Producer's Day

Producers Day | RIFF 2022

October 6 | 9:30 - 13:00 | Ráðhús

Delegations

Iceland is naturally geolocated between the US & Europe, making it a perfect place to link continents, industries and professionals. The Producers’ Day builds a bridge between regions and offers an innovative space for creative exchange and a breeding ground for new partnerships. With a focus on Nordic and EU co-productions, producers from these regions will talk about the challenges and opportunities of their line of work. In line with the Spanish Focus of RIFF 2022, a Spanish delegation will be present at this year’s Producer’s Day.

Moderated by: Lilja Björk Gudmundsdottir

Invitation only. If you would like to request an (observer) invitation you may e-mail industry@riff.is. 

All attendees of the Producer’s Day are invited to the Producer’s Day Reception at RVK Studios from 17:30 to 19:00.

Lilja Björk Guðmundsdóttir works for the Federation of Icelandic Industries. She is the Key Account Manager for the Association of Icelandic Film Producers (SÍK) working closely with the board as well as members towards the best possible economic, legislative, and regulatory environment for the Icelandic film industry.

Spanish Delegation

 

Carlos Pardo Ros is a Spanish filmmaker who works as a director and producer. In 2017 he founded DVEIN Films. He has so far produced short films premiered and awarded at festivals like Locarno, San Sebastián, Mar del Plata, Visions du Reel, FIDMarseille or Viennale. He is member of lacasinegra collective (together with Gabriel Azorín, María Antón Cabot and Elena López) and is also a member of DVEIN together with Teo Guillem. His first feature film as director, “H”, premiered at Visions du Réel in 2022.

Madrid, 1974. Javier Lafuente is a founding co-partner, together with Jonás Trueba, of Los ilusos films S.L., an independent production company responsible for Los ilusos (2013), a feature film shot in the spare time of a group of professionals and friends over a period of months, and also distributed independently in Spain and abroad. Los exiliados románticos (2015), obtained several prizes and mentions in the Spanish Film Festival of Malaga in 2015, among them the Special Prize of the Jury, and was presented in an unusual tour “Only in summer cinemas”, before arriving at the conventional exhibition circuit.La reconquista (2016), was part of the official competition section of the San Sebastian Festival and has obtained various awards in Spain and abroad. La virgen de agosto (2019), chosen among the best films of 2020 by newspapers and magazines such as Cahiers du Cinéma and Libération. The film won the FIPRESCI Award and Special Jury Mention at the 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was nominated to the César Awards (the French Film Academy Awards) in the Best Foreign Film category. Quién lo impide (2021) a project bringing cinema closer to different young teenagers, which was shown in different pieces, as a film in progress. A feature- film version of Quién lo impide recently premiered at San Sebastian Film Festival 2021, where it won the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance, Feroz Zinemaldia for Best Film and the FIPRESCI Award. In 2022 the film also won the Goya Award for Best Documentary. Tenéis que venir a verla (2022), won the Special Jury Prize Award at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film is also selected in other International Film Festivals like Zurich, New York, Reykjavik, San Sebastián.

 

Marina Lameiro holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the URJC and a Master’s Degree in Creative Documentary from IDEC-UPF and a Postgraduate Degree in Audiovisual Editing from the same university. She was part of the Collaborative Studio (CoLab) of UnionDocs in New York City as an artist in residence. She is producer, director and screenwriter of several documentaries including Young & Beautiful feature film that, among other awards, won the Special Audience Award at the Punto de Vista Festival in 2018, was nominated for the Feroz Awards and has been shown in more than 20 countries.

 

 

Rafa Molés (Les Alqueries 1974) is a director, scriptwriter and journalist. He has a bachelor in Information Sciences (Journalism section) and 20 years of experience in the audiovisual sector. In 2012 he received the award “Journalist of the year” in the III Edition of the Journalistic Awards of the Valencian Community. Together with Pepe Andreu, he created the audiovisual production company SUICAfilms, where they direct and produce all their projects. He has been recognized twice as Best Producer of the Year at the PROA Awards.

Rafael Molés

Icelandic Delegation

 

After 15 years of working in television, Agnes Johansen was recruited as line producer on Baltasar Kormakur’s  The Sea (2001). Subsequently she joined his production company Blueeyes Productions as producer and has continued to produce under the label of RVK Studios since its launch in 2012. Production credits include:  Jar City (2006), White Night Wedding (2008), Reykjavik Rotterdam (2008), The Deep (2012) Virgin Mountain (2015) and The Oath (2016), as wll as television series Trapped (2016-2022)  and Katla (2021).

Anton Máni Svansson co-founded Join Motion Pictures in 2007 with the ambition to forge close working relationships with upcoming writer-director talents. Over the last 15 years, he has worked as a producer and CEO of the company, and his productions have sold worldwide and been selected for many of the most prestigious film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastian, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, BFI, IDFA, Telluride, and Toronto. These films have collected around 200 awards, a nomination for the European Film Awards, and four nominations for the Nordic Council Film Prize. His credits include HEARTSTONE, WINTER BROTHERS, A WHITE, WHITE DAY, BEAUTIFUL BEINGS, NEST, and GODLAND. Anton is an EAVE and EAVE+ graduate, was Iceland’s 2017 Producer on the Move in Cannes, and won a Lorens Award for Best Producer at Goteborg Film Festival the same year. He is currently the Chairman of SÍK – Association of Icelandic Film Producers and in the board of ÍKSA – the Icelandic Film & TV Academy.

 

 

Arnar Benjamín Kristjánsson holds a MA degree in Business and Producing from the Met Film School and a MMM degree in Marketing from Bifrost University. He has been a producer at Zik Zak Filmworks since 2018.

 

Birgitta Björnsdóttir was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1978. After finishing her BA in English at the University of Iceland, she subsequently started an MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School. After graduating in 2009, she started working at the Icelandic production company Zik Zak Filmworks. In 2011 she co-funded Vintage Pictures. The company has produced four features, Pale Star and A Reykjavik Porno (2016), the award winning film The Swan in 2017, and in 2019 the film Agnes Joy, that became the most popular Icelandic film that year. Birgitta was chosen as a Producer on the Move by the European Film Promotion for Cannes in 2018 and was selected as one of Screen Daily´s 25 Global Future Leaders in 2018 for their Cannes Issue. 

Co-founder of Compass Films, Iceland, Heather Millard has produced a variety of internationally award-winning documentary films, feature films, shorts and animated films as well as service produced international television series. Heather has been working in the film & television industry in the UK since 2005 and relocated to Iceland in 2009 where she continues to produce international content. Her feature films and theatrical documentaries include BAND (HotDocs 2022), Of Good Report (TIFF 2013), YARN (SXSW 2017) and Future of Hope (IDFA 2010). Her productions have been licensed internationally to broadcasters and SVOD platforms and released theatrically in numerous territories. Heather recently completed the Icelandic feature film Summerlight and then comes the night directed by Elfar Adalsteins (scheduled for release in 2022), the docu-fiction BAND directed by Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir and the animated short film Chasing Birds directed by Una Lorenzen and is now in production with the short film Flowers to the Bone directed by Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir and in development with the children’s animated television series Ormhildur the Brave a co-production with NDR, Germany. Heather Millard is a member of the European Film Academy and was Iceland’s Producer on the Move in Cannes 2015.

 

Hlín Johannesdottir has worked in film production since year 2000, as associate producer, producer, co-producer, production manager and line producer. She has worked with many of Iceland’s most successful directors on feature films and documentaries. Hlin owns and runs the production company Ursus Parvus in Reykjavik. Hlín is the co-founder and head of production of JONAA.org and serves as the Head of Production at The Icelandic Film School. Hlin has been the chair of The Icelandic Film & TV Academy since 2016. She is now working for Pegasus Pictures as a producer.

Sigurjon (Joni) Sighvatsson, a veteran producer with over 50 feature films and television series to his credit, has worked with some of the most successful filmmakers in the industry, including David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, Jim Sheridan, Julian Schnabel, and multiple Academy Award nominees and winners. Among his films are Brothers, Z for Zachariah, Killer Elite, as well as classics such as Wild at Heart, Arlington Road, and Basquiat.Sighvatsson also continues to be a significant force in the world of art films. After having paved the way for visual artists moving into feature films with Julian Schnabel’s highly acclaimed Basquiat, Sighvatsson has also produced the groundbreaking Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait as well as the controversial Destricted, a collection of short films by some of the world’s leading artists focusing on the concept of pornography. More recently, Sighvatsson has branched out into documentary directing, stepping up as codirector for the upcoming OMG IT’S A MIRACLE, an examination of innovating Icelandic musicians around the world and the spiritual sequel to 2005’s SCREAMING MASTERPIECE, and of course making his directorial debut with EXXTINCTION EMERGENCY, an exploration of the radical global climate movement Extinction Rebellion.

Nordic Delegation

 

Dyveke Bjøkly Graver worked at Cinenord between 2009 and 2017, where she produced and co-produced 8 feature films and worked with several tv-series. In 2017 she started as a producer at Oslo Pictures, and during the fall of 2019, became CEO of the company. In Oslo Pictures she has executive produced “The worst person in the world”, which premiered in Cannes Competition in 2021. The film won Best actress award in Cannes and was later nominated for two Oscars. This year she returned to Cannes with “Sick of Myself” in Un Certain Regard, the film is by Kristoffer Borgli was produced alongside Andrea Ottmar. Dyveke is also producing the upcoming feature film “Ebba” by Johanna Pyykkö. In August 2022 Andrea Berentsen Ottmar and Dyveke Bjørkly Graver launched their new production company Eye Eye Pictures.

 

Jasmine Naghizadeh is a graduate of The Danish School of Media and Journalism under their Media Management programme. She has worked with a number of different production companies, both in fiction well as documentaries. Since 2019, she has produced exclusively for Nimbus Film where her slate includes having produced the feature film MY ROBOT BROTHER (2022) and an upcoming series for DR (2023), while also having served as development producer on the Viaplay series WHERE WERE YOU (2022). She also acted as an associate producer on the Icelandic feature film ECHO by Rúnar Rúnarsson. Jasmine produces with a shared focus on both features and series.

 

Founded in 2007 and led by producers Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff, Bufo has produced a number of films of which many have received international recognition. Based in Helsinki, the ambitious and thrill-seeking company concentrates on plot-driven and meaningful stories that can also entertain big audiences. Bufo’s films all share the elements of clear artistic vision, innovation and high quality.

 

Torfinnur Jâkupsson is a Faroese screenwriter, showrunner and executive producer with a background in journalism and music. He is also CEO of GRÓ Studios, the first studio of its kind in the Faroe Islands. Represented by Danske Dramatikere and Swedish boutique agency Albatros, Torfinnur is the creator and head writer of the first ever Faroese TV drama series, award-winning eco-crime thriller TROM, shown on Viaplay, DR, BBC, ZDF/Arte, AMC+ and SBS among others. 

 

 

Jón Hammer first cut his teeth at Lars von Trier’s Zentropa, before moving on to independent powerhouse Adomeit Film Denmark and founding his own production company Kykmyndir / KYK Pictures. Jón is a member of European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) and the Faroese producer of the first ever Faroese TV drama series, award-winning eco-crime thriller TROM, shown on Viaplay, DR, BBC, ZDF/Arte, AMC+ and SBS among others.

Spotlight: Sound Design

Each edition of Producer’s Day will spotlight one other branch of the industry. In 2022 we celebrate sound designers and we have a conversation about their line of work. Come meet our musical talents!

Amanda Villavieja is a sound technician and sound designer in more than fifty fiction and documentary films. Graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Master in Creative Documentary from the Pompeu Fabra University. Developed a working relationship with many film directors as Oliver Laxe, José Luis Guerin, Isaki Lacuesta, Mercedes Álvarez, Celia Rico, Neus Ballús, Luis Miñarro, Ricardo Iscar, Pilar Palomero, Nely Reguera, Joaquín Jordá, Maider Fernández, Kikol Grau, Carla Subirana, Fabrizio Ferarro, Alberto Gracia or Jonás Trueba. Teacher of sound design in: ECAM (School of Cinematography and Audiovisual of Madrid); ESCAC (Superior School of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Barcelona); ECIB (Barcelona Cinema School); Master in Creative Documentary of the UPF (Pompeu Fabra University) and Master in Theory and Practice of Creative Documentary of UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona). She has given sound seminars at different film festivals such as Curtocircuito in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) or at the Muestra de cine de Lanzarote (Canarian Islands) and has worked on the sound design of artistic installations such as De cos present or ftermath by Isaki Lacuesta.

Björn Viktorsson is an independent sound designer and sound mixer. Since 2001 he has worked in all fields of sound for film and television, be it pre-production, production, postproducion or sound design. He has been involved in the sound of numerous films, TV series, documentaries and commercials. Björn studied audio engineering at SAE (School of Audio Engineering) in Glasgow. After studying, Björn worked at RÚV (The Icelandic National Broadcast Company) and then for Cinema Sound ltd. in Iceland. In 2014 he started his own company Akkeri Films ltd. He is the sound mixer for films such as: Godland by Hlynur Pálmason, Chicken Boy by Guðmundur Arnar, Lamb by Valdimar Jóhannesson, A White White Day by Hlynur Pálmasson, The County Grímur Hákonarson, Under the Tree by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, Heartstone by Guðmundur Arnar, Rams by Grímur Hákonarson, Sparrows by Rúnar Rúnarsson, Paris of the North by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, The Deep by Baltasar Kormákur, Volcano by Rúnar Rúnarsson and more. Björn is also the sound designer for Godland, Moment by Anette K. Olesen, Lille Sommerfugl by Sören Kragh Jacobsen, Lamb, The County, Under The Tree, Rams, The Last Autumn by Yrsa Roca Fannberg, Dreamland by Þorfinnur Guðnason, the children TV series Lazy Town by Magnús Scheving, in addition to other films and documentaries. Björn has been nominated for Best Sound at The EDDA, Icelandic Film and TV Awards, for Reykjavík Electronica (by Arnar Jónasson) and Lazy Town in 2008, Dreamland, A Mothers Courage: Talking Back to Autism (by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson) in 2009, Rams in 2015 and In front of other people (by Óskar Jónasson) in 2016. He won the prize for Rams in 2015.

Gunnar Árnasson was born in 1966 in Selfoss, Iceland. Bought his first mixer in 1981 and studied Electronic engineering from 1982 to 1986. He founded his sound company “Upptekid” in 1987 and it is still running. Started working as front of house mixer on concerts from 1986 to 1994 when he opened his first post-production sound studio and beside that he was front of house mixer in musicals in Icelandic theatres until 2006. In 2017, he started building his new studio in Kópavogur, with one booth, one small edit studio and in January 2021 he got Dolby Atmos Feature Certified Studio license for the big studio. That was studio number seven in Scandinavia to have this certification. For over 40 years, Gunnar has worked in all kinds of sound departments. Answer machines, audio books, music, documentary, video games, TV drama series and feature films.

Nick Cathcart Jones was born in October 1958 in Bedford, England. And for over forty years Nick has dedicated his career to the recording/production/mixing of all things audio. After completing formal schooling he left his home town of Torquay for London to start a job at Mayfair Recording studios as a tape-operator. There he learned the basics of sound engineering and worked along side artists such as Ultravox and BA Robertson. Shortly after that he started work at Gateway Recording Studios and rose quickly to the position of Chief Sound Engineer. Whilst there he was responsible for revamping and rewiring the studio and worked with the likes of Frankie goes to Hollywood and Haircut 100. In 1984 he founded Clock Studios, in the City of London. Initial successes included Sinitta (first gold record), Bucks Fizz, Mike and Mechanics, Robert Plant and the Cult. In the autumn 1986 Nick received an invitation from Steinar Records in Iceland to record a Christmas album for the local market. This company also represented the jazz/funk group Mezzoforte. In the months following he was asked to return on many occasions and due to the sheer volume of work he decided to make the move to Iceland in the summer of 1988. Nick remained freelancing in music and record production until 1997 and during that time worked with nearly all the major recording artists of the country, collecting 9 gold records and 1 platinum along the way. In the fall of 1997 he accepted a job offer at Saga Film, the largest independent TV production company in Iceland. He was, for fourteen years, head of the Sound dept and as such was responsible for all aspects of sound and audio post-production for the company. Whilst at Sagafilm he designed and mixed the sound for countless TV and radio commercials along with various long format TV drama and documentary productions as well as many live broadcasts.In 2010 he chose to leave Sagafilm and form his own audio post-production company called Nýbúi, which means “newcomer” in Icelandic. A small play on words as he has been resident here for 40 years! In its short lifetime Nýbúi has already built strong and successful relationships with leading production companies in Iceland. Nick has also built up several relationships with international production companies around the world to provide ADR and sound editing and design services for Netflix (The Innocents, Katla), SkyTV (Fortitude) Blade Runner 2049, Mortal Engines, The Northman, to name but a few and also post-production audio (dx edit,sfx edt, adr, theatrical mix and tv mix) for several movies (The Deposit 2018, Cruelty 2016) and TV series here in Iceland (Trapped season 2) (Pabbahelgar). The latest project for international distribution was a documentary for the Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, titled TÍU (ten) directed by Dean DuBlois.

All delegations and all international observers of the Producer’s Day are invited to join the Studio Tour after lunch.