Baltasar Kormákur is back directing — but this time it’s not a survival drama, it’s a romance.
The “Adrift” and “Everest” filmmaker directs Focus Features’ “Touch,” based on the bestselling novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. The film tells a romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents, with one widower trying to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
Director Kormákur co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Ólafsson. The original Icelandic novel was published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S. in August 2022. The film was shot in Iceland and Japan.
The ensemble cast is led by Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, and Tatsuya Tagawa, with Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen, and Masatoshi Nakamura also starring.
Writer/director Kormákur produces along with Agnes Johansen and Mike Goodridge. Kormákur most recently directed 2022’s “Beast...
The “Adrift” and “Everest” filmmaker directs Focus Features’ “Touch,” based on the bestselling novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. The film tells a romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents, with one widower trying to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
Director Kormákur co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Ólafsson. The original Icelandic novel was published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S. in August 2022. The film was shot in Iceland and Japan.
The ensemble cast is led by Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, and Tatsuya Tagawa, with Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen, and Masatoshi Nakamura also starring.
Writer/director Kormákur produces along with Agnes Johansen and Mike Goodridge. Kormákur most recently directed 2022’s “Beast...
- 4/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Focus Features we hear has set a July 12, 2024 limited theatrical release date for Baltasar Kormákur’s romantic-drama Touch.
Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution sans Iceland.
The movie is based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s bestselling Icelandic novel published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S in August 2022. The movie follows one widower’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago before his time runs out. The story spans several decades and continents. Ólafsson and Kormákur co-wrote the movie.
Rvk Studios’ Kormákur and Agnes Johansen produced Touch alongside Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge.
Touch stars Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, Tatsuya Tagawa, Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Starkaður Pétursson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen and Masatoshi Nakamura.
Focus Features’ 2024 lineup includes Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s Drive-Away Dolls, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black,...
Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution sans Iceland.
The movie is based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s bestselling Icelandic novel published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S in August 2022. The movie follows one widower’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago before his time runs out. The story spans several decades and continents. Ólafsson and Kormákur co-wrote the movie.
Rvk Studios’ Kormákur and Agnes Johansen produced Touch alongside Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge.
Touch stars Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, Tatsuya Tagawa, Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Starkaður Pétursson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen and Masatoshi Nakamura.
Focus Features’ 2024 lineup includes Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s Drive-Away Dolls, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
San Sebastian — In 2014, launching in France and Germany, Netflix hesitated about entering Spain, reportedly because of prevalent piracy. Four years later, the U.S. streaming giant has chosen Madrid for its first European production hub.
Spain is on a roll, impelled by the launch of original series production at Movistar +, Netflix, Amazon and HBO España, the creation of Atresmedia Studios, and the build of drama series production at companies once only known for films, such as Mediapro, Mod Producciones and Filmax.
Where it’s rolling to is another matter. At San Sebastian on Saturday, at a mini conference on Serial Narration: An Episode on Creation and Industry, illustrious Spanish series creatives, producers and executives debated the new TV landscape’s creative and industry opportunities and challenges.
Providing an international perspective were Bruno Dumont, in Sebastian to present jocular sci-fi comedy series “CoinCoin and the Extra-Humans,” a standout at Locarno,...
Spain is on a roll, impelled by the launch of original series production at Movistar +, Netflix, Amazon and HBO España, the creation of Atresmedia Studios, and the build of drama series production at companies once only known for films, such as Mediapro, Mod Producciones and Filmax.
Where it’s rolling to is another matter. At San Sebastian on Saturday, at a mini conference on Serial Narration: An Episode on Creation and Industry, illustrious Spanish series creatives, producers and executives debated the new TV landscape’s creative and industry opportunities and challenges.
Providing an international perspective were Bruno Dumont, in Sebastian to present jocular sci-fi comedy series “CoinCoin and the Extra-Humans,” a standout at Locarno,...
- 9/23/2018
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Official Competition Jury: Alexander Payne, Bet Rourich, Agnes Johansen, Francesca Cima, Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Rossy de Palma Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival Downsizing director Alexander Payne has been announced as the jury president for the 66th San Sebastian Film Festival.
The helmer of films including Sideways and Nebraska will be joined on the Official Competition jury by 42 Beats actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown star Rossy de Palma, alongside Adult Life Skills and Songbird cinemtographer Bet Rourich. Producers Francesca Cima (The Great Beauty) and Agnes Johansen (Jar City) will also take part, with a seventh juror still to be named.
In a refreshing change from many festivals, female talent also dominates the New Directors award jury, with Thelma producer Katrin Pors named president, alongside Refugiado director Diego Lerman, artist Imma Merino, scriptwriter Léa Mysius (Ismael's Ghosts) and Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
The helmer of films including Sideways and Nebraska will be joined on the Official Competition jury by 42 Beats actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown star Rossy de Palma, alongside Adult Life Skills and Songbird cinemtographer Bet Rourich. Producers Francesca Cima (The Great Beauty) and Agnes Johansen (Jar City) will also take part, with a seventh juror still to be named.
In a refreshing change from many festivals, female talent also dominates the New Directors award jury, with Thelma producer Katrin Pors named president, alongside Refugiado director Diego Lerman, artist Imma Merino, scriptwriter Léa Mysius (Ismael's Ghosts) and Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.
- 9/7/2018
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The film follows two antagonistic brothers smuggling drugs via a young Polish girl.
Screen can unveil an exclusive first trailer for Vultures, an Icelandic thriller written and directed by Börkur Sigthorsson (Trapped) and produced by Everest director Baltasar Kormákur and Agnes Johansen.
Starring Gisli Örn Garðarsson (The Oath), Baltasar Breki Samper (Trapped), Danish actress Marijana Jankovic (Everything Will Be Fine) and rising Polish actress Anna Próchniak (The Innocents), the film concerns two antagonistic brothers who attempt to smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule.
The film will have its market premiere in Cannes,...
Screen can unveil an exclusive first trailer for Vultures, an Icelandic thriller written and directed by Börkur Sigthorsson (Trapped) and produced by Everest director Baltasar Kormákur and Agnes Johansen.
Starring Gisli Örn Garðarsson (The Oath), Baltasar Breki Samper (Trapped), Danish actress Marijana Jankovic (Everything Will Be Fine) and rising Polish actress Anna Próchniak (The Innocents), the film concerns two antagonistic brothers who attempt to smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule.
The film will have its market premiere in Cannes,...
- 5/1/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The film stars Anna Próchniak and Gisli Örn Garðarsson.
Screen can reveal the first still for Mules, the Nordic thriller written and directed by Börkur Sigthorsson (Trapped TV series) and produced by Baltasar Kormakur (Everest).
Mules follows two antagonistic brothers whose lives spiral out of control after they smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule.
The still features rising Polish actress Anna Próchniak (The Innocents) who plays the drugs mule. The film also stars Gisli Örn Garðarsson (The Oath), Baltasar Breki Samper (Trapped), and Danish actress Marijana Jankovic (Everything Will be Fine, Norskov TV series).
Mules is produced by Kormákur and Agnes Johansen (Trapped) and includes crew such as Editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir (John Wick) and Bergsteinn Bjorgulfsson (Of Horses And Men).
The film, which finished shooting in April is currently in post-production. WestEnd will continue handling world sales in Cannes where they will be showing buyers a first promo of...
Screen can reveal the first still for Mules, the Nordic thriller written and directed by Börkur Sigthorsson (Trapped TV series) and produced by Baltasar Kormakur (Everest).
Mules follows two antagonistic brothers whose lives spiral out of control after they smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule.
The still features rising Polish actress Anna Próchniak (The Innocents) who plays the drugs mule. The film also stars Gisli Örn Garðarsson (The Oath), Baltasar Breki Samper (Trapped), and Danish actress Marijana Jankovic (Everything Will be Fine, Norskov TV series).
Mules is produced by Kormákur and Agnes Johansen (Trapped) and includes crew such as Editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir (John Wick) and Bergsteinn Bjorgulfsson (Of Horses And Men).
The film, which finished shooting in April is currently in post-production. WestEnd will continue handling world sales in Cannes where they will be showing buyers a first promo of...
- 5/21/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Icelandic director makes his feature debut for Rvk Studios; he will direct four episodes of next series of hit TV show Trapped.
Börkur Sigthorsson started the 30-day shoot for his debut feature film Mules on February 24 in and around Reykjavik and at Keflavik airport in Iceland.
Rvk Studios’ Agnes Johansen and Baltasar Kormakur are producing, with the Icelandic Film Center and broadcaster Ruv also on board. WestEnd Films handles sales.
The story is about two Icelandic brothers who hatch a drug-smuggling plan.
Johansen said: “They come from a difficult background but take very different paths with their lives. The older brother is a high-flying corporate lawyer, living an unsustainable life embezzling his clients.
“He has to pay back money so he recruits the help of his brother, who has been in and out of prison, to help him import drugs to Iceland.
“They hire an Eastern European woman to be the drug mule… There are serious...
Börkur Sigthorsson started the 30-day shoot for his debut feature film Mules on February 24 in and around Reykjavik and at Keflavik airport in Iceland.
Rvk Studios’ Agnes Johansen and Baltasar Kormakur are producing, with the Icelandic Film Center and broadcaster Ruv also on board. WestEnd Films handles sales.
The story is about two Icelandic brothers who hatch a drug-smuggling plan.
Johansen said: “They come from a difficult background but take very different paths with their lives. The older brother is a high-flying corporate lawyer, living an unsustainable life embezzling his clients.
“He has to pay back money so he recruits the help of his brother, who has been in and out of prison, to help him import drugs to Iceland.
“They hire an Eastern European woman to be the drug mule… There are serious...
- 3/3/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
At Screen International’s Efm panel at the Gropius Mirror restaurant, four international producers shared their tips for success and survival in the modern film landscape.
In an open and frank discussion, Sol Bondy of Germany’s One Two Films, Guneet Monga of India’s Sikhya Entertainment, Agnes Johansen from Iceland’s Rvk Studios (Baltasar Kormakur’s company) and Natasha Dack from the UK’s Tigerlily Productions shared their experiences on protecting producer’s fees, setting up international co-productions and managing cash flows better in order to navigate the lean times.
The panel, moderated by Screen contributing editor Wendy Mitchell, all agreed that surviving as an independent producer poses continual challenges but passion keeps them going.
Bondy, who co-produced Tom Shoval’s Youth (Berlinale Panorama 2013) and Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses via One Two Films, was the only panellist who works exclusively in film. He credits the company’s angel investor and a focus on international...
In an open and frank discussion, Sol Bondy of Germany’s One Two Films, Guneet Monga of India’s Sikhya Entertainment, Agnes Johansen from Iceland’s Rvk Studios (Baltasar Kormakur’s company) and Natasha Dack from the UK’s Tigerlily Productions shared their experiences on protecting producer’s fees, setting up international co-productions and managing cash flows better in order to navigate the lean times.
The panel, moderated by Screen contributing editor Wendy Mitchell, all agreed that surviving as an independent producer poses continual challenges but passion keeps them going.
Bondy, who co-produced Tom Shoval’s Youth (Berlinale Panorama 2013) and Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses via One Two Films, was the only panellist who works exclusively in film. He credits the company’s angel investor and a focus on international...
- 2/16/2016
- by matt.mueller@screendaily.com (Matt Mueller)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Nordic co-production readies spring shoot.
WestEnd Films has acquired worldwide rights to drugs thriller Mules, produced by Everest and Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur [pictured].
Commercials director Börkur Sigthorsson, who collaborated with Kormakur and Johansen on hit Icelandic TV series Trapped, will take the reins on the Icelandic, Danish and Swedish co-production, which is due to shoot in all three countries in the spring.
In Mules, two antagonistic brothers decide to smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule. When everything goes off the rails, the brothers’ fate spirals out of control in a life-or-death race against time.
Kormakur will produce the Icelandic-language thriller with fellow Rvk Studios producer Agnes Johansen (Virgin Mountains).
Co-producers are Anni Faurbye Fernandez (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Headhunters) and Stinna Lassen (The Team) for Good Company Films in Denmark and Mimmi Spång (Call Girl) and Rebecka Lefrenz (Call Girl) for Garage Film in Sweden.
The...
WestEnd Films has acquired worldwide rights to drugs thriller Mules, produced by Everest and Contraband director Baltasar Kormakur [pictured].
Commercials director Börkur Sigthorsson, who collaborated with Kormakur and Johansen on hit Icelandic TV series Trapped, will take the reins on the Icelandic, Danish and Swedish co-production, which is due to shoot in all three countries in the spring.
In Mules, two antagonistic brothers decide to smuggle drugs into their native Iceland using a young Polish girl as their mule. When everything goes off the rails, the brothers’ fate spirals out of control in a life-or-death race against time.
Kormakur will produce the Icelandic-language thriller with fellow Rvk Studios producer Agnes Johansen (Virgin Mountains).
Co-producers are Anni Faurbye Fernandez (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Headhunters) and Stinna Lassen (The Team) for Good Company Films in Denmark and Mimmi Spång (Call Girl) and Rebecka Lefrenz (Call Girl) for Garage Film in Sweden.
The...
- 2/11/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
‘Producers as Entrepreneurs’ will explore the current issues facing independent film producers as part of the Efm’s Industry Debates series.
What business models are working for independent producers? Are more people diversifying across television and digital media? How do producers protect their fees from getting cut when budgets tighten?
These questions and more will be addressed at the Producers as Entrepreneurs Efm (European Film Market) panel, hosted by Screen International on Feb 14 as part of the event’s 2016 Industry Debates series.
Panellists will include Sol Bondy (One Two Films), Natasha Dack (Tigerlily Films), Guneet Monga (Sikhya Entertainment), Agnes Johansen (Rvk Studios), plus others, with Screen International contributing editor Wendy Mitchell moderating.
Now in its tenth year, the Efm Industry Debates series attempts to shine a light on the major issues in the film industry.
The other Efm panels taking place this year are: Cross Border Currents: The Growing Influence of Korea on South East Asian Cinema...
What business models are working for independent producers? Are more people diversifying across television and digital media? How do producers protect their fees from getting cut when budgets tighten?
These questions and more will be addressed at the Producers as Entrepreneurs Efm (European Film Market) panel, hosted by Screen International on Feb 14 as part of the event’s 2016 Industry Debates series.
Panellists will include Sol Bondy (One Two Films), Natasha Dack (Tigerlily Films), Guneet Monga (Sikhya Entertainment), Agnes Johansen (Rvk Studios), plus others, with Screen International contributing editor Wendy Mitchell moderating.
Now in its tenth year, the Efm Industry Debates series attempts to shine a light on the major issues in the film industry.
The other Efm panels taking place this year are: Cross Border Currents: The Growing Influence of Korea on South East Asian Cinema...
- 2/1/2016
- ScreenDaily
Nordisk Film & TV Fond backs five new projects including a thriller starring Emmanuelle Riva.
Amour’s 88-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, Emmanuelle Riva, has joined the cast of Icelandic thriller Alma, the comeback film for director Kristin Johannesdottir, whose last feature was 1992 Cannes selection As In Heaven.
Alma is the story of a woman imprisoned in a forensic psychiatric unit for murdering her lover (even though she has no recollection of the crime). After seven years behind bars, she discovers her lover is still alive and escapes to kill him for real.
Newcomer Snæfriður Ingvarsdóttir, daughter of Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men), plays the title role and the cast also features Hilmar Snær Guðnason (101 Reykjavik) and Kristbjörg Kjeld (Of Horses And Men).
Alma – set for delivery early 2017 — is co-produced by Iceland’s Pegasus Pictures, with France’s Arsam Film International, Sweden’s Little Big Productions, the UK’s Berserk Films, in collaboration...
Amour’s 88-year-old Oscar-nominated actress, Emmanuelle Riva, has joined the cast of Icelandic thriller Alma, the comeback film for director Kristin Johannesdottir, whose last feature was 1992 Cannes selection As In Heaven.
Alma is the story of a woman imprisoned in a forensic psychiatric unit for murdering her lover (even though she has no recollection of the crime). After seven years behind bars, she discovers her lover is still alive and escapes to kill him for real.
Newcomer Snæfriður Ingvarsdóttir, daughter of Ingvar E. Sigurðsson (Jar City, Of Horses and Men), plays the title role and the cast also features Hilmar Snær Guðnason (101 Reykjavik) and Kristbjörg Kjeld (Of Horses And Men).
Alma – set for delivery early 2017 — is co-produced by Iceland’s Pegasus Pictures, with France’s Arsam Film International, Sweden’s Little Big Productions, the UK’s Berserk Films, in collaboration...
- 1/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Lucrative prize goes to Iceland for second year in a row.
Iceland has claimed the lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize for the second year running, as Dagur Kari’s Virgin Mountain (Fusi) captured the award for the best Nordic Film of the Year.
The prize - which comes with $55,000 (Dkk 350,000) cash — was announced on Tuesday night at the Nordic Council’s annual autumn session, held this year in Reykjavik.
The story is about an obese man living with his mother who breaks out of his shell after he goes to a dance class.
The jury described Virgin Mountain as, “A simple and visually inventive tale about preserving your goodness and innocence in a seemingly impenetrable world. Dagur Kári’s artistic ascent of a male virgin mountain results in a deeply moving and captivating film, offering a dignified portrait of its gentle giant of a man, as well as poignant depictions of the women around him.”
Iceland-born Kari also...
Iceland has claimed the lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize for the second year running, as Dagur Kari’s Virgin Mountain (Fusi) captured the award for the best Nordic Film of the Year.
The prize - which comes with $55,000 (Dkk 350,000) cash — was announced on Tuesday night at the Nordic Council’s annual autumn session, held this year in Reykjavik.
The story is about an obese man living with his mother who breaks out of his shell after he goes to a dance class.
The jury described Virgin Mountain as, “A simple and visually inventive tale about preserving your goodness and innocence in a seemingly impenetrable world. Dagur Kári’s artistic ascent of a male virgin mountain results in a deeply moving and captivating film, offering a dignified portrait of its gentle giant of a man, as well as poignant depictions of the women around him.”
Iceland-born Kari also...
- 10/27/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The 12 titles include Michael Fassbender-starrer Slow West, Runar Runarsson’s Sparrows and Kosovo’s Oscar submission, Babai.
The Reykjavik International Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) has 12 first and second features competing for its Golden Puffin Award.
The films are:
As I Open My Eyes, Leyla Bouzid (Fra/Tun/Bel/Are)Babai, Visar Morina (Kos/Ger)Barash, Michael Vinik (Isr)Krisha, Trey Edward Shults (Us)Mediterranea, Jonas Carpignano (Ita/Fr/Us/Ger/Qat)Motherland, Senem Tuzen (Tur/Gr)Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino (Can)Slow West, John Maclean (UK/Nz)Sparrows, Runar Runarsson (Ice/Den/Cro)The Here After, Magnus Von Horn (Swe/Pol) We Monsters, Sebatian Ko (Ger)Wednesday May 9, Vahid Jalilvand (Iran)
This year’s jury comrpises Frederic Boyer, artistic director of the Tribeca Film Festival and Les Arcs; producer Agnes Johansen; Laufey Guðjónsdóttir, director of The Icelandic Film Centre; Dagmar Borelle; and Paola Corvino.
Other programme highlights at Riff include the first two episodes of TV show...
The Reykjavik International Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) has 12 first and second features competing for its Golden Puffin Award.
The films are:
As I Open My Eyes, Leyla Bouzid (Fra/Tun/Bel/Are)Babai, Visar Morina (Kos/Ger)Barash, Michael Vinik (Isr)Krisha, Trey Edward Shults (Us)Mediterranea, Jonas Carpignano (Ita/Fr/Us/Ger/Qat)Motherland, Senem Tuzen (Tur/Gr)Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino (Can)Slow West, John Maclean (UK/Nz)Sparrows, Runar Runarsson (Ice/Den/Cro)The Here After, Magnus Von Horn (Swe/Pol) We Monsters, Sebatian Ko (Ger)Wednesday May 9, Vahid Jalilvand (Iran)
This year’s jury comrpises Frederic Boyer, artistic director of the Tribeca Film Festival and Les Arcs; producer Agnes Johansen; Laufey Guðjónsdóttir, director of The Icelandic Film Centre; Dagmar Borelle; and Paola Corvino.
Other programme highlights at Riff include the first two episodes of TV show...
- 9/12/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
"Everest," directed by Baltasar Kormákur, has been selected as the opening film, out of Competition, of the 72nd Venice Film Festival (September 2-12 2015). The festival is directed by Alberto Barbera, organized by the Biennale, and chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The world premiere of "Everest" will be screened on September 2nd in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) at the Lido. Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain,"Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
"Everest" is a Working Title Films production starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley,Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Baltasar Kormákur, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson. The story was adapted for the screen by William Nicholson ("Gladiator") and Oscar® winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire").
The film was shot on location in Nepal on the foothills of Everest, the Italian Alps and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in the U.K.Universal will distribute Everest worldwide, and it will be released in the U.S. exclusively on IMAX 3D and premium-large format 3D screens on September 18th. It will be released wide in the U.S.—including standard 2D and 3D—on September 25th. Italy releases the film on September 24th.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose truly global work spans theater, movies and television. After "Everest," he will produce and direct "Vikingr," a big-budget action adventure set in the world of the famed Norse warriors that is inspired by the Iceland’s epic Sagas. He is also set to direct the eco-disaster film "Cascade" and write and direct a crime thriller based on the events that inspired the Filipino film "On the Job." Recently, Kormákur and his frequent collaborator, Agnes Johansen, produced the Icelandic comedy "Virgin Mountain," directed by Dagur Kari.
Kormákur has directed several feature films in the U.S: 2010’s "Inhale," an independent film produced by the L.A.-based 26 Films, starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger and Sam Shepard; 2012’s "Contraband"—starring Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, and Kate Beckinsale—which is a remake of Oskar Johansson’s "Reykjavik Rotterdam," written by Arnaldur Indridason, and in which Kormákur played the leading role and produced it with Agnes Johansen through his Blueeyes Productions. His last American film, the action-comedy 2013’s "2 Guns," starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, has grossed more than $131 million worldwide to date.
He also has several Icelandic projects in the works, including the psychological thriller "The Oath," which he plans to direct, from a script he co-wrote with Olafur Egillsson. Inspired by true events and set in modern Iceland, Kormákur will produce “The Oath” with Johansen.
The director graduated as an actor from Iceland’s National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of the leading young performing artists until 1997. During the last two years of his assignment he also directed several ambitious works, after having produced and directed highly popular, independent stage productions alongside his projects with the National Theatre.
In 2000, he wrote, directed, acted in and produced the feature film "101 Reykjavik." Subsequently, Variety selected him as one of the “10 Directors to Watch.” Soon after, Kormákur formed Blueeyes Productions and has maintained his focus on feature film writing, producing and directing. His films "The Sea," "A Little Trip to Heaven," "Jar City" and "White Night Wedding" have all been very successful in Iceland and won numerous international awards. Kormákur’s "The Deep," which eerily captures the tragic real-life story of the lone survivor of a capsized fishing boat off the frigid Icelandic coast, premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was shortlisted for the foreign language Academy Awards®.
Recently, Kormákur optioned Iceland’s beloved, Nobel Prize-winning book “Independent People” to develop as a feature film and will produce the American remake of "Jar City," along with CEO of Lava Bear Films, David Linde. He also partnered with Ccp Games to bring the "Eve Universe" game to television. The Rvk Studios team, in collaboration with Ccp, will create an original concept and storyline set in the "Eve Universe." Additionally, he also produced and directed the Icelandic original serialized crime drama "Trapped."
All of Kormákur’s films are made under his Rvk Studios (formerly Blueeyes Productions), which recently opened a television arm and partnered with Dadi Einarsson and the Icelandic VFX company Framestore, now called Rvx Studios.
The world premiere of "Everest" will be screened on September 2nd in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) at the Lido. Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain,"Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
"Everest" is a Working Title Films production starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley,Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Baltasar Kormákur, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson. The story was adapted for the screen by William Nicholson ("Gladiator") and Oscar® winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire").
The film was shot on location in Nepal on the foothills of Everest, the Italian Alps and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in the U.K.Universal will distribute Everest worldwide, and it will be released in the U.S. exclusively on IMAX 3D and premium-large format 3D screens on September 18th. It will be released wide in the U.S.—including standard 2D and 3D—on September 25th. Italy releases the film on September 24th.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur is an actor, producer and director whose truly global work spans theater, movies and television. After "Everest," he will produce and direct "Vikingr," a big-budget action adventure set in the world of the famed Norse warriors that is inspired by the Iceland’s epic Sagas. He is also set to direct the eco-disaster film "Cascade" and write and direct a crime thriller based on the events that inspired the Filipino film "On the Job." Recently, Kormákur and his frequent collaborator, Agnes Johansen, produced the Icelandic comedy "Virgin Mountain," directed by Dagur Kari.
Kormákur has directed several feature films in the U.S: 2010’s "Inhale," an independent film produced by the L.A.-based 26 Films, starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger and Sam Shepard; 2012’s "Contraband"—starring Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, and Kate Beckinsale—which is a remake of Oskar Johansson’s "Reykjavik Rotterdam," written by Arnaldur Indridason, and in which Kormákur played the leading role and produced it with Agnes Johansen through his Blueeyes Productions. His last American film, the action-comedy 2013’s "2 Guns," starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, has grossed more than $131 million worldwide to date.
He also has several Icelandic projects in the works, including the psychological thriller "The Oath," which he plans to direct, from a script he co-wrote with Olafur Egillsson. Inspired by true events and set in modern Iceland, Kormákur will produce “The Oath” with Johansen.
The director graduated as an actor from Iceland’s National Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. He was immediately signed on by the National Theatre of Iceland, where he worked as one of the leading young performing artists until 1997. During the last two years of his assignment he also directed several ambitious works, after having produced and directed highly popular, independent stage productions alongside his projects with the National Theatre.
In 2000, he wrote, directed, acted in and produced the feature film "101 Reykjavik." Subsequently, Variety selected him as one of the “10 Directors to Watch.” Soon after, Kormákur formed Blueeyes Productions and has maintained his focus on feature film writing, producing and directing. His films "The Sea," "A Little Trip to Heaven," "Jar City" and "White Night Wedding" have all been very successful in Iceland and won numerous international awards. Kormákur’s "The Deep," which eerily captures the tragic real-life story of the lone survivor of a capsized fishing boat off the frigid Icelandic coast, premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was shortlisted for the foreign language Academy Awards®.
Recently, Kormákur optioned Iceland’s beloved, Nobel Prize-winning book “Independent People” to develop as a feature film and will produce the American remake of "Jar City," along with CEO of Lava Bear Films, David Linde. He also partnered with Ccp Games to bring the "Eve Universe" game to television. The Rvk Studios team, in collaboration with Ccp, will create an original concept and storyline set in the "Eve Universe." Additionally, he also produced and directed the Icelandic original serialized crime drama "Trapped."
All of Kormákur’s films are made under his Rvk Studios (formerly Blueeyes Productions), which recently opened a television arm and partnered with Dadi Einarsson and the Icelandic VFX company Framestore, now called Rvx Studios.
- 7/12/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Baltasar Kormákur is lining up an autumn shoot on the Icelandic and English-language crime-thriller, a late addition to the La-based company’s Croisette sales slate.
The Oath centres on a respected doctor in Reykjavík who makes a life-changing decision after his daughter introduces the family to her manipulative boyfriend.
Ólafur Egilsson co-wrote the screenplay with Kormákur, who produces with Agnes Johansen and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson through Kormákur’s Rvk Studios banner in co-production with Dynamic Productions in Germany.
Ben Giladi of Len Blavatnik’s AI Film serves as executive producer alongside Aram Tertzakian and Nate Bolotin of Xyz Films.
Kormákur, whose credits include 2 Guns, Contraband and Icelandic hits 101 Reykjavik and Jar City, recently wrapped production on Universal’s September 18 release Everest. He will also direct the TV crime series Trapped.
AI Film’s portfolio includes Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes and Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which is scheduled to wrap in Taiwan on May 15 and stars Andrew Garfield...
The Oath centres on a respected doctor in Reykjavík who makes a life-changing decision after his daughter introduces the family to her manipulative boyfriend.
Ólafur Egilsson co-wrote the screenplay with Kormákur, who produces with Agnes Johansen and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson through Kormákur’s Rvk Studios banner in co-production with Dynamic Productions in Germany.
Ben Giladi of Len Blavatnik’s AI Film serves as executive producer alongside Aram Tertzakian and Nate Bolotin of Xyz Films.
Kormákur, whose credits include 2 Guns, Contraband and Icelandic hits 101 Reykjavik and Jar City, recently wrapped production on Universal’s September 18 release Everest. He will also direct the TV crime series Trapped.
AI Film’s portfolio includes Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes and Martin Scorsese’s Silence, which is scheduled to wrap in Taiwan on May 15 and stars Andrew Garfield...
- 5/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Icelandic film-maker is in pre-production on the psychological thriller that he says will be “dark and foreboding and uneasy.”
Kormákur co-wrote The Oath with Olafur Egillsson and will co-produce with longtime producing partner Agnes Johansen with Rvk Studios Banner.
Set in modern Iceland, the film is inspired by true events.
“I want to delve into an intimate, dark and psychological world where the characters are claustrophobic and tourmented,” said Kormákur. “There is no simple resolution. There is no defined summit. This story is dark and foreboding and uneasy.”
The director is currently in post-production on Everest, which Universal is set to release on September 18.
Kormákur co-wrote The Oath with Olafur Egillsson and will co-produce with longtime producing partner Agnes Johansen with Rvk Studios Banner.
Set in modern Iceland, the film is inspired by true events.
“I want to delve into an intimate, dark and psychological world where the characters are claustrophobic and tourmented,” said Kormákur. “There is no simple resolution. There is no defined summit. This story is dark and foreboding and uneasy.”
The director is currently in post-production on Everest, which Universal is set to release on September 18.
- 2/10/2015
- ScreenDaily
Hisham Zaman has become the first director to be a two-time winner of Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
This year, Zaman’s Letter to The King won the top prize (and its lucrative €113,000 award), following on last year’s win for Before Snowfall.
Letter To The King is about a group of refugees, all with their own agendas, on an excursion to Oslo.
The jury said: “Letter to the King is a film that takes us to a subculture that is not very well-known. It tells us about people stuck in some kind of no man’s land. It is a film that is compassionate and honest in its presentation of human existence.
“To tell a story with multiple characters is a difficult task, and we appreciate the way all the pieces are put together.”
The jury comprised Chad director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Icelandic producer Agnes Johansen, Norwegian producer Kalle Løchen, Swedish director...
This year, Zaman’s Letter to The King won the top prize (and its lucrative €113,000 award), following on last year’s win for Before Snowfall.
Letter To The King is about a group of refugees, all with their own agendas, on an excursion to Oslo.
The jury said: “Letter to the King is a film that takes us to a subculture that is not very well-known. It tells us about people stuck in some kind of no man’s land. It is a film that is compassionate and honest in its presentation of human existence.
“To tell a story with multiple characters is a difficult task, and we appreciate the way all the pieces are put together.”
The jury comprised Chad director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Icelandic producer Agnes Johansen, Norwegian producer Kalle Løchen, Swedish director...
- 2/2/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Hisham Zaman has become the first director to be a two-time winner of Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
This year, Zaman’s Letter to The King won the top prize (and its lucrative €113,000 award), following on last year’s win for Before Snowfall.
Letter To The King is about a group of refugees, all with their own agendas, on an excursion to Oslo. “Letter to the King is a film that takes us to a subculture that is not very well-known. It tells us about people stuck in some kind of no man’s land. It is a film that is compassionate and honest in its presentation of human existence. To tell a story with multiple characters is a difficult task, and we appreciate the way all the pieces are put together,” said the jury of Chad director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Icelandic producer Agnes Johansen, Norwegian producer Kalle Løchen, Swedish director...
This year, Zaman’s Letter to The King won the top prize (and its lucrative €113,000 award), following on last year’s win for Before Snowfall.
Letter To The King is about a group of refugees, all with their own agendas, on an excursion to Oslo. “Letter to the King is a film that takes us to a subculture that is not very well-known. It tells us about people stuck in some kind of no man’s land. It is a film that is compassionate and honest in its presentation of human existence. To tell a story with multiple characters is a difficult task, and we appreciate the way all the pieces are put together,” said the jury of Chad director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Icelandic producer Agnes Johansen, Norwegian producer Kalle Løchen, Swedish director...
- 2/2/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Acclaimed Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s latest film, The Deep, was released late last year in his native Iceland, picking up a slew of awards at the country’s equivalent to the Oscars earlier this year.
Having spent much of the past few months on the festival circuit, the film is finally due to arrive in UK theatres next month, following its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. And Metrodome have released the UK trailer to whet our appetites for what’s to come.
Based on incredible real life events, The Deep tells the story of a lone survivor of a fishing boat accident, who defies nature by surviving the freezing Icelandic sea in the midst of winter. Persevering against the odds, he makes the journey to islands nearby and now must face a gruelling trek across volcanic terrain before eventually arriving to safety. His intense ordeal wins him international attention,...
Having spent much of the past few months on the festival circuit, the film is finally due to arrive in UK theatres next month, following its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. And Metrodome have released the UK trailer to whet our appetites for what’s to come.
Based on incredible real life events, The Deep tells the story of a lone survivor of a fishing boat accident, who defies nature by surviving the freezing Icelandic sea in the midst of winter. Persevering against the odds, he makes the journey to islands nearby and now must face a gruelling trek across volcanic terrain before eventually arriving to safety. His intense ordeal wins him international attention,...
- 6/14/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Focus World has acquired U.S. rights to the survival drama “The Deep,” which is Iceland’s official submission for the best foreign-language film Oscar. A division of Focus Features, Focus World will release the film on digital platforms in the first half of 2013. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (“Contraband”), “The Deep” tells the true story of a downed fishing boat and the only man who survived the tragedy. “The Deep,” which Kormákur wrote with playwright Jon Atli Jonasson, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Kormákur also produced along with Agnes Johansen; Lilja Palmadottir and David Linde are executive producers. Focus World execs Avy Eschenasy and Kent Sanderson negotiated the deal with Wme Global. Launched in 2011, Focus World most recently released “1/2 Revolution” on VOD and iTunes. Kormákur also has a foot in the English-language...
- 11/13/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Focus World, the alternative distribution initiative owned and operated by Focus Features, has acquired U.S. rights to the riveting drama The Deep, directed by Baltasar Kormákur (director of this year.s Contraband and next year.s 2 Guns). The announcement was made today by Focus President Andrew Karpen. The Deep will be released in the first half of 2013.
The Deep has been selected as Iceland.s official submission for the 2013 Academy Awards, in the Best Foreign-Language Film category. Directed, produced, and co-written by Mr. Kormákur, The Deep dramatizes an astonishing true incident about the sole survivor of a downed fishing boat. An ordinary man.s will to live made him a reluctant national hero . one whose truly fearless act was to journey home. The film screened at the Mill Valley and Toronto International Film Festivals after being a box office smash in its home country. Bac Films is handling foreign sales of The Deep.
The Deep has been selected as Iceland.s official submission for the 2013 Academy Awards, in the Best Foreign-Language Film category. Directed, produced, and co-written by Mr. Kormákur, The Deep dramatizes an astonishing true incident about the sole survivor of a downed fishing boat. An ordinary man.s will to live made him a reluctant national hero . one whose truly fearless act was to journey home. The film screened at the Mill Valley and Toronto International Film Festivals after being a box office smash in its home country. Bac Films is handling foreign sales of The Deep.
- 11/13/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Iceland has selected Baltasar Kormakur.s compelling drama The Deep as its entry for the 2013 Best Foreign Language Oscar. The Deep, co-written and directed by Kormakur, premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Screen International called it .. a masterful blend of sound and fury .. In its opening weekend in Iceland, The Deep took in over half of the country.s total boxoffice receipts. Baltasar Kormakur, has worked extensively as an actor, producer and director in both theater and film and he divides his time artistically between Iceland and abroad. He is currently in post-production on his next American film, the Universal Pictures. thriller, .2 Guns,. starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, scheduled for release in August, 2013.
Based on an astonishing true story, The Deep follows Gulli (Olafur Darri Olafsson) the miraculous sole survivor of a fishing boat that sank off the south coast of Iceland in 1984. Against incredible odds, Gulli swam...
Based on an astonishing true story, The Deep follows Gulli (Olafur Darri Olafsson) the miraculous sole survivor of a fishing boat that sank off the south coast of Iceland in 1984. Against incredible odds, Gulli swam...
- 9/28/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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