’s latest documentary releases are “Beneath the Stars” directed by Helgi Felixson and Titti Johnson and a “A Writer with a Camera” directed by Helga Brekkan. TC Films is currently co-producing two Icelandic documentaries, co-producing a documentary with CosmoDoc in Denmark and two documentaries with Felixfilm in Sweden.