Hilmar Oddsson (born 19 January 1957 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter, film producer and musician.[1]

Hilmar Oddsson
Born (1957-01-19) 19 January 1957 (age 67)
Reykjavík, Iceland
Alma materUniversity of Television and Film Munich
Occupations
  • film director
  • screenwriter
  • film producer
  • musician
SpouseGuðlaug Matthildur Jakobsdóttir
Children2; including Hera
AwardsEdda Award for Best Director

Early life

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Hilmar was born in 1957, as the first child of the playwright and theatre director Oddur Björnsson (1932-2011) and his first wife Borghildur Thors (born 1933). He has a younger sister Elísabet Á Oddsdóttir (born 1958).[2]

He attended high-school at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, where he was active in the theatre club. Until 1986 he studied at the HFF University of Television and Film Munich.[3]

Career

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This was followed by his first directing work, Eins og skepnan deyr for which he also wrote the screenplay. In 1995, Hilmar Oddsson made a biopic about Icelandic composer Jón Leifs called Tears of Stone (Tár úr steini).[4] Hilmar won the Edda Award for Best Director (Leikstjóri ársins) and Edda Award for Best Film (Bíómynd ársins) in 2004 for his work Cold Light (Kaldaljós).[5][4] His other films include The Beast and No Trace [is].[6] In addition to his feature films, Hilmar Oddsson was involved in the creation of numerous television reports, video clips, and commercials. From 2004 to 2006, he was chairman of the Icelandic Directors' Guild (Samtök kvikmyndaleikstjóra).[1]

Besides his work as a filmmaker, Hilmar Oddsson is also a musician. He also played both guitar and keyboard in the band Melchior since 1973, releasing three albums. He composed the film music for his film The Beast (Eins og skepnan deyr). In 1989, Hilmar Oddsson released the solo album Og augun opnast. From 1998 to 2006, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.[1] Hilmar Oddsson was Dean of the Icelandic Film School (Kvikmyndaskóli Íslands) from 2010 to 2017.[7]

His marriage to actress Þórey Sigþórsdóttir produced two children, including actress Hera Hilmar.[2]

Filmography

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  • The Beast (Eins og skepnan deyr) (1986)
  • Cinderella and the Man Who Had No Trousers (Öskubuska og maðurinn sem átti engar buxur) (1987, TV film)
  • Tears of Stone (Tár úr steini) (1995)
  • No Trace [is] (Sporlaust) (1998)
  • dieter roth puzzle' Documentary (2008)
  • Cold Light (Kaldaljós) (2004)
  • December (Desember) (2009)
  • Driving Mum (2022)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Hilmar Oddsson". Icelandic Film Centre.
  2. ^ a b Sigrún Björnsdóttir (30 November 2011). "Oddur Björnsson". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic).
  3. ^ "Alltaf góðir vinir". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 22 June 2008.
  4. ^ a b TÓMASDÓTTIR (30 June 2023). "Hilmar Oddsson: An Icelandic Filmmaking Hero". Medium. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Edduverðlaunin 2004". Edda Awards (in Icelandic).
  6. ^ TÓMASDÓTTIR (30 June 2023). "Unveiling Icelandic Cinema: Exploring Hilmar Oddsson's Films and Male Identity in Cultural Context". Medium. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Staff Members". The Icelandic Film School.
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