The Swedish director Jonas Akerlund is this year's guest of honor at RIFF, but he is best known for the music videos he has worked on for the world's top pop stars, ranging from Paul McCartney, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé to Prodigy and Rammstein, but that's only part of what Åkerlund has handled in his long career. His latest project, the film Duels, is based on the popular work of the Norwegian dance group Nagelhus Schia in collaboration with the Icelandic dance company. It is composed by Damien Jalet and Erna Ómarsdóttir and first appeared on public display at the Vigelund Museum in Oslo in 2020 and was thought to unleash all the powers that emanate from the sculptures found there.
Åkerlund originally came from the advertising industry, although he never intended to stay there for long. "It's hard to get out of the advertising industry. And more importantly, it's hard not to get stuck in a certain category within the industry. To become the car guy, or the fashion guy, or the comedy guy. I've worked hard in my career to never become the "Gy with a capital G" for something, the one who only works on one thing."
He says that it gives him strength to tackle diverse and different projects. ,,Otherwise I would get bored, ,,he says when asked. He does not lack the courage to be different, but he does so in all his creations. He tries to find the same courage in the artists he works with. ,,I prefer to work with artists who are ready to do something innovative, want to shake things up and have an impact on people. The people who hire me have in common that they want to stand out. My role is to come up with ideas and implement them, but sometimes I also have to remind the artists what we are doing, that is, trying to create something unique together. Otherwise, there is no point in all this.”
He was delighted to work with Icelandic choreographer Erna Ómarsdóttir, whom he describes as one of the "most creative people" he has ever met. He says he is particularly proud of Duels, as he is always most excited about the latest he does. "I stepped into an environment that was already buzzing with creativity and talent, but my role was to capture it on film without losing the magic of seeing it with the naked eye."
RIFF visitors will have the opportunity to see Duels on the silver screen, but Åkerlund himself will be present at a post-screening discussion with Erna Ómarsdóttir at Háskólabíó on October 3rd at 5 pm. In addition, Åkerlund will have a masterclass about his incredible career in music video making, on October 4th at Háskólabíó at 5:30 pm.
