Rosalie Rut Sigrúnardóttir - Screenwriting and Directing

In a nightmarish marriage, Hallgerður looks for a way out of an "invisible" prison while she faces the false promise of freedom.

In reality, the film is about a woman who is trapped, tries to escape, but can't.

What is the first film experience you remember that had an impact on you?

Wow, I really have to post a few movies that all have in common that they had a big impact on me before the age of 8 and I still connect with them to this day. They are "The Sound of Music", the Kirikou films, "Grease", "The Mask", "Bend it like Beckham", "Nemo" and sorry, but "Grey's Anatomy". The works grabbed me but there is some special and indescribable connection which I still feel about "The Sound of Music" - the intertwining stories were so interesting to a young kid and you see the growth or development of most, if not all, of the characters which is really rare when you have a movie with more than six leading roles. I remember sitting and watching the tape on weekends with my sister or being babysat by my aunt. After sitting for 3 hours straight watching the Swiss family sing together and flee the country, I rewound and watched it all again...even though I didn't realize it was a war movie until adolescence. But for me, the film is about the small moments that can influence the next generations - about learning and freedom. It's about enjoying life in as many moments as you can and being true to yourself, which I have to say I've taken with me on the journey of life since I was very small. I don´t like dwelling on negative emotions or building a false personality just to please people - I'm just me, as weird as Maria Von Trapp (not the real one).

What fascinates you about filmmaking?

The most important aspect of creating art in a group is actually the conversation throughout the process. The dream of any project is to stay in creative flow throughout the entire process - before, during and after filming. I would describe it as a kind of dance with all kinds of diverse dancers who have all studied for different lengths of time, to different degrees and move at different speeds. What fascinates me the most is the challenge of threading everyone through the dance and trying to keep everyone in sync so we can finish the recital.

Why did you choose Screenwriting and Directing?

I wanted to focus on learning screenwriting and developing that skill and interest of mine. I've been writing for as long as I can remember and I definitely get approx. 70 new ideas every week, but since I need a lot of speed and energy, I rarely work on one project at a time. So I haven't taken the time to write more than maybe 3 pages out of the hundreds of ideas I have - but found passion in many of them. I wanted, and still want, to focus on directing but chose to go into screenwriting to challenge myself to sit down and focus and finish one piece at a time. I wanted to open up a new side of myself, and learn from and be inspired by other people in screenwriting.

Did anything particularly surprise you during your studies?

I think what surprised me the most was how much control you have over your studies and your projects - although of course there is a lot of collaboration. But the work always starts with you and you are the one who has to step up and put in the effort to get the results you want.

And what does the future look like?

I am extremely excited for the next few months and also the next 20 years. I want to specialize in directing and study even more in that field. I am also incredibly lucky to be able to work at what I love and I want to help more people find that feeling. But I'm bouncing around and have a long list of things I want to do, so I don't know if I want to continue my studies in 8 months or 12 years. I'm just going to see where life takes me and follow the waves - otherwise I will make them myself. However, I still have a lot to learn about art and life itself. So I want to focus on absorbing as much information as I can in the next few years and hopefully get to work with as many great people as I have so far. I am up in the clouds with the privilege of being able to come to work, to meetings, to sets, to post-production, to the chat about everything between heaven and earth, and I sincerely hope that I will be able to continue that in the coming years.