Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

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Friðrik Þór Friðriksson in November 2007

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (also Fridrik Thor Fridriksson ; born May 12, 1954 in Reykjavík ) is an Icelandic film director and filmmaker.

life and career

He became known abroad for his film Children of Nature - Eine Reise , which was nominated for an Oscar in 1992 . Other films by him are Cold Fever , Movie Days, The Devil's Island (based on the novel by Einar Kárason ) and Angels of the Universe (based on Einar Már Guðmundsson ).

The director has always been interested in film, although he did not attend film school. He made his first 8mm film at the age of 14 and made 16mm amateur experimental films in school. In 1973 he and friends founded the first Icelandic film club in an old, shabby cinema ( Fjallakötturinn , Bergkatze). There they showed both classics and modern art films. He chose precisely those films that particularly interested him, with educational intent, so to speak. The proceeds were used to finance a real film camera and an editing table.

Friðrik Þór has shaped the Icelandic film scene like no other. In 1978 he founded the Reykjavík Film Festival and was its first director. Every year in September or October, current films are shown for several weeks, not only Nordic productions, but also international films. The Edda Award is given as the prize. Since 1980 he has published the first Icelandic film magazine. He also co-founded the Svart á hvítu publishing house, which produces publications on everything to do with art and culture.

With money from his successful films and government support, he founded the Icelandic Film Corporation to support the flourishing Icelandic film scene. It is said that he is particularly adept at scraping together the financial resources for productions. And although he's something of the Icelandic film mogul, he still supports his arch-rival Hrafn Gunnlaugsson .

Friðrik Þór grew up and went to school with Einar Már Guðmundsson and Einar Kárason , both of whom are now internationally known writers. You are all storytellers. In doing so, they combine the love for their homeland (including belief in elves ) with their memories and precise observations.

His first smaller films, Saga of Burnt Njal (1980), Blacksmith (1981), Rock in Reykjavík (1982) and Hringurinn (The Ring Road, 1985) received little recognition outside of Iceland. His first big film, White Whales (1987, written by Einar Kárason), is about two whalers and their problems. This film was shown in Germany at the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck . The second film, Children of Nature - Eine Reise (1991, written by Einar Már Guðmundsson), was a resounding success and was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film . The film did not win the award, but the attention and income from the film about two runaways from an old people's home laid the foundation for further work.

This was followed by Movie Days 1994 (screenplay Einar Már Guðmundsson), Cold Fever (1995, screenplay Jim Stark) and Devil's Island (1996, screenplay Einar Már based on a template by Einar Kárason), which were not necessarily successful. In the next few years he devoted himself to the production of many small films until he had great success again with Engel des Universum in 2000 . The film based on the novel by Einar Már Guðmundsson , who also wrote the screenplay, is about people with mental illnesses and their lives in modern Iceland. In 2000 he also made the short film On Top Down Under . As a co-producer of Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark (2000), in which Björk then the leading role held, as well as many other smaller movies he filmed in 2002 Iceland Falcons (screenplay with Einar Kárason), the well as a replica of Hrafnn Gunnlaugssons "hawks" -Films can be seen.

It is itself the subject of a documentary film made by German filmmaker Alexander Bohr in 1999: "The Viking's Eye - The Magical Cinema of Fridrik Thor Fridriksson" .

In Lars von Trier's film The Boss of It All, Friðrik Þór plays the role of the Icelandic investor Finnur.

Filmography

Director

actor

Production (selection)

Web links

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .
personal data
SURNAME Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fridriksson, Fridrik Thor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Icelandic film director and filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Reykjavík , Iceland