Baltasar Kormakur and his banner, Rvk Studios, are teaming up with Icelandic author Olaf Olafsson on the film adaptation of the writer’s bestselling novel “Touching” (“Snerting”).
Olafsson, a former executive VP at Time Warner, is a prolific and critically acclaimed author whose books – notably “Absolution,” “The Journey Home,” “The Sacrament” and “One Station Away” – have been published around the world being translated into more than 20 languages.
Set amid the 2020 pandemic, “Touching” – a working title for the movie – is described as a sensual and thrilling love story unfolding across the globe and woven into historical events. The novel, which ranked as Iceland’s best-selling book of 2020, takes place in today’s Reykjavík and Tokyo, and in London in the 1960s.
Olafsson is currently adapting the story into a screenplay. Kormakur will produce via his outfit Rvk Studios and will direct the film, which is now in advanced development. Production is...
Olafsson, a former executive VP at Time Warner, is a prolific and critically acclaimed author whose books – notably “Absolution,” “The Journey Home,” “The Sacrament” and “One Station Away” – have been published around the world being translated into more than 20 languages.
Set amid the 2020 pandemic, “Touching” – a working title for the movie – is described as a sensual and thrilling love story unfolding across the globe and woven into historical events. The novel, which ranked as Iceland’s best-selling book of 2020, takes place in today’s Reykjavík and Tokyo, and in London in the 1960s.
Olafsson is currently adapting the story into a screenplay. Kormakur will produce via his outfit Rvk Studios and will direct the film, which is now in advanced development. Production is...
- 2/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Icelandic production powerhouse Sagafilm and Germany’s Splendid Film are teaming on the major feature project “Operation Napoleon,” to be lensed mostly in English.
Budgeted at around €6 million ($7.2 million), the thriller is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Iceland’s crime master Arnaldur Indriðason, whose earlier novel “Jar City” was successfully filmed by Baltasar Kormákur.
Published locally in 2009 and translated into English in 2011, “Operation Napoleon” was awarded a Crime Dagger by the Crime Writers’ Association.
The story centers on a young Icelandic female lawyer who’s suddenly sucked into the vortex of an international conspiracy after being accused of a murder she didn’t commit. Her only chance of survival lies in uncovering the secret of an old German World War II airplane, recently discovered on Iceland’s largest glacier.
The project is the biggest film commitment in more than a decade for Sagafilm, behind some of Iceland’s top selling-shows in recent years,...
Budgeted at around €6 million ($7.2 million), the thriller is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Iceland’s crime master Arnaldur Indriðason, whose earlier novel “Jar City” was successfully filmed by Baltasar Kormákur.
Published locally in 2009 and translated into English in 2011, “Operation Napoleon” was awarded a Crime Dagger by the Crime Writers’ Association.
The story centers on a young Icelandic female lawyer who’s suddenly sucked into the vortex of an international conspiracy after being accused of a murder she didn’t commit. Her only chance of survival lies in uncovering the secret of an old German World War II airplane, recently discovered on Iceland’s largest glacier.
The project is the biggest film commitment in more than a decade for Sagafilm, behind some of Iceland’s top selling-shows in recent years,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Icelandic film has a reputation of setting tones similar to the country's landscape: sparse in character, frequently cold, often impenetrable and inscrutible, but with seething passion and rage beneath its ice. Maybe this is why their thrillers and family dramas are so good. And make a combination of those two genres, and you have a highly uncomforatable, deeply distrurbing, and yet wholly understandable story of one man's anger that can no longer be contained. Such is A White, White Day, Hlynur Palmason's second feature film. Starring Ingvar Sigurdsson, against a backdrop of remoteness, pain, stoicism, and the fires that burn beneath the veneer of calm, it's a mystery wrapped in a thriller wrapped in a family tragedy, that feels both foreign...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/16/2020
- Screen Anarchy
White, White Day
Iceland’s Hlynur Palmason returns with his sophomore feature White, White Day, an Icelandic-Swedish-Danish coproduction produced by Anton Mani Svansson for Join Motion Pictures (which financed his 2017 debut Winter Brothers), Sweden’s Katarina Krave for Film i Vast and Nima Yousefi for Hob Ab, plus from Denmark’s Snowglobe the trio of Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen and Mikkel Jersin. Palmason has recruited noted Icelandic actor Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, best known for his appearances in several of Baltasar Kormakur films, and who can currently be seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018).…...
Iceland’s Hlynur Palmason returns with his sophomore feature White, White Day, an Icelandic-Swedish-Danish coproduction produced by Anton Mani Svansson for Join Motion Pictures (which financed his 2017 debut Winter Brothers), Sweden’s Katarina Krave for Film i Vast and Nima Yousefi for Hob Ab, plus from Denmark’s Snowglobe the trio of Katrin Pors, Eva Jakobsen and Mikkel Jersin. Palmason has recruited noted Icelandic actor Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, best known for his appearances in several of Baltasar Kormakur films, and who can currently be seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018).…...
- 1/2/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Ingvar E Sigurdsson, Hera Hilmar to star.
Iceland’s Baltasar Kormakur has lined up Ingvar E Sigurdsson and Hera Hilmar to star in his anticipated adaptation of Independent People, Iceland’s most acclaimed novel of the 20th century.
Kormakur has worked with both actors before – Sigurdsson in TV’s Trapped as well as films The Oath, Everest and Jar City; and Hilmar in The Oath.
Kormakur is adapting the script alongside co-writer Lilja Sigurdardottir. He could shoot the project by the end of 2019, or in 2020, depending on his next studio-backed film (yet to be confirmed) that may shoot first.
Nobel...
Iceland’s Baltasar Kormakur has lined up Ingvar E Sigurdsson and Hera Hilmar to star in his anticipated adaptation of Independent People, Iceland’s most acclaimed novel of the 20th century.
Kormakur has worked with both actors before – Sigurdsson in TV’s Trapped as well as films The Oath, Everest and Jar City; and Hilmar in The Oath.
Kormakur is adapting the script alongside co-writer Lilja Sigurdardottir. He could shoot the project by the end of 2019, or in 2020, depending on his next studio-backed film (yet to be confirmed) that may shoot first.
Nobel...
- 11/6/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Official Competition Jury: Alexander Payne, Bet Rourich, Agnes Johansen, Francesca Cima, Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Rossy de Palma Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival Downsizing director Alexander Payne has been announced as the jury president for the 66th San Sebastian Film Festival.
The helmer of films including Sideways and Nebraska will be joined on the Official Competition jury by 42 Beats actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown star Rossy de Palma, alongside Adult Life Skills and Songbird cinemtographer Bet Rourich. Producers Francesca Cima (The Great Beauty) and Agnes Johansen (Jar City) will also take part, with a seventh juror still to be named.
In a refreshing change from many festivals, female talent also dominates the New Directors award jury, with Thelma producer Katrin Pors named president, alongside Refugiado director Diego Lerman, artist Imma Merino, scriptwriter Léa Mysius (Ismael's Ghosts) and Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
The helmer of films including Sideways and Nebraska will be joined on the Official Competition jury by 42 Beats actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown star Rossy de Palma, alongside Adult Life Skills and Songbird cinemtographer Bet Rourich. Producers Francesca Cima (The Great Beauty) and Agnes Johansen (Jar City) will also take part, with a seventh juror still to be named.
In a refreshing change from many festivals, female talent also dominates the New Directors award jury, with Thelma producer Katrin Pors named president, alongside Refugiado director Diego Lerman, artist Imma Merino, scriptwriter Léa Mysius (Ismael's Ghosts) and Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
- 9/7/2018
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Icelandic director makes his feature debut for Rvk Studios; he will direct four episodes of next series of hit TV show Trapped.
Börkur Sigthorsson started the 30-day shoot for his debut feature film Mules on February 24 in and around Reykjavik and at Keflavik airport in Iceland.
Rvk Studios’ Agnes Johansen and Baltasar Kormakur are producing, with the Icelandic Film Center and broadcaster Ruv also on board. WestEnd Films handles sales.
The story is about two Icelandic brothers who hatch a drug-smuggling plan.
Johansen said: “They come from a difficult background but take very different paths with their lives. The older brother is a high-flying corporate lawyer, living an unsustainable life embezzling his clients.
“He has to pay back money so he recruits the help of his brother, who has been in and out of prison, to help him import drugs to Iceland.
“They hire an Eastern European woman to be the drug mule… There are serious...
Börkur Sigthorsson started the 30-day shoot for his debut feature film Mules on February 24 in and around Reykjavik and at Keflavik airport in Iceland.
Rvk Studios’ Agnes Johansen and Baltasar Kormakur are producing, with the Icelandic Film Center and broadcaster Ruv also on board. WestEnd Films handles sales.
The story is about two Icelandic brothers who hatch a drug-smuggling plan.
Johansen said: “They come from a difficult background but take very different paths with their lives. The older brother is a high-flying corporate lawyer, living an unsustainable life embezzling his clients.
“He has to pay back money so he recruits the help of his brother, who has been in and out of prison, to help him import drugs to Iceland.
“They hire an Eastern European woman to be the drug mule… There are serious...
- 3/3/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Nordisk Film & TV Fond backs five new projects including a thriller starring Emmanuelle Riva.
Amour’s 88-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, Emmanuelle Riva, has joined the cast of Icelandic thriller Alma, the comeback film for director Kristin Johannesdottir, whose last feature was 1992 Cannes selection As In Heaven.
Alma is the story of a woman imprisoned in a forensic psychiatric unit for murdering her lover (even though she has no recollection of the crime). After seven years behind bars, she discovers her lover is still alive and escapes to kill him for real.
Newcomer Snæfriður Ingvarsdóttir, daughter of Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men), plays the title role and the cast also features Hilmar Snær Guðnason (101 Reykjavik) and Kristbjörg Kjeld (Of Horses And Men).
Alma – set for delivery early 2017 — is co-produced by Iceland’s Pegasus Pictures, with France’s Arsam Film International, Sweden’s Little Big Productions, the UK’s Berserk Films, in collaboration...
Amour’s 88-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, Emmanuelle Riva, has joined the cast of Icelandic thriller Alma, the comeback film for director Kristin Johannesdottir, whose last feature was 1992 Cannes selection As In Heaven.
Alma is the story of a woman imprisoned in a forensic psychiatric unit for murdering her lover (even though she has no recollection of the crime). After seven years behind bars, she discovers her lover is still alive and escapes to kill him for real.
Newcomer Snæfriður Ingvarsdóttir, daughter of Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men), plays the title role and the cast also features Hilmar Snær Guðnason (101 Reykjavik) and Kristbjörg Kjeld (Of Horses And Men).
Alma – set for delivery early 2017 — is co-produced by Iceland’s Pegasus Pictures, with France’s Arsam Film International, Sweden’s Little Big Productions, the UK’s Berserk Films, in collaboration...
- 1/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Icelandic filmmaking veteran Fridrik Thor Fridriksson has revealed his next feature will be an adaptation of Gunar Gunarsson’s The Black Cliffs.
The 1928 novel, which has been an international bestseller, was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway. The story is inspired by a true crime in 1802 in remote Iceland.
The plot follows two couples who live on an isolated farm. When one of the husbands disappears, and the wife of the other dies, the survivors are arrested and tried for murder.
The project, which is set on the remote West Coast of Iceland, will reunite him with his Angels Of The Universe actor Ingvar Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men). The female lead has yet-to-be announced.
“I love crime stories,” Oscar nominee Fridriksson told Screen. “This story is really how much you are willing to sacrifice for love.”
He has a further six scripts ready for future productions and is also awaiting financing on True North...
The 1928 novel, which has been an international bestseller, was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway. The story is inspired by a true crime in 1802 in remote Iceland.
The plot follows two couples who live on an isolated farm. When one of the husbands disappears, and the wife of the other dies, the survivors are arrested and tried for murder.
The project, which is set on the remote West Coast of Iceland, will reunite him with his Angels Of The Universe actor Ingvar Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men). The female lead has yet-to-be announced.
“I love crime stories,” Oscar nominee Fridriksson told Screen. “This story is really how much you are willing to sacrifice for love.”
He has a further six scripts ready for future productions and is also awaiting financing on True North...
- 9/15/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Iceland’s submission to the Best Foreign-Language Film category will be Grímur Hákonarson’s Rams.
Iceland has selected its entry for the 2016 Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar: Rams, a drama about two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years reuniting with a common goal – to save their sheep.
Written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson (A Pure Heart), the film stars Sigurður Sigurjónsson (Brave Men’s Blood) and Theodór Júlíusson (Jar City) as the two brothers.
The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize. Since then, it has played Karlovy Vary and Telluride, and will screen in Toronto next week. It was also a competitor for this year’s Lux Prize.
International sales are being handled by New Europe Film Sales, who have sold the film to 40 countries worldwide, with releases scheduled between November 2015 and February 2016. Cohen Media Group are handling Us distribution.
Iceland’s only previous Oscar nomination in the Best...
Iceland has selected its entry for the 2016 Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar: Rams, a drama about two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years reuniting with a common goal – to save their sheep.
Written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson (A Pure Heart), the film stars Sigurður Sigurjónsson (Brave Men’s Blood) and Theodór Júlíusson (Jar City) as the two brothers.
The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize. Since then, it has played Karlovy Vary and Telluride, and will screen in Toronto next week. It was also a competitor for this year’s Lux Prize.
International sales are being handled by New Europe Film Sales, who have sold the film to 40 countries worldwide, with releases scheduled between November 2015 and February 2016. Cohen Media Group are handling Us distribution.
Iceland’s only previous Oscar nomination in the Best...
- 9/9/2015
- ScreenDaily
Iceland’s submission to the Best Foreign-Language Film category will be Grímur Hákonarson’s Rams.
Iceland has selected its entry for the 2016 Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar: Rams, a drama about two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years reuniting with a common goal – to save their sheep.
Written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson (A Pure Heart), the film stars Sigurður Sigurjónsson (Brave Men’s Blood) and Theodór Júlíusson (Jar City) as the two brothers.
The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize. Since then, it has played Karlovy Vary and Telluride, and will screen in Toronto next week. It was also a competitor for this year’s Lux Prize.
International sales are being handled by New Europe Film Sales, who have sold the film to 40 countries worldwide, with releases scheduled between November 2015 and February 2016. Cohen Media Group are handling Us distribution.
Iceland’s only previous Oscar nomination in the Best...
Iceland has selected its entry for the 2016 Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar: Rams, a drama about two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years reuniting with a common goal – to save their sheep.
Written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson (A Pure Heart), the film stars Sigurður Sigurjónsson (Brave Men’s Blood) and Theodór Júlíusson (Jar City) as the two brothers.
The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize. Since then, it has played Karlovy Vary and Telluride, and will screen in Toronto next week. It was also a competitor for this year’s Lux Prize.
International sales are being handled by New Europe Film Sales, who have sold the film to 40 countries worldwide, with releases scheduled between November 2015 and February 2016. Cohen Media Group are handling Us distribution.
Iceland’s only previous Oscar nomination in the Best...
- 9/9/2015
- ScreenDaily
"Everest," directed by Baltasar Kormákur, has been selected as the opening film, out of Competition, of the 72nd Venice Film Festival (September 2-12 2015). The festival is directed by Alberto Barbera, organized by the Biennale, and chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The world premiere of "Everest" will be screened on September 2nd in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) at the Lido. Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain,"Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
"Everest" is a Working Title Films production starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley,Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Baltasar Kormákur, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson. The story was adapted for the screen by William Nicholson ("Gladiator") and Oscar® winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire").
The film was shot on location in Nepal on the foothills of Everest, the Italian Alps and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in the U.K.Universal will distribute Everest worldwide, and it will be released in the U.S. exclusively on IMAX 3D and premium-large format 3D screens on September 18th. It will be released wide in the U.S.—including standard 2D and 3D—on September 25th. Italy releases the film on September 24th.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose truly global work spans theater, movies and television. After "Everest," he will produce and direct "Vikingr," a big-budget action adventure set in the world of the famed Norse warriors that is inspired by the Iceland’s epic Sagas. He is also set to direct the eco-disaster film "Cascade" and write and direct a crime thriller based on the events that inspired the Filipino film "On the Job." Recently, Kormákur and his frequent collaborator, Agnes Johansen, produced the Icelandic comedy "Virgin Mountain," directed by Dagur Kari.
Kormákur has directed several feature films in the U.S: 2010’s "Inhale," an independent film produced by the L.A.-based 26 Films, starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger and Sam Shepard; 2012’s "Contraband"—starring Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, and Kate Beckinsale—which is a remake of Oskar Johansson’s "Reykjavik Rotterdam," written by Arnaldur Indridason, and in which Kormákur played the leading role and produced it with Agnes Johansen through his Blueeyes Productions. His last American film, the action-comedy 2013’s "2 Guns," starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, has grossed more than $131 million worldwide to date.
He also has several Icelandic projects in the works, including the psychological thriller "The Oath," which he plans to direct, from a script he co-wrote with Olafur Egillsson. Inspired by true events and set in modern Iceland, Kormákur will produce “The Oath” with Johansen.
The director graduated as an actor from Iceland’s National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of the leading young performing artists until 1997. During the last two years of his assignment he also directed several ambitious works, after having produced and directed highly popular, independent stage productions alongside his projects with the National Theatre.
In 2000, he wrote, directed, acted in and produced the feature film "101 Reykjavik." Subsequently, Variety selected him as one of the “10 Directors to Watch.” Soon after, Kormákur formed Blueeyes Productions and has maintained his focus on feature film writing, producing and directing. His films "The Sea," "A Little Trip to Heaven," "Jar City" and "White Night Wedding" have all been very successful in Iceland and won numerous international awards. Kormákur’s "The Deep," which eerily captures the tragic real-life story of the lone survivor of a capsized fishing boat off the frigid Icelandic coast, premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was shortlisted for the foreign language Academy Awards®.
Recently, Kormákur optioned Iceland’s beloved, Nobel Prize-winning book “Independent People” to develop as a feature film and will produce the American remake of "Jar City," along with CEO of Lava Bear Films, David Linde. He also partnered with Ccp Games to bring the "Eve Universe" game to television. The Rvk Studios team, in collaboration with Ccp, will create an original concept and storyline set in the "Eve Universe." Additionally, he also produced and directed the Icelandic original serialized crime drama "Trapped."
All of Kormákur’s films are made under his Rvk Studios (formerly Blueeyes Productions), which recently opened a television arm and partnered with Dadi Einarsson and the Icelandic VFX company Framestore, now called Rvx Studios.
The world premiere of "Everest" will be screened on September 2nd in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) at the Lido. Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain,"Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
"Everest" is a Working Title Films production starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley,Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Baltasar Kormákur, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson. The story was adapted for the screen by William Nicholson ("Gladiator") and Oscar® winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire").
The film was shot on location in Nepal on the foothills of Everest, the Italian Alps and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in the U.K.Universal will distribute Everest worldwide, and it will be released in the U.S. exclusively on IMAX 3D and premium-large format 3D screens on September 18th. It will be released wide in the U.S.—including standard 2D and 3D—on September 25th. Italy releases the film on September 24th.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose truly global work spans theater, movies and television. After "Everest," he will produce and direct "Vikingr," a big-budget action adventure set in the world of the famed Norse warriors that is inspired by the Iceland’s epic Sagas. He is also set to direct the eco-disaster film "Cascade" and write and direct a crime thriller based on the events that inspired the Filipino film "On the Job." Recently, Kormákur and his frequent collaborator, Agnes Johansen, produced the Icelandic comedy "Virgin Mountain," directed by Dagur Kari.
Kormákur has directed several feature films in the U.S: 2010’s "Inhale," an independent film produced by the L.A.-based 26 Films, starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger and Sam Shepard; 2012’s "Contraband"—starring Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, and Kate Beckinsale—which is a remake of Oskar Johansson’s "Reykjavik Rotterdam," written by Arnaldur Indridason, and in which Kormákur played the leading role and produced it with Agnes Johansen through his Blueeyes Productions. His last American film, the action-comedy 2013’s "2 Guns," starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, has grossed more than $131 million worldwide to date.
He also has several Icelandic projects in the works, including the psychological thriller "The Oath," which he plans to direct, from a script he co-wrote with Olafur Egillsson. Inspired by true events and set in modern Iceland, Kormákur will produce “The Oath” with Johansen.
The director graduated as an actor from Iceland’s National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of the leading young performing artists until 1997. During the last two years of his assignment he also directed several ambitious works, after having produced and directed highly popular, independent stage productions alongside his projects with the National Theatre.
In 2000, he wrote, directed, acted in and produced the feature film "101 Reykjavik." Subsequently, Variety selected him as one of the “10 Directors to Watch.” Soon after, Kormákur formed Blueeyes Productions and has maintained his focus on feature film writing, producing and directing. His films "The Sea," "A Little Trip to Heaven," "Jar City" and "White Night Wedding" have all been very successful in Iceland and won numerous international awards. Kormákur’s "The Deep," which eerily captures the tragic real-life story of the lone survivor of a capsized fishing boat off the frigid Icelandic coast, premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was shortlisted for the foreign language Academy Awards®.
Recently, Kormákur optioned Iceland’s beloved, Nobel Prize-winning book “Independent People” to develop as a feature film and will produce the American remake of "Jar City," along with CEO of Lava Bear Films, David Linde. He also partnered with Ccp Games to bring the "Eve Universe" game to television. The Rvk Studios team, in collaboration with Ccp, will create an original concept and storyline set in the "Eve Universe." Additionally, he also produced and directed the Icelandic original serialized crime drama "Trapped."
All of Kormákur’s films are made under his Rvk Studios (formerly Blueeyes Productions), which recently opened a television arm and partnered with Dadi Einarsson and the Icelandic VFX company Framestore, now called Rvx Studios.
- 7/12/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Baltasar Kormákur is lining up an autumn shoot on the Icelandic and English-language crime-thriller, a late addition to the La-based company’s Croisette sales slate.
The Oath centres on a respected doctor in Reykjavík who makes a life-changing decision after his daughter introduces the family to her manipulative boyfriend.
Ólafur Egilsson co-wrote the screenplay with Kormákur, who produces with Agnes Johansen and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson through Kormákur’s Rvk Studios banner in co-production with Dynamic Productions in Germany.
Ben Giladi of Len Blavatnik’s AI Film serves as executive producer alongside Aram Tertzakian and Nate Bolotin of Xyz Films.
Kormákur, whose credits include 2 Guns, Contraband and Icelandic hits 101 Reykjavik and Jar City, recently wrapped production on Universal’s September 18 release Everest. He will also direct the TV crime series Trapped.
AI Film’s portfolio includes Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes and Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which is scheduled to wrap in Taiwan on May 15 and stars Andrew Garfield...
The Oath centres on a respected doctor in Reykjavík who makes a life-changing decision after his daughter introduces the family to her manipulative boyfriend.
Ólafur Egilsson co-wrote the screenplay with Kormákur, who produces with Agnes Johansen and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson through Kormákur’s Rvk Studios banner in co-production with Dynamic Productions in Germany.
Ben Giladi of Len Blavatnik’s AI Film serves as executive producer alongside Aram Tertzakian and Nate Bolotin of Xyz Films.
Kormákur, whose credits include 2 Guns, Contraband and Icelandic hits 101 Reykjavik and Jar City, recently wrapped production on Universal’s September 18 release Everest. He will also direct the TV crime series Trapped.
AI Film’s portfolio includes Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes and Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which is scheduled to wrap in Taiwan on May 15 and stars Andrew Garfield...
- 5/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Icelandic director will receive a special International Filmmaker Of The Year Award during the trade show on April 20.
Kormákur will collect his award on CinemaCon’s International Day and is well-known in Hollywood for directing 2 Guns and Contraband. He rose to fame in Iceland with the likes of 101 Reykjavik and Jar City.
The film-maker is completing Everest, which Universal will release on September 18 and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, John Hawke, Robin Wright and Keira Knightly.
CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association Of Theatre Owners, will take place in Las Vegas from April 20-23.
“Since making his directorial debut Baltasar Kormákur has entertained global audiences, with his thrillingly intense movie-making abilities,” said CinemaCon managing director Mitch Neuhauser.
“His action-packed films keep moviegoers at the edge of their seat and Everest is sure to leave audiences riveted to the screen in anticipation of what will happen next.”...
Kormákur will collect his award on CinemaCon’s International Day and is well-known in Hollywood for directing 2 Guns and Contraband. He rose to fame in Iceland with the likes of 101 Reykjavik and Jar City.
The film-maker is completing Everest, which Universal will release on September 18 and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, John Hawke, Robin Wright and Keira Knightly.
CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association Of Theatre Owners, will take place in Las Vegas from April 20-23.
“Since making his directorial debut Baltasar Kormákur has entertained global audiences, with his thrillingly intense movie-making abilities,” said CinemaCon managing director Mitch Neuhauser.
“His action-packed films keep moviegoers at the edge of their seat and Everest is sure to leave audiences riveted to the screen in anticipation of what will happen next.”...
- 3/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
A Horse is a Horse, Of Course: Erlingsson’s Debut Visually Striking, Episodic
Iceland’s 2013 submission for Best Foreign Language film was the directorial debut of Benedikt Erlingsson, an actor that’s previously appeared in a variety of features, including Lars von Trier’s The Boss of it All (2007). A lauded title on the festival circuit, Of Horses and Men accumulated several awards for the helmer, including Best Director titles at the San Sebastian and Tokyo Film Festivals. Fluctuating between droll comedy and striking drama, Erlingsson establishes a fervent fascination that gently relates a handful of instances concerning a rural community and the relationship of several residences and their equine friends.
Love, sex, and death reign supreme between humans and their horses in a series of interrelated vignettes amongst a rural Icelandic community. Kolbeinn (Ingvar E. Sigurdson) is clearly attracted to Solveig (Charlotte Boving), who takes long jaunts on his white mare,...
Iceland’s 2013 submission for Best Foreign Language film was the directorial debut of Benedikt Erlingsson, an actor that’s previously appeared in a variety of features, including Lars von Trier’s The Boss of it All (2007). A lauded title on the festival circuit, Of Horses and Men accumulated several awards for the helmer, including Best Director titles at the San Sebastian and Tokyo Film Festivals. Fluctuating between droll comedy and striking drama, Erlingsson establishes a fervent fascination that gently relates a handful of instances concerning a rural community and the relationship of several residences and their equine friends.
Love, sex, and death reign supreme between humans and their horses in a series of interrelated vignettes amongst a rural Icelandic community. Kolbeinn (Ingvar E. Sigurdson) is clearly attracted to Solveig (Charlotte Boving), who takes long jaunts on his white mare,...
- 3/10/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: Runar Runarsson, the director of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 selection Volcano, will start shooting his second feature in Iceland on July 14.
The new film, Sparrows, will shoot for six weeks — briefly in Reykjavik and then primarily around Flateyri, Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík in the west fjords of Iceland.
The story follows a 16-year-old Icelandic boy, Ari, who lives with his mother in Reykjavik. She has to move to Africa for a new job, sending him back to the small town of his youth. There he finds his old friend suddenly a young woman with a tricky romantic relationship; and his father is a victim of the financial crisis. “Ari becomes an adult because he has this weight on his shoulders,” says producer Mikkel Jersin of Copenhagen and Iceland based Nimbus Film. “He is being confronted to reinvent himself.”
Runarsson tells Screen, “For some reason, I have this urge to make films about myself and the people I know...
The new film, Sparrows, will shoot for six weeks — briefly in Reykjavik and then primarily around Flateyri, Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík in the west fjords of Iceland.
The story follows a 16-year-old Icelandic boy, Ari, who lives with his mother in Reykjavik. She has to move to Africa for a new job, sending him back to the small town of his youth. There he finds his old friend suddenly a young woman with a tricky romantic relationship; and his father is a victim of the financial crisis. “Ari becomes an adult because he has this weight on his shoulders,” says producer Mikkel Jersin of Copenhagen and Iceland based Nimbus Film. “He is being confronted to reinvent himself.”
Runarsson tells Screen, “For some reason, I have this urge to make films about myself and the people I know...
- 6/23/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Runar Runarsson, the director of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 selection Volcano, will start shooting his second feature in Iceland on July 14.
The new film, Sparrows, will shoot for six weeks — briefly in Reykjavik and then primarily around Flateyri, Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík in the west fjords of Iceland.
The story follows a 16-year-old Icelandic boy, Ari, who lives with his mother in Reykjavik. She has to move to Africa for a new job, sending him back to the small town of his youth. There he finds his old friend suddenly a young woman with a tricky romantic relationship; and his father is a victim of the financial crisis. “Ari becomes an adult because he has this weight on his shoulders,” says producer Mikkel Jersin of Copenhagen and Iceland based Nimbus Film. “He is being confronted to reinvent himself.”
Runarsson tells Screen, “For some reason, I have this urge to make films about myself and the people I know...
The new film, Sparrows, will shoot for six weeks — briefly in Reykjavik and then primarily around Flateyri, Ísafjörður and Bolungarvík in the west fjords of Iceland.
The story follows a 16-year-old Icelandic boy, Ari, who lives with his mother in Reykjavik. She has to move to Africa for a new job, sending him back to the small town of his youth. There he finds his old friend suddenly a young woman with a tricky romantic relationship; and his father is a victim of the financial crisis. “Ari becomes an adult because he has this weight on his shoulders,” says producer Mikkel Jersin of Copenhagen and Iceland based Nimbus Film. “He is being confronted to reinvent himself.”
Runarsson tells Screen, “For some reason, I have this urge to make films about myself and the people I know...
- 6/23/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The Gothenburg Film Festival – the largest of its kind in Scandinavia – has always had a special emphasis on the cinema created in the Nordic countries, with its main competition being exclusive to films from the region. This year the festival placed a further emphasis on the Nordic country with the smallest population: Iceland. Not only were there two films in competition, but the festival presented a repertory slate of Icelandic films from the past two decades, a concert featuring the band Hjaltalín, a seminar about the country’s filmmaking and a special Icelandic themed party. Furthermore, the festival has created a new honorary award to celebrate an important filmmaking voice from the North — and its first recipient was Baltasar Kormákur, director of such Icelandic language films such as "101 Reykjavik," "The Deep" and "Jar City" — along with the Hollywood action films "Contraband" and "2 Guns." The fact that Icelandic cinema exists at all is remarkable,...
- 2/13/2014
- by Ari Gunnar Thorsteinsson
- Indiewire
Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Korkámur has pretty much cornered the market in his native country with a wide variety of films he directed and produced, acclaimed films like 101 Reyjavik , Jar City and his most recent film The Deep (no relation to the .70s movie based on the Peter Benchley novel). In recent years, he.s also started to get noticed in Hollywood, having a huge hit with Mark Wahlberg and 2012.s Contraband , itself based on an Icelandic crime thriller. Now he has 2 Guns , a high stakes crime comedy that pairs two of Hollywood.s biggest stars, Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, which is loosely based on a Boom! Studios graphic novel by Steven Grant. Denzel plays DEA agent Bobby Trench who has been working undercover with U.S. Naval intelligence officer Marcus...
- 7/31/2013
- Comingsoon.net
One of the brightest lights in the Icelandic film scene, Ragnar Bragason - director of Children and Parents - is now deep into post production on his latest feature Metalhead.Known for his ability to balance drama with humor, Bragason here works with actors Þorbjörg Helga Dýrfjörð (Baltasar Kormakur's The Deep), Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (Jar City) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Polite People) to tell a tale Bragason describes as being about "a girl, heavy metal and cows. Metalhead is a dramatic film, both tender and grim with moments of rebellious comedy. It's a story of a terrible loss and how we deal with our griefs, about community and a sense of family, dreams and nightmares."It's the year 1970 and as Black Sabbath record their first album and...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/22/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Acclaimed Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s latest film, The Deep, was released late last year in his native Iceland, picking up a slew of awards at the country’s equivalent to the Oscars earlier this year.
Having spent much of the past few months on the festival circuit, the film is finally due to arrive in UK theatres next month, following its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. And Metrodome have released the UK trailer to whet our appetites for what’s to come.
Based on incredible real life events, The Deep tells the story of a lone survivor of a fishing boat accident, who defies nature by surviving the freezing Icelandic sea in the midst of winter. Persevering against the odds, he makes the journey to islands nearby and now must face a gruelling trek across volcanic terrain before eventually arriving to safety. His intense ordeal wins him international attention,...
Having spent much of the past few months on the festival circuit, the film is finally due to arrive in UK theatres next month, following its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. And Metrodome have released the UK trailer to whet our appetites for what’s to come.
Based on incredible real life events, The Deep tells the story of a lone survivor of a fishing boat accident, who defies nature by surviving the freezing Icelandic sea in the midst of winter. Persevering against the odds, he makes the journey to islands nearby and now must face a gruelling trek across volcanic terrain before eventually arriving to safety. His intense ordeal wins him international attention,...
- 6/14/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Baltasar Kormakur's The Deep is one of those rare examples of a fictionalized true story that doesn't ooze with exaggerated melodrama for false effect. Kormakur (101 Reykjavík, the excellent Jar City, and Reykjavík-Rotterdam remake Contraband) crafts a plainspoken tale of survival that walks right past unnecessary hyperbole, instead capturing the true grit of a shipwreck and the heavy heart of a unintentional national hero. The story takes place off the southern coast of Iceland on Westman Island in 1984, where eleven years before a volcanic eruption nearly devastated the community. The disaster itself does not directly play into the story of the film, but the remaining population on the island is defined by the recent event, including the crewmembers of the fishing vessel about to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/6/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Icelandic "Jar City" and "Contraband" director Baltasar Kormákur has signed on to develop a television series based on the "Eve Online" Mmorpg. Reykjavik-based "Eve" developers/publishers Ccp Games have partnered with Kormákur and his production company to create a TV series that will use for inspiration player stories submitted to http://truestories.eveonline.com. The "Eve" universe is a dystopian science fiction one set 21,000 in the future, in which rival societies are trapped beyond a wormhole. The game, which was launched 10 years ago, now has over 500,000 subscribers, "The Eve universe is full of astounding stories of epic battles, daring heists, and gripping political intrigue, all of which will make for an amazing television series," Kormákur said in the announcement. "The opportunity to interact with the fans of the Eve Universe directly opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities." The process of integrating a...
- 4/29/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
While American audiences may be familiar with Baltasar Kormakur thanks to his Hollywood debut on last year's hit "Contraband" starring Mark Wahlberg, in his native Iceland, the filmmaker is not just respected as a director, but as an actor as well. Films like "Jar City" (which he helmed, and there's a remake in the works) and "Reykavik-Rotterdam" (in which he starred; the film was remade as "Contraband") -- and oh yeah, he was a producer on both -- helped put him on the map, and of course, Hollywood came calling. But he never left home completely, and while later this summer his re-teaming with Wahlberg for the action flick "2 Guns" will hit theaters, coming first is a film that saw Kormakur return home to tell a gripping true story. The dramatic thriller "The Deep" tells the tale of a group of fisherman whose boat capsizes in freezing waters, and centers on the one,...
- 4/18/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Since making his transition from actor to writer/director in 2000 with the raucous comedy 101 Reykjavik, Baltasar Kormákur has rapidly established himself as one of the most gifted and versatile European filmmakers. The Icelandic multi-hyphenate has moved with seeming ease from grand family dramas (The Sea) to gritty police procedurals (Jar City) and poignant comedies (White Night Wedding), while also turning out English-language indie thrillers such as 2005′s A Little Trip to Heaven (starring Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles and Jeremy Renner) and the 2010′s Inhale, with Diane Kruger, Dermot Mulroney and Sam Shepard. Though Kormákur had arguably the biggest film of his career this year with Contraband – the Mark …...
- 12/18/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Portuguese Film Festival | Nordic Film Festival | Feminist Film Festival | Enchanted Pictures
Portuguese Film Festival London
If Miguel Gomes's recent works like Tabu gave you a taste for Portuguese cinema, you'll find more promise here amid a celebration of Portuguese culture. There's a new documentary on artist Paula Rego, while Pilar del Río talks to Maya Jaggi after the acclaimed doc José And Pilar, about the author José Saramago. There are also docs on architecture and the fascist era, but if there's a new young film-maker to watch, it's João Salaviza, who presents short films including his ghetto drama Arena, which won best short at Cannes in 2009.
Various venues, Sun to 8 Dec
Nordic Film Festival London
It's not as if we needed reminding what Nordic culture has done for our viewing habits lately, but if you can prise yourself from The Killing et al for long enough, there's a broader view here.
Portuguese Film Festival London
If Miguel Gomes's recent works like Tabu gave you a taste for Portuguese cinema, you'll find more promise here amid a celebration of Portuguese culture. There's a new documentary on artist Paula Rego, while Pilar del Río talks to Maya Jaggi after the acclaimed doc José And Pilar, about the author José Saramago. There are also docs on architecture and the fascist era, but if there's a new young film-maker to watch, it's João Salaviza, who presents short films including his ghetto drama Arena, which won best short at Cannes in 2009.
Various venues, Sun to 8 Dec
Nordic Film Festival London
It's not as if we needed reminding what Nordic culture has done for our viewing habits lately, but if you can prise yourself from The Killing et al for long enough, there's a broader view here.
- 11/24/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Focus World, the alternative distribution initiative owned and operated by Focus Features, has acquired U.S. rights to the riveting drama The Deep, directed by Baltasar Kormákur (director of this year.s Contraband and next year.s 2 Guns). The announcement was made today by Focus President Andrew Karpen. The Deep will be released in the first half of 2013.
The Deep has been selected as Iceland.s official submission for the 2013 Academy Awards, in the Best Foreign-Language Film category. Directed, produced, and co-written by Mr. Kormákur, The Deep dramatizes an astonishing true incident about the sole survivor of a downed fishing boat. An ordinary man.s will to live made him a reluctant national hero . one whose truly fearless act was to journey home. The film screened at the Mill Valley and Toronto International Film Festivals after being a box office smash in its home country. Bac Films is handling foreign sales of The Deep.
The Deep has been selected as Iceland.s official submission for the 2013 Academy Awards, in the Best Foreign-Language Film category. Directed, produced, and co-written by Mr. Kormákur, The Deep dramatizes an astonishing true incident about the sole survivor of a downed fishing boat. An ordinary man.s will to live made him a reluctant national hero . one whose truly fearless act was to journey home. The film screened at the Mill Valley and Toronto International Film Festivals after being a box office smash in its home country. Bac Films is handling foreign sales of The Deep.
- 11/13/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It's sincerely mind blowing that a country of just over 300,000 people can have the creative output that Iceland does. That's about half the amount of people that reside in Wyoming, the least populated state in America. But despite its size, Iceland has an incredible amount of internationally renowned visual artists, architects, musicians and, yes, filmmakers. From Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (whose "Children of Nature" was nominated for a foreign language film Oscar in 1992) to Dagur Kári Petursson (who recently made his English language debut with the Brian Cox-Paul Dano starrer "The Good Heart") to Baltasar Kormákur (who made "Jar City" and is Iceland's Oscar hope this year with "The Deep"), Iceland has no shortage of cinematic minds. All three of those noted filmmakers were among those with upcoming work being presented at a special event thrown by the Icelandic Film Centre in Reykjavik last Friday. In...
- 10/8/2012
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
According to Deadline Hollywood and The Los Angeles Times, there are two new foreign films set for English-language remakes, and it’s no surprise that they’re both thrillers. That seems to be a genre of choice for this brand of remaking (maybe because of their high concept, fan-pleasing nature). As Jee-woon Kim makes his English-language debut with The Last Stand, the director will see Allen Hughes take on a remake of his 2005 A Bittersweet Life – the story of a mobster assigned to find out if a mob boss’ mistress is cheating who, of course, becomes taken with her charms. The second thriller from overseas to land in the remake trap is the Icelandic Jar City from 2006. The film, which has a murder unraveling a bunch of secrets and a police detective who’s too old for that shit, will be made by Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk. Both movies are excellent examples of genre work...
- 9/25/2012
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Having helmed key episodes of such heralded TV dramas as Dexter, Luther, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, Brian Kirk is a hotly sought director in both television and film. Within the past year he's been a contender for the director's chair on Thor 2 and then for a fresh adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend as well as a possible Tom Cruise vehicle titled Paper Wings. Talk on the latter two has subsided, and Thor: The Dark World ultimately went to another Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor, but Kirk is poised to finally make a follow-up to his film debut, 2006's Middleton, with Universal's English-language remake of the Icelandic crime drama Jar City. The La Times calls Jar City a "cold-case-in-a-cold-place tale" in the vein of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Based on Arnaldur Indriðason's best-selling novel, the film focused on a detective who...
- 9/24/2012
- cinemablend.com
According to the L.A. Times, director Brian Kirk, most well known for his work on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has signed on to direct a remake of the Icelandic film Jar City.
You may remember Kirk’s name from last year when he was in the running for Thor: The Dark World, which actually went to another Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor.
Now, Kirk has found his film and it will be a remake of Baltasar Kormakur‘s crime thriller, which follows “a detective investigating a new murder which he believes may shed new light on an unsolved rape from over 30 years ago.”
Of course, when compared to the gig that Taylor beat him out for, this isn’t much compensation. That being said, the plot sounds intriguing enough and who knows, this could turn out to be a decent little crime thriller.
Outside of HBO’s...
You may remember Kirk’s name from last year when he was in the running for Thor: The Dark World, which actually went to another Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor.
Now, Kirk has found his film and it will be a remake of Baltasar Kormakur‘s crime thriller, which follows “a detective investigating a new murder which he believes may shed new light on an unsolved rape from over 30 years ago.”
Of course, when compared to the gig that Taylor beat him out for, this isn’t much compensation. That being said, the plot sounds intriguing enough and who knows, this could turn out to be a decent little crime thriller.
Outside of HBO’s...
- 9/22/2012
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Brian Kirk is in negotiations to direct the American remake of the well reviewed 2006 Icelandic crime drama "Jar City" reports The Los Angeles Times.
The story follows a detective investigating a fresh murder he believes is linked to an unsolved rape from the decades ago. Original director Baltasar Kormakur is on board to produce.
Kirk has helmed some of the most beloved episodes so far of HBO's "Game of Thrones". He was also linked as director of the upcoming "Thor: The Dark World", a job that ultimately went to fellow 'Thrones' helmer Alan Taylor.
The story follows a detective investigating a fresh murder he believes is linked to an unsolved rape from the decades ago. Original director Baltasar Kormakur is on board to produce.
Kirk has helmed some of the most beloved episodes so far of HBO's "Game of Thrones". He was also linked as director of the upcoming "Thor: The Dark World", a job that ultimately went to fellow 'Thrones' helmer Alan Taylor.
- 9/21/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Game of Thrones director Brian Kirk has a new job. This time, he will bring us a remake of the Icelandic crime drama titled Jar City. Originally directed by Baltasar Kormakur in 2006, this movie definitely has it all, and by all I mean – a detective, an unsolved rape and a new murder. You know, the usual criminal stuff…
Actually, the original movie centered on a world-weary cop who believes that a recent murder of an elderly man is linked to a case of rape three decades earlier. He must try to solve that puzzle and put the pieces together, and that, my friends, is not an easy job for our detective.
The whole thing is based on an Icelandic bestseller Mýrin, which is a novel written by Arnaldur Indriðason.
And, just in case this already sounds familiar to you, I will just remind you that Jar City remake has already...
Actually, the original movie centered on a world-weary cop who believes that a recent murder of an elderly man is linked to a case of rape three decades earlier. He must try to solve that puzzle and put the pieces together, and that, my friends, is not an easy job for our detective.
The whole thing is based on an Icelandic bestseller Mýrin, which is a novel written by Arnaldur Indriðason.
And, just in case this already sounds familiar to you, I will just remind you that Jar City remake has already...
- 9/21/2012
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
“Game of Thrones” directors aren’t doing too badly for themselves of late. After the runaway success of the first two seasons of the show, their names are tossed into the ring for a lot of high-profile projects and Alan Taylor went one better by landing the gig for “Thor: The Dark World.” Established television director Brian Kirk (“Luck,” “Luther,” “Great Expectations”) was also talked about in relation to that job, and while it didn't pan out, it looks like he’s now got his reward. Kirk has signed on to direct a remake of the Icelandic crime drama “Jar City,” because, you know, Nordic crime is so hot right now. The original 2006 film, directed by Baltasar Kormakur ("Contraband"), followed a detective investigating a new murder which he believes may shed new light on an unsolved rape from over 30 years ago – and even that short synopsis has us thinking about “The Girl.
- 9/21/2012
- by Joe Cunningham
- The Playlist
Toronto -- Icelandic auteur Batlasar Kormakur (Contraband, Jar City) delivers a rough-and-tumble tale of one man’s miraculous shipwreck survival in his homespun dramatic thriller, The Deep (Djupio). Inspired by true events that occurred off Iceland’s volcanic Westman Islands in 1984, the film’s first half features a slew of impressively realistic sea scenes that rival the best work of James Cameron and Wolfgang Petersen, only to lose steam once the action shifts to shore and the hero faces the consequences of staying alive. Due out for local release on September 21, The Deep will perform well with home audiences familiar
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- 9/8/2012
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A week long near-drought brings a condensed version Your Netflix Instant Weekend this week. There very few titles of note added, though there are still a few gems to be found. If you're looking for other options, don't forget you can always look at entries from previous weeks for other ideas of titles to add to your queue! This week we're going to travel South of the border for a thriller and some sci-fi from Mexico.
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Bajo La Sal, Sleep Dealer, and more...
Other articles that you might like:
Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: BMX Bandits, The House Of Yes, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more
Other articles that you might like: Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: BMX Bandits,...
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Bajo La Sal, Sleep Dealer, and more...
Other articles that you might like:
Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: BMX Bandits, The House Of Yes, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more
Other articles that you might like: Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: BMX Bandits,...
- 5/11/2012
- by Brian Kelley
- GordonandtheWhale
Chronicle director Josh Trank and Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur have signed with Management 360. Both filmmakers are repped by Wme and both helmed surprise box-office hits earlier this year. Trank made his directorial debut with Chronicle, a found-footage movie about three teens who discover super powers. The Fox release grossed more than $64 million domestically when it opened February 3. The movie has proven to be a launching pad for Trank, who now has several projects set up around town. Kormakur directed the Icelandic thriller Jar City before making his English-language debut with Contraband, the Mark Wahlberg
read more...
read more...
- 5/1/2012
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite a week light on new releases to Instant Netflix, there were still two absolute must-sees added. It's only by mere coincidence that both of them touch on the same controversial subject of the death penalty and both were made by master filmmakers (William Friedkin and Werner Herzog). This weekend be sure to check out a serial killer/courtroom drama that's both violent and thoughtful and a documentary about a brutal crime and the effects of capital punishment.
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Rampage (1987), Into The Abyss, and more...
Other articles that you might like:
Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: The Long Goodbye, My Little Eye, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more
Other articles that you might like: Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your...
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Rampage (1987), Into The Abyss, and more...
Other articles that you might like:
Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: The Long Goodbye, My Little Eye, and more Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more
Other articles that you might like: Your Netflix Instant Weekend: My Name Is Nobody, Cloud 9, and more Your...
- 4/13/2012
- by Brian Kelley
- GordonandtheWhale
A refreshing coming of age story which plays like an Icelandic Skins.
Icelandic cinema has delivered a couple of notable and diverse international hits in recent years, from the indie vibe of Baltasar Kormákur's 101 Reykjavík (2000) to the same director's grisly crime drama, Jar City (2006).
With the establishment of the streaming website Icelandic Cinema Online and the forthcoming publication of the book World Film...
Icelandic cinema has delivered a couple of notable and diverse international hits in recent years, from the indie vibe of Baltasar Kormákur's 101 Reykjavík (2000) to the same director's grisly crime drama, Jar City (2006).
With the establishment of the streaming website Icelandic Cinema Online and the forthcoming publication of the book World Film...
- 4/9/2012
- by Neil Mitchell
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Denzel Washington is in talks to star in '2 Guns'. The 'Safe House' actor would star alongside Mark Wahlberg in the project, which previously had David O. Russell attached as the director. Now, Baltasar Kormakur is helming the picture, about an agent and an intelligence officer who are both unknowingly investigating each other while they are both stealing money from gangs. It is based on the graphic novel by Steven Grant, and when David was attached he described it as a romantic western. However, it is not known if it will keep the same feel, with Icelandic-born Baltasar better known for his outright action thriller movies including 'Contraband' and 'Jar City'. In recent years Denzel has...
- 2/8/2012
- Monsters and Critics
Actor Mark Wahlberg has done a number of crime-related thrillers and dramas over the past few years, but his latest movie Contraband is a little bit different as it allowed him to form a partnership with Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur, who has established himself in his home country and the festival circuit directing films like 101 Reykjavik and Jar City . In 2008, Kormakur produced and starred in a relatively little-known heist-thriller called Reykjavik . Rotterdam , but when he decided to do an English language version of it, he joined together with Working Title Films and eventually Wahlberg and his production company. In Contraband , Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, a New Orleans family man--married to Kate Beckinsale, no less-- whose brother-in-law has gotten in...
- 1/9/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Contraband, which hits theaters on Jan. 13, stars Mark Wahlberg as a former criminal gone straight who is forced to re-enter the life when his wife.s younger brother gets mixed up with the wrong people. It.s the classic .just when you thought you were out. scenario, and Wahlberg.s the ideal choice to play a smoldering lead tearing his way through an international gang of thieves as the threat level escalates. We ran the first trailer a few weeks ago, and now there.s an official poster: Yep. Looks like Wahlberg.s ready to go to great lengths to protect his family from some pretty nasty thugs. I don.t know enough about Contraband director Baltasar Kormákur, an Icelandic filmmaker whose credits include Jar City and Inhale. So we have to lean on the cast, which is pretty impressive. Wahlberg.s going into battle with Ben Foster, Diego ...
- 10/19/2011
- cinemablend.com
It's safe to say that Baltasar Kormakur is Iceland's most successful director. After his block buster thriller Jar City set record numbers at the box office here at home he has been working on a bunch of projects over there in Hollywoodland. His first try at Hollywood came in the form of Inhale, a thriller that sort of came and went without much fanfare but got him enough notice that he was signed on to direct the remake of a film he wrote, produced and starred in, Reykjavik Rotterdam, under the title Contraband. It seems that his work with Mark Wahlberg has led to Baltasar signing on to direct the Wahlberg starring crime caper 2 Guns, based on the comic by Steven Grant and Mat...
- 10/17/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Hello again. Another slow week means more "classic" recommendations, films not newly added but perhaps lacking from your queue. Today is July 1st, and you know what the first of the month means - tons of new titles, which I'll begin sifting through and have ready for you next week. For now, let's take a look at an Icelandic police procedural and a violent revenge thriller from Australia.
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more...
Read more on Your Netflix Instant Weekend: Jar City, The Horseman, and more...
- 7/1/2011
- by Brian Kelley
- GordonandtheWhale
Hollywood is always saying that film is a visual and not a literary medium. But sometimes it's worth fighting your way past the subtitles barrier to find, among other gems, some of the inspirations and originals that Tinseltown has been inspired by...
[Spoilers follow]
1. Kontroll (2003)
Why you should watch it:
- For the brilliant 'railing' scene. Railing, or rail running, is a deadly game whereby the participants run along the track after the last passenger train in a race against time to beat the express train that speeds through the station. I won’t give the game away, but in this scene there’s some pants-wetting action.
- The mysterious girl in the bear costume.
- To remind yourself that your job ain't all that bad. Well, you don’t get beaten up and abused on a daily basis and have to run the gauntlet of football hooligans and pimps, and have...
[Spoilers follow]
1. Kontroll (2003)
Why you should watch it:
- For the brilliant 'railing' scene. Railing, or rail running, is a deadly game whereby the participants run along the track after the last passenger train in a race against time to beat the express train that speeds through the station. I won’t give the game away, but in this scene there’s some pants-wetting action.
- The mysterious girl in the bear costume.
- To remind yourself that your job ain't all that bad. Well, you don’t get beaten up and abused on a daily basis and have to run the gauntlet of football hooligans and pimps, and have...
- 6/2/2011
- Shadowlocked
Psychoville. Doctor Who. Lots of interesting movies. It's not a bad week ahead on UK TV...
Returning from a holiday week, there's only a couple spots to circle on geek calendars this week.
One we missed in our week away was the return of Psychoville. The comedy-horror programme is airing on BBC Two, Thursdays at 10pm. If you missed the premiere last night, you can catch it on iPlayer here. Then read our review and air your opinions about the return here.
We also have an interview with series co-creator/co-star, Steve Pemberton, which reveals an interesting connection between his portrayal of the murderous son, David, in Psychoville and his role as Ripperologist, Edward Buchan, in Whitechapel, as well as a peek into where and how some of these bizarre character creations first come to life.
Then, we'll remind you that this week's Doctor Who starts a little later, at 6:15pm on BBC 1, Saturday,...
Returning from a holiday week, there's only a couple spots to circle on geek calendars this week.
One we missed in our week away was the return of Psychoville. The comedy-horror programme is airing on BBC Two, Thursdays at 10pm. If you missed the premiere last night, you can catch it on iPlayer here. Then read our review and air your opinions about the return here.
We also have an interview with series co-creator/co-star, Steve Pemberton, which reveals an interesting connection between his portrayal of the murderous son, David, in Psychoville and his role as Ripperologist, Edward Buchan, in Whitechapel, as well as a peek into where and how some of these bizarre character creations first come to life.
Then, we'll remind you that this week's Doctor Who starts a little later, at 6:15pm on BBC 1, Saturday,...
- 5/6/2011
- Den of Geek
"Dogtooth" (2009)
Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos
Released by Kino
"Enter the Void" (2010)
Directed by Gaspar Noé
Released by Mpi Home Video
Somehow it's fitting that two of last year's most dangerous films will be hitting DVD shelves the same week, both being favorites of the IFC.com staff. "Dogtooth," Lanthimos' much-debated Un Certain Regard winner from Cannes, concerns the lives of three culturally isolated children -- two daughters and a son, who range from mid-teens to early 20s -- fenced in by their parents' country home, who receive a reeducation when their lone connection to the outside world, a female security guard for their parents' business, introduces them to the joys of sex and Sylvester Stallone films. Meanwhile, "Irreversible" provocateur Noé's latest is a wildly ambitious 155-minute extravaganza set inside the mind of a drug dealer told from the first-person perspective. Nathaniel Brown and "Boardwalk Empire" star Paz de la Huerta...
Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos
Released by Kino
"Enter the Void" (2010)
Directed by Gaspar Noé
Released by Mpi Home Video
Somehow it's fitting that two of last year's most dangerous films will be hitting DVD shelves the same week, both being favorites of the IFC.com staff. "Dogtooth," Lanthimos' much-debated Un Certain Regard winner from Cannes, concerns the lives of three culturally isolated children -- two daughters and a son, who range from mid-teens to early 20s -- fenced in by their parents' country home, who receive a reeducation when their lone connection to the outside world, a female security guard for their parents' business, introduces them to the joys of sex and Sylvester Stallone films. Meanwhile, "Irreversible" provocateur Noé's latest is a wildly ambitious 155-minute extravaganza set inside the mind of a drug dealer told from the first-person perspective. Nathaniel Brown and "Boardwalk Empire" star Paz de la Huerta...
- 1/24/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Americans find foreign places scary and believe dying and/or missing children to be the height of human tragedy. The above opinions are widely held in Iceland, a generalization I feel liberated to make after watching Inhale, a public service announcement packaged as a big, frowny movie that operates from a series of tiresome presumptions about both its subject and its audience. Director Baltasar Kormakur (A Little Trip to Heaven, Jar City) hails from Iceland, but was apparently weaned on the films of Alejandro González Iñárritu, the Mexican director who loves to make American characters choke on their privilege, ideally while their children hang in the balance.
- 10/22/2010
- Movieline
Paramount Pictures has released three new, creepy tv spots for Paranormal Activity 2, the sequel to Oren Peli‘s 2007 supernatural blockbuster. This time, Michael R. Perry (Persons Unknown) penned the screenplay and the film is directed by Tod “Kip” Williams (Jar City). Check out the tv spots below!
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Level
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Cameras
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Katie
Paranormal Activity 2 hits theaters at midnight tonight.
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Level
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Cameras
TV Spot: Paranormal Activity 2 – Katie
Paranormal Activity 2 hits theaters at midnight tonight.
- 10/21/2010
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
The trailer and images are now available from IFC's Inhale drama which opens on October 22nd in La and New York. Baltasar Kormakur (Brúðguminn, Jar City) directs from the writing by John Claflin and Walter A. Doty III from the story by Christian Escario. Michelle Chydzik Sowa, Jennifer Kelly and Nathalie Marciano produce. The strong cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger, Jordi Molla, Vincent Perez, Rosanna Arquette and Sam Shepard. Every day, rising Santa Fe District Attorney Paul Stanton and his wife, Diane, wait for word that there’s a donor for their daughter, Chloe. Diagnosed with a rare degenerative condition, Chloe is on a long list to receive a double lung transplant. As her health worsens, Paul becomes desperate to save his young child…so desperate that he’ll risk everything to organize an operation. When Paul learns of a Dr. Novarro who performs transplants in Juarez, Mexico, he...
- 10/15/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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