Are you pleased with the latest admission figures for Mamma Gógó?
Yes, very pleased. The number one is Avatar. They're going down and we're going up! All my films tend to run for a long time on Icelandic screens. Children of Nature for instance ran for one and a half year.
After autism in your documentary A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism (previously known as Sunshine Boy) -, you address Alzheimer in this very personal portrayal of a filmmaker trying to cope with his mother's gradual fall into the disease and his own financial problems. The mysteries of the brain seem to be on your mind....
The subject has been on my mind for a long time, but I had to wait for the main actress Kristbjörg Kjeld -playing my mother Gógó- to grow older! Someone said you should only make films about things you know. I know this subject quite well as my mum has been suffering from Alzheimer for the last 12 years. Alzheimer disease also takes place in the same part of the brain as autism, which I found very interesting.
Your film is also a satire of the current financial crash in Iceland. Was it a liberating experience for you to bring it to the screen?
Some people see the film as a symbol of Iceland's current depression. The main character is a typical islander, running after money all the time while the mother tries to survive her illness, in the same way financiers are doing in Iceland. The Icelandic Parliament Althingi has commissioned a report investigating what really happened in Iceland. It will soon be published and rumours are that the report will be a shock to the nation.
How do you see the future for filmmaking in Iceland?
It's very bleak. The government has cut our budget by 24%. I hope they will come to their senses, but today it doesn't look too good. At the same time last spring, they introduced a new 20% tax incentive to attract foreign shoots. It makes Iceland a very attractive place to make a movie as our currency is very low. If foreign productions come to Iceland, we might survive the foolish decision from the government. If not, it will be terrible and it will take many years for our industry to recover.
What's the plan for Mamma Gógó on the international marketplace?
The film will screen in Göteborg, not in Berlin. With my production partner Gudrun Edda Thorhannesdottir at Spellbound, we're trying to find the right festival for the film.
What's next for you?
I'm preparing a new TV series called Season of the Witch based on a book by Árni Þórarinsson. I'm also working on a new script for my next feature film. It will have an international storyline.