FRIDRIK THOR FRIDRIKSSON - Director
Fridrik Thor Fridriksson is a self-educated filmmaker who has made more films, either through his role as a director or producer, than any other Icelandic filmmaker. Fridrik's films are both very personal and deeply rooted in Icelandic culture. His films are often about those who find themselves on the borderline between traditions of the past and the present times.
Fridrik's professional film career began with three striking and original documentaries in the 1980’s. In 1991, his big international breakthrough came with Children of Nature (1991) which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film in 1992. Described by the director as “a road movie about old people” it tells a touching love story of two elderly people who wish to return to their roots before they die. No other Icelandic film and very few Scandinavian films have ever attained the international fame and acclaim that Children of Nature has garnered. It has received no less than 23 international prizes.
Half of Iceland’s population has seen Fridrik's feature film Angels of the Universe (2000), a soulful, poetic, and brave emotional tale of the ravages and lonely imprisonment of mental illness. The film had its international premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, was awarded the main prize of the FIPRESCI jury (the International Association of Film Critics) and received a special mention from the Grand Jury. In November 2008 Fridrik received the Honorary Edda Award for outstanding achievement in the film industry in Iceland.
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