Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

Fridrik Thor Fridriksson started his film making carrier with a series of experimental films and documentaries in the early 1980s. In 1987, he founded The Icelandic Film Corporation, which has become Iceland's most important production company, producing Fridrikssons films as well as working with other Icelandic directors and producers. Through Fridriksson's international reputation the company has built a network of internationally well-established co-production partner companies, including Lars von Triers Zentropa and most recently, Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope. As a director, Fridriksson gained international recognition and critical acclaim with his second feature _Children of Nature (1991)_ which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film. Growing up in Iceland in the sixties, Fridriksson was influenced by American films but his exposure to Kurosawa's works was of crucial importance in his decision to become a filmmaker. Co-writing with two of Iceland's most acclaimed novelists and script-writers 'Einar Már Gudmundsson' (Children Of Nature, Angels Of The Universe, Moviedays) and Einar Kárason (White Whales, Devils Island, Falcons) Fridriksson has been acclaimed for the strong visual style of his films and his gift for stunning images. His films combine a wry sense of humour and genuine solidarity with the characters. Fridriksson's films are both deeply personal and have a strong rooting in Icelandic culture often depicting characters at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Uniquely Fridriksson's films have both touched a chord with local audiences in Iceland who have flocked to see Fridriksson's vision of themselves (more than 50% of the Icelandic population saw his film, 'Angels Of The Universe', released in 2000) as well as moved audiences from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Fridriksson's own identity as a filmmaker is that of a storyteller within a tradition that goes back to the writers of the Icelandic Sagas, more than a thousand years ago.