05/05/2008 - Producer on the Move 2008 - Iceland

With 20 years experience in television, film and radio in Iceland, in 2006 Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson was appointed head of production at Saga Film, one of the country’s leading production companies. His production credits for Saga include their first feature film, Cold Trail, and the successful TV drama series The Press.

How was your experience on Cold Trail, your first feature film?
In retrospect, it was a very good experience. I had the opportunity to work very closely with the director and the script writer, from the development stage. The director, Bjorn B. Bjornsson had a very clear vision and a strong background from the commercial world. This was his first feature film. I was very happy to work with him and would in fact work with the whole crew again, if the right project came about. The financing period was quite short and we were happy that the Icelandic Film Fund came on board very quickly.

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What kind of films and genres are you interested in?
In general, I like drama and thrillers, and any films that are based on good scripts. What I like to see in a film is a very strong visual texture as well as an excellent storyline. I prefer to see films that evolve around ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Where do you see your career five years from now?
I have been so lucky for the past four years with Saga Film, in being the creative leader in production of all genres and thus part of a creative team that has produced a lot of TV programmes and commercials. I am now preparing to shift the focus of my company more towards films, and have set the aim towards producing two films per year, for the local as well as the European market.

The handful of Icelandic films made each year obtain excellent international recognition and domestic theatrical success. Yet many filmmakers and producers still complain about the lack of funding. What do you think is needed to reinforce the local film industry?
With regards to financing a film in Iceland I think we should put more financing into development – and I personally think that we should consider supporting fewer films with larger grants, than many with lower grants.

Iceland has many good writers but we need better training in writing scripts for films. We would gain very much from increasing our support to development. We have worked very well with the Icelandic Film Fund and the Icelandic government understands the importance of filmmaking , but we are a very small territory, and it can therefore be very difficult to find the last 30% of the funding needed to fully finance our films.

What do you want to get out of Producers on the Move and Cannes this year?
For me it is important to be able to meet and get to know other producers, with different or sometimes the same experiences and background. I am very interested in different cultures in filmmaking and different ways of telling stories.