Preparations for the coming semester are in full swing, but the semester is set to begin on August 22nd. At the school we have 11 Program Directors that see to the specific courses in each department. Their purpose is to coordinate the courses, choose the teachers, quality control and evolving the studies as well as teaching selected courses.  

In Department 1 Directing and Producing  : Hlin Johannesdottir in Production and Hilmar Oddsson in Directing.

In Department 2 Creative Technology : Tomas Orn Tomasson in Cinematography, Kjartan Kjartansson in Sound, David Alexander Corno in Editing and Kristjan U. Kristjansson in Image Processing.

In Department 3 Screen Writing and Directing : Gunnar Bjorn Guðmundsson in Film Screenwriting, Otto Geir Borg in Varied Scripts and Hilmar Oddsson in Directing.

In Department 4 Acting : Runar Gudbrandsson in Acting, Thorey Sigthorsdottir in Acting and Voicework, and Kolbrun Anna Bjornsdottir in Acting and Movement.

In each semester we teach about 120 courses, 40 of which are to do with actual filmmaking or theater productions, as The Film School is one of the most productive studios in the country. This calls for good coordination and arrangements, as well as continuously developing and improving our studies.

Yesterday we had a joint meeting of Program Directors, where we went over the changes in the studies and various coordinations. You can see Bodvar Bjarki Petursson, chairman of the school, speaking to the group, but he announced that this summer we signed a new 5 year deal with the Icelandic Government.

The group was enthusiastic and excited for the coming semester.

Oli Hjortur has a documentary film project in the making

Snaedis Snorradottir certainly is a chameleon

Three IFS films to compete at Stockfish Film Festival in Reykjavík

Ólöf Birna Torfadóttir tells us about the studies, future plans and work after graduating

Olof Birna Torfadottir, a graduate from Screen writing and Directing at The Film School, just wrapped up shooting her first full length film and we had to check in on how it went

Where did the idea for the film come from? 

The idea for the film “How to be a Classy Tramp” first emerged in the summer of 2015. I was working at an abattoir in Hvolsvollur the summer in between the years I was at The Film School. There was plenty of conveyor belt work and there were few people my age, or Icelandic or English speaking, so I spent a lot of time alone and that is where the idea began to develop. The original thought was to make a film about these two characters that were named Karen and Tanja. They were a bit “expectation vs reality”. How badly one wanted to be cool, but how much of a loser one really was. That is a bit what the film is about. Karen teaching Tanja to be more careless, free and not bound to what other people think.

After having rolled it around in my head and written some plot points down over the summer, I began to develop the script further during my 3rd semester at The Film School, as by the end of the semester we were supposed to turn in a first draft of a full length script. I continued the development during the fourth semester, but after graduation in the spring of 2016, I put it aside for a while. The funny thing about this script is that no matter how long I let it rest, each time I read it over and expected it to be horrendous as you do, it never was. I love the script, always laughed as much and always wanted to make it into a film. I got the chance to take it to Les Arcs through The Film School before Christmas 2017 and it was very well received. After the New Year I began production for real.

How was the process of casting and manning the crew?

It was amazingly easy to man every part. I did not expect that people would be willing to jump into such a low budget project. I had spoken to many people I had worked with in film making about the script since 2016, but when we got to manning the crew I figured people would be more immersed in the business and would no longer be interested, but just about everyone I contacted were more than willing immediately. Like Sunna Birgisdottir, super make up artist, worded it: “Olof, I have been waiting for the call for 2 years, I am on board the Tramp Train”.


I began alone and tried various things out early in 2018, getting sponsorships, contacting many companies that would possibly receive some kind of advertisement through the film and that whole package. Originally shooting was to begin in the summer of 2018, but as financing went slow, I had to push it back. But everything happens for a reason because we could not have had a better summer for the shoot than this one in 2019. In hindsight, I would not have wanted to rush into this in 2018. Instead I started in the fall by contacting the crew and filling positions. By then I had cast the main roles. Ylfa Marin as Tanja and Asta Julia as Karen. Then, as I was working for The Icelandic Post Office in Akranes, the farm mailman was retiring after 40 years of working. I jumped at the opportunity to be able to do some location scouting around Hvalfjordur and Svinadalur and that is how I found all the locations in Hvalfjardarsveit. I then obtained another producer in the mix, Oskar Long, that immediately started to contact possible sponsors. By this time almost all the areas were covered except the actual financing. All locations, all the cast and crew, and we had nailed down shoot days from April through to September. During weekends and holidays so people would not miss work. I had a good deal for an equipment package from Kukl and Rent a lens. Then we had made a low budget production plan for the shooting period and we were not missing much, but too much to be able to cover it ourselves. Oskar manifested a miracle in such a short time period that he had. We ended up getting approximately half the budget from investors, we founded the company MyrkvaMyndir and got some overdraft from the bank for the company and just about one third of the film we paid for ourselves, but over a four month period so it did not hit us as hard. 


Were there any surprises during the shoot?

What was most surprising was how insanely well it all went and great the crew with me was. This is the first full length film I direct. Before I had made short films and I had gotten used to fixing everything myself and jumping into whatever was needed, but this was a whole different story.  The people around me were so helpful and passionate for the project and everyone was communicating and making their own way. I remember when we were heading into the second part of shooting and I had forgotten to think about the actresses hairdos until just the week before the shoot. I hurriedly contacted everyone but they had already spoken with the hairdresser, finished with coloring and touch ups and just ready to start. I sat, one evening before shooting began, so restless, I had already picked up the equipment, finished doing the little I had to do and everything else was ready. I know it is supposed to be like that but I just did not expect it so soon, especially in a low budget project. I am amazingly lucky with the crew and owe them everything for this film.


There were many things that I was stressed over and visioned could be problematic, but the funny thing is that it was completely different things and many “small” things that were so much more trouble than you would expect. For instance we were shooting lambs being born and wanted to get a shot of the actress delivering a lamb. You can not simply order that. Asta and I showed up on a Thursday before the shoot to practice a bit, but there was nothing happening. I was stressed out that we would run into the same problem on the shoot day, but as we showed up for that, five sheep were on the verge of birthing, the actress was able to do 3 test runs and then we were able to shoot her doing it twice.

This is an example of what I expected to be a big problem, and then there is an example of the small items. The great bucket problem. You have no idea how hard it is to get buckets in different colors. I did not realize that I had written buckets into almost every scene and our set dresser, Lovisa Lara, was going insane, as she did not just want a boring white bucket in every scene. So she had called every person in her surroundings asking them if they had a bucket and what color it was. This was an ongoing problem through the shoot. 


The summer as a whole was incredible fun and we were amazingly lucky in regards to the weather, at least until September. But to be honest it is all a bit blurry now. I am experiencing a bit of an excitement hangover. The latest example I remember that was a bit weird and different was when Oskar the producer and his friend took a 100 kg bathtub from Reykjavik up into the mountain in Svinadalur. Then we had the dilemma of how to fill the bathtub with water. Lovisa set dresser and I ended up going in the pitch dark the night before the shoot, into the mountain with two buckets (boring white buckets) . But the only water supply that was close was a spring that was considerably lower in the mountain. I do not know why it seemed like a good idea to fill the buckets and drive them up, not even on a road, but a semi track, up the dangerously vertical mountain. After the first try, we used small brooks and puddles we found closer to the bathtub. 


Any lessons you are taking from this experience?

I have learnt so much from this process. Everything from which biscuit to offer on set to what kind of structure will make the most of each shoot day. But first and foremost I have learnt to trust people better and not be shy to share projects. I have learnt a lot about myself during this process. Number one, I can do this. I have a voice people will listen to, I know what I want and I know what I want from people in return. Surrounding yourself with people who have as much, or even more, ambition and passion for the project is key. I have ideas and some vision that I give out and people take that a step further and creates some kind of a miracle. Costumes, hair, makeup, set dressing, framing, everything was exceedingly better than I had ever dared to hope. This film became ours, I am extremely proud of the crew and incredibly thankful for their work. I have never been as satisfied after shooting and I can not wait to show you the finished film at the movies. 


And finally, what is left to be done and when will we be able to enjoy?

The film is now in the editing process, then sound mixing and color correction at the end of October. The premiere is planned for the first weekend in April. 


Olof Birna and “How to be a Classy Tramp”

Our Creative Technology students are finishing shooting their final work these days.

It is their graduation project and our photographer went on set to see them work with Sigríður Björk Sigurðardóttir on their films.

Creative Technology students working on their graduation project

Graduation week here at The Film School is over and our first thought is gratitude. Leaving us a group of outstanding film makers that will be leaving their mark on the future and we will be keeping track with interest and excitement. Here are a few pictures from the past week and we sincerely congratulate you all on a bright future to come !

Arnar Hauksson graduated from Acting in the spring of 2018 and here you can enjoy his showreel

We congratulate him and look forward to enjoying his future projects

Rúnar Guðbrandsson is new head of Acting at IFS

The Icelandic film Brave Men´s Blood was released on VOD in the U.S.A. a couple of weeks ago, claiming high praise by American pres. Hrafnkell Stefánsson, head of Screenwriting/Directing at IFS is a co-screenwriter of the film.
The reviewer of Birth.Movie.Death. worries that “a fairly typical crime film with no stars or gimmick to help single it out of the pack” gets lost in the large number of todays releases, some very good films being unnoticed:

It grips you and keeps you interested throughout, all the way to the bitter end.

Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects grades the film with a B complimenting a strong cast and adding:

Brave Men’s Blood is a hard-hitting look at idealism and corruption from which no one escapes unscathed. It’s far from the clean, good guy defeats bad guy-type tale we’re familiar with, but that’s part of what makes it worth seeing.

At Reel News Daily Liz Whittemore is very taken by Brave Men´s Blood. She says Hrafnknell Stefansson and Olef De Fluer‘s screenplay is most definitely award worthy and that the film could easily play at both Tribeca and New York Film Festival.

It is unexpected, frustrating, heartbreaking, action packed, and altogether satisfying for both the avid film buff and the average movie goer.

Finally Unseen Films calls Brave Men´s Blood a “kick ass crime drama”. Steve Kopian describes how everyone he met, who had seen the film raved about it and that when he finally saw it – he loved it. Final words:

This really is one you want to see. Its so good that you won’t care this isn’t 100% new because you’ll be too invested in what’s happening to care.”

“A kick ass drama” – Brave Men´s Blood released on VOD in the USA

First semester students sat a course with the head of Directing, Hilmar Oddson (Tears of Stone), in visual story telling where they directed a practice project as well as begin preparation on the end of the semester project, a 7 minute long silent film. 2nd semester students finished a course in Directing with Borkur Gunnarsson (Thetta Reddast) where they directed both Acting students and professional actors and sat a course in screen writing with Hrafnkell Stefánsson (Borgriki). 4th semester students took a screen writing course with Huldar Breidfjord (Under the tree), as well as work on their graduation projects.

1st semester students began a course in sound editing with the head of Sound, Kjartan Kjartasson (101 Reykjavik), as well as begin preparation on the end of the semester project, a 7 minute long silent film. 2nd semester students sat an editing course with the head of Editing, 3rd semester students spent the week shooting their own documentary film with 4th semester students took a production course under the guidance of Arnar Benjamins (A Reykjavik Porno, Þorsti) and Filming with Bjarni Felix Bjarnason (Borgriki) where they prepared shooting their graduation projects.

2nd semester students finished a course in Directing with Borkur Gunnarsson (Thetta Reddast) where they directed both Acting students and professional actors and did a rewrite of a pilot show with Dogg Mosesdottir 4th semester students took a screen writing course with Huldar Breidfjord (Under the tree) , as well as work on a full length script rewrite with Hrafnkell Stefánsson (Borgriki) that they have been working on since their first semester. 

2nd semester students of Acting did a course in acting technique with Runar Gudbrandsson (Svartur a Leik), a course in vocal training with and Acting and movement with Gudmundur Elias Knudsen, as well as begin preparation on the end of the semester project, a 7 minute long silent film. 2nd semester students finished a course in vocal training with with an impressive demonstration, and sat a course in Acting Technique with3rd semester students were directed by 2nd semester students of Directing along with professional actors, as well as take Acting Technique with Hannes Oli Agustsson (Metalhead). 4th semester students sat a course in the making of a dance video under the guidance of Kolbrun Anna Bjornsdottir (Svartir Englar) and a course in the making of a showreel, training for auditions and a course within dubbing.

The whole school then ended the week, as usual, at Bio Paradis in film history.

Kinema, the student union, has its yearly gala on Friday the 28th of February, and the last chance to purchase tickets is on Wednesday the 26th.

Working with professional actors and the yearly gala just around the corner

The Icelandic Films School, as other colleges and universities, was made to shut down during a gathering ban that was set in the country and the teachings have been fully done online for the last two weeks.

Of course this has effected the studies, as it is in great part a hands on study, for instance when it comes to the students filming their different projects, but to their credit the students have taken these changes with a positive outlook and have been able to maintain creative inspiration usually found within the school, outside it.

It is clear that as soon as the ban is lifted that the school will be transforming into a production house and we are all looking forward to it.

1st semester students finished a course in the making of music videos, as well as beginning courses in directing and producing. 2nd semester students also did a course in producing and preparing shoots, as well as a script course. 4th semester students did courses in directing and prepared shooting documentary films that they will shoot at the end of the semester.

1st semester students are taking a course in post production, both a basic in film effects and editing. 2nd semester students have also worked in port production and doing sound editing on films they shot earlier in the semester. 3rd semester students did a course in remaking a scene, story boarding and preparing filming. 4th semester students sat with their guide editing their graduation films.

2nd semester students sat a course in making full length film scripts, where they prepared a project they will write during next semester, as well as doing a documentary course, where they will be shooting their own documentary as soon as the ban is lifted. 4th semester did a directing course where they prepared their graduation films, as well as a course in rewriting a full length script.

1st and 2nd semester students sat a course in film history. This is set earlier in their student career than usual, but will be taking courses that need a more physical closeness later in the semester and future semesters. 1st semester students also did a dance movement course where they shot personal dance videos and shared between them, and 2nd semester students are preparing a play they will stage at the end of the semester. 3rd semester students sat a course in remaking a scene and story boarding and prepared shoots that will commence when the ban is lifted. 4th semester students worked on their graduation film characters as well as preparing filming as best to their abilities.

The Icelandic Film School in the pandemic

Dagur de’Medici Ólafsson, a graduate from Creative Technology and Daníel Bjarnason, a graduate from Directing/Producing, are filming in Ethiopia for the company Skot Productions. We had a chance to talk to Dagur and find out why he chose the art of film making as his future career and further information about the project they are working on now.

What draws me to film making is the fact that there are no rules, to be able to show the beauty in what is considered ugly and make beautiful things seem grotesque. To be able to control the audiences feelings with cameras, sound and editing. That is why we watch cinema, to get to another state of mind, get another perception. I want to be the one to create that.When I started my studies in film making, my goal was always to work as a cameraman abroad in nature films, documentaries or war correspondence. With time my situation changed and that dream gave way to another one. But my need for traveling and adventure still resides in me. Daniel and I have worked a lot together and we have traveled abroad for work before, so there was never any question on whether I would take this challenging assignment on or not. I also enjoy knowing that I can be a part of opening a Children’s Village in Ethiopia.

Dagur and Bjarni are putting together a short film to bring attention to the opening of a new village in Tule Moye for the SOS Children’s Villages and are in close contact with the poverty and shortage of fulfillment of basic needs that make the villages so important and are so far removed from the situation here in Iceland.

What surprised me the most is how the people we are filming actually live, we have all seen pictures and news from the impoverished areas in Africa, but I never would have thought the situation would be so bad. This trip has taken a much bigger toll on my emotional side than my physical side. There are many mothers with 6-12 children that need to work every day so their children can have something to eat, and more often than not, there is nothing left for them. We have met children here that have been wearing the same clothes for 2-3 years everyday and the clothing is grey because the houses are built from dirt and would not even qualify for a shelter for sheep in Iceland. We have driven past people that have to walk 6-10 kilometers every day for water, that often ends up with them coming home empty handed. There are 90.000 children here on the streets, abandoned by their parents. Many thousands of children die every month from hunger, infections and disease.

Our hope is that the film reminds people of what they already know, that the situation here in Ethiopia is horrendous and that there are people here, just like us, that live a frightening existence . One tends to forget that when in Iceland, understandably one can not spend whole days thinking about the horrors of the worlds, but I do hope that the public will see the film and support the project so that SOS can build this village that is desperately needed. In 2-3 years we will be back to see the progress.

They are doing important work and we hope to see the finished film in the near future, but if you are interested in supporting this cause, you can find out more online at www.sos.is

Dagur de’Medici Ólafsson and Daníel Bjarnason filming in Ethiopia for SOS

The first semester courses start off well, after having sat a basic course in film making, students began shooting their first assignment at the school, where each one makes a one minute film.

Third semester in Directing/Producing sat a class in producing with as well as finishing a course in experimental filmmaking by premiering experimental films under the guidance of Lee Lorenzo Lynch. 

Students in Creative Technology on their second semester have partaken a course in film shooting with Tomas Orn Tomasson (Arctic, Lazy Town) and finished during the week shooting a short film which they will be taking into an editing course this week. Students on their third semester finished a course in scriptwriting with Hrafnkell Stefansson (Polite People, Borgriki) as well as learning sound editing with Kjartan Kjartansson (Svartur a Leik, Sodoma Reykjavik) 

Students in their third semester of Screenwriting/Directing sat a course where they worked with actors in writing a play with and students in their 4th semester sat writing full length film scripts with Hrafnkell Stefansson (Polite People, Borgriki), as well as working on a script for their graduation project with screenwriter Huldar Breidfjord (Under The Tree, Paris of the North) 

Students in their 2nd semester of Acting finished a course with Runar Gudbrandsson (Svartur a Leik, XL) where they worked with students of the Screenwriting department in composing a play that will be staged at the end of the semester, took a course in singing with Thorunn Erna Clausen (Rettur, Loi) and began a course in improv and comedy with Students in their third semester finished a course in working with directors taught by and began a course in acting technique and interpretations with Students of 2nd and 3rd semester also completed a course in acting and movement where they learned Circus Acts under the guidance of Nick Candy and Kári Svan (Circus Iceland)

We then ended the week at Bio Paradis as traditional, where the whole school enjoyed Film History.

It is safe to say that there is never a dull moment and the coming semester is looking bot interesting and thrilling. 


Björk has within a week released two new videos to the songs from her latest album, Vulicura. The songs are Black lake and Stonemilker and have sparked attention, both having been filmed in Icelandic nature.

The Icelandic Film School is proud to have a teacher at the school, Jonathan Devaney on the team for both productions as a gaffer and on one of them he was assisted by our recent graduate, Jón Marinó.

For those of you interested in enjoying the 360° feature in the Stonemilker video, we recommend using the Chrome browser.

Devaney, an IFS teacher worked on Björk’s videos

This summer has involved a lot of restructuring with the teaching system at the Icelandic Film School, the object being to focus on teaching within the specialized subjects and improve quality of service. Instead of the department division with one head of a department that has been used for the last decade, we have adapted a program direction system where one Program Director is in charge of each specialized program within a department. So in each department there will be 2-3 Program Directors that have the mission of coordinating courses, have oversight of employment of teachers and instructors and are to ensure that each student will receive all they need for the graduation criteria within each subject.

Heading the Program Directors will be a Studies Director that will be responsible for the making of timetables, coordinating the Program Directors, curriculums and the inner web. The model for this system can be found in many of the more prestigious film schools in Europe. This will not affect our tradition of working with a wide variety of teachers in all the programs for the students benefit.

We have been working on hiring Program Directors for the last few weeks and that process should be completed at the beginning of next week. We have already hired people for most of the positions and are very fortunate to have been able to get gifted and experienced people aboard. Here is a list of our Program Directors so far:

Hilmar Oddsson, our former principal, Director of “Directing”
Hlín Jóhannesdóttir, our former division head of Directing/Producing from 2014-2016, Director of “Producing”
Kjartan Kjartansson, Director of “Sound”
Jakob Halldórsson, Director of “Editing”
Kristján U. Kristjánsson, Director of “Visual effects VFX”
Ottó Geir Borg, Director of “Script category”
Gunnar B. Gunnarsson, Director of “Full length scripts”
Þórey Sigþórsdóttir, Director of “Acting and voicing”

All these people are at the forefront of their subjects and have enormous experience in teaching, both within the Film School and elsewhere and we are very excited to have them on the team. After the weekend we will announce 3 more Program Directors, as well as our new principal.

It is our firm belief that this new system will improve both the service to students as well as the overall quality of the school experience.

A new Program Director system has been put in place with the Icelandic Film School and amazing people have joined the team!

Search results

Fall semester 2019 is about to begin

Oli Hjortur has a documentary film project in the making

Snaedis Snorradottir certainly is a chameleon

Three IFS films to compete at Stockfish Film Festival in Reykjavík

Ólöf Birna Torfadóttir tells us about the studies, future plans and work after graduating

Olof Birna and “How to be a Classy Tramp”

Creative Technology students working on their graduation project

Graduation week is over

Arnar Hauksson, a graduate of Acting

Rúnar Guðbrandsson is new head of Acting at IFS

“A kick ass drama” – Brave Men´s Blood released on VOD in the USA

Working with professional actors and the yearly gala just around the corner

Birgitta Bjornsdottir at Cannes

The Icelandic Film School in the pandemic

Dagur de’Medici Ólafsson and Daníel Bjarnason filming in Ethiopia for SOS

Never a dull moment at The Film School

Devaney, an IFS teacher worked on Björk’s videos

A new Program Director system has been put in place with the Icelandic Film School and amazing people have joined the team!

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