Гримур Хаконарсон

Grímur Hákonarson

The Icelandic director Grimur Hakonarson graduated from FAMU - Film Academy of Performing Arts in Prague 2004. Before he went to film school he made several low-budget movies, some of them are well known in Iceland, like the documentaries about the unemployed musician Vardi, VARDI GOES ON TOUR (2000) and VARDI GOES EUROPE (2002).

His graduate film from FAMU, SLAVEK THE SHIT (2005), was the first film that got international attention. It was selected to the Cinefoundation section of Cannes Film Festival 2005 and it won 12 festival prizes, including the “Silver Hugo” in Chicago International Film Festival. His next short film, WRESTLING, was made in Iceland in 2006, a love story about two homosexual wrestlers. Wrestling was premiered in Locarno Film Festival 2007 and is one of the most successful short films from Iceland. It won 25 festival prizes around the world, including “Best short” in Interfilm 2008.

Grimur's first feature film, a local comedy called SUMMERLAND (2010), was screened in Icelandic cinemas and was well received. It won two international prizes. In May 2012 Grimur premiered his documentary, A PURE HEART, in Skjaldborg Film Festival and won the main prize, the “Einar award”. Grimur's documentary, HVELLUR, was premiered in cinemas in Iceland in March 2013
and got great reviews. It won the Icelandic Academy awards (Eddan) for best documentary in 2014.

Grimur’s new feature film, Rams, about two warring sheepfarming brothers, was premiered in Cannes Film Festival 2015 and won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section. It is now doing the international festival circuit and has already won 22 prizes. It has been shown in prestigious festivals like Telluride, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Sundance and Busan has been sold to over 40 territories.