Hilmar Oddsson (born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

) is an Icelandic

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, screenwriter, film producer and musician. 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). He attended high-school at

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik Junior College) is a junior college in Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains o ...

, where he was active in the theatre club. Until 1986 he studied at the HFF

University of Television and Film Munich The University of Television and Film Munich (German: Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, short: HFF Munich) is a publicly funded film school in Munich, Germany. The school was established in 1966 by decree of the Bavarian government. T ...

. 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 Jón Leifs (born Jón Þorleifsson on 1 May 1899 – 30 July 1968) was an Icelandic composer, pianist, and conductor. Life Jón Leifs was born ''Jón Þorleifsson,'' at the farm Sólheimar, then in the Húnavatnssýsla, northwestern Iceland. H ...

called '' Tears of Stone'' (''Tár úr steini''). Hilmar won the Edda Award for Best Director (''Leikstjóri ársins'') and

Edda Award for Best Film Best Film (''Kvikmynd ársins'' or ''Bíómynd ársins'' in Icelandic) is the main category of Edda Award The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed annually by the Icelandic Film and Television Academy, and is the most prominent film and television ...

(''Bíómynd ársins'') in 2004 for his work ''

Cold Light ''Cold Light'' ( is, Kaldaljós) is a 2004 Icelandic film directed by Hilmar Oddsson. Cast Release ''Cold Light'' premiered in Iceland on 1 January 2004. It was released on 26 September 2005. Awards It was Iceland's submission to the 77th ...

'' (''Kaldaljós''). His other films include '' The Beast'' and ' 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''). 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 Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution under the aus ...

. Hilmar Oddsson was Dean of the Icelandic Film School (''Kvikmyndaskóli Íslands'') from 2010 to 2017. His marriage to actress Þórey Sigþórsdóttir produced two children, including actress Hera Hilmar.

Filmography

* '' 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) * ' (''Sporlaust'') (1998) * ''dieter roth puzzle' Documentary (2008) * ''

'' (''Kaldaljós'') (2004) * ''December'' (''Desember'') (2009) * ''Driving Mum'' (2022)

References

External links

Hilmar Oddsson
at the Icelandic Film Centre * * 1957 births

Hilmar Oddsson Hilmar Oddsson (born in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter, film producer and musician. Hilmar was born in 1957, as the first child of the playwright and theatre director Oddur Björnsson (1932-2011) and his first wife ...

Living people {{Iceland-film-director-stub