Einar Thor

Einar Thor, also know as Einar Thor Gunnlaugsson, is an Iceland born film director who has since 1990 mostly lived in London, UK. He has written and directed various film works{imdb.com}, made dozens of radio programmes for Iceland National Radio{ruv.is} and has written numerous articles on art, politics and culture. His filmmaking style has been described by critics as laid back, amusing, minimalistic and deep. After his latest work, Heiðin, aka Small Mountain, a critic at the National Radio 2 said he "continues to develop the art of filmmaking in the country, with fresh approach, courage and stimulates us to reflect," but Einar had previously made satirical and unconventional movie, The Third Name (2003), that went mostly unnoticed in his country. Another critic at a national news paper wrote "for the Icelandic filmmaking to flourish we need many films like Small Mountain."

His film, Heiðin, aka Small Mountain, was famously hated by a few Icelandic cinema goers for a scene including a slaughtering of a lamb, and where the film was condemned for 'sacrificing a lamb for a movie'. As stated at the end credit no animals were harmed but that particular scene was shot under guidance of a veterinary. The director was threatened by some bloggers, but they turned out to be unable to read the end credit note.

Einar Thor grew up in a farm with his family near a small fishing village in North West part of Iceland. He used to be a year ahead in junior school and left his home ground at the age of 14 for further studies in south Iceland, left school at the age of 17 to work various jobs in farming, retail business and as a social worker, but continued his studies again at the age of 19. He worked as a sailor for 3 months every year from 1980 to 1990.

At the age of 23 he went as a volunteer to Nicaragua in 1988 during the Contra conflict. After he had experienced the atmosphere of war he returned to Europe having "lost his faith" in politics, western universities and media. He was heading for an academic career within art and cultural studies and had enrolled at a University in Madrid in 1990, but started a filmmaking course instead at the London Film School, autumn 1990. He returned to University as a student in 1999.

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Einar Thor has an MA degree from City University in London in Art Management and Policy Making in the arts (2001). He wrote a controversial theses on the statues of the Icelandic film making community which earned him considerable unpopularity at home for the upfront criticism of the Icelandic film making community of the 1990´s. Today his ideas of change are however considered commmon sense. His analysis on policy making in the area of film producing and financing covered the fundamentals in western film making communities.

[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1376627/ Einar Thor on imdb]

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