About

Known credits:
36
Birthday:
1968-01-01
Place of birth:
Reykjavik, Iceland
Website:
N/A

Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon

Overview

Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, to an Icelandic father who was a playwright, film and theatre director and a Siberian-Yakutian mother who is an actress and visual artist. Magnusson's mother graduated from the acting school GITIS in Moscow and his father graduated from the legendary film school VGIK where his parents actually first met. They moved to Reykjavik, Iceland from Moscow in 1966 after his father lost faith in the utopian dream of the USSR.

Magnússon lived in Aarhus, Danmark 1979-83. He moved to Paris in 1989, studied at the Sorbonne University 1989-90. He earned a BFA in fine arts from Parsons Paris School of Art and Design, 1991-96. Since then he has exhibited his paintings, installations and video work in galleries in Iceland, Danmark, France, England, USA, China, Argentina, Russia and Siberia.

Magnusson has received several awards and was nominated to the Nordic Council Film Prize in 2005 for his music documentary Screaming Masterpiece, led by Björk and Sigur Rós.

Magnússon premiered his first narrative feature film MIHKEL, at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival in South-Korea, in competition at the Warsaw International Film Festival in Poland, cinema release in Estonia and Iceland same year. It's a dramatic film based on a real-life tragedy that took place in Iceland in 2004, involving two childhood friends from Estonia. The film was produced by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Evil Doghouse, Amrion Production and Truenorth with full production support from KMÍ the Icelandic film Centre and development support MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

Ergis Film Production, owned by Ari Magnusson, was established in 2002. The company's focus has been on documentaries, mostly on artists, and the company has been involved with major working artists: Björk, Erró, Sigur Rós, Gudbergur Bergsson, Thor Vilhjálmsson, Ólafur Elíasson, Sigurdur Gudmundsson, Alain Robbe Grillet, David Lynch, Kristján Gudmundsson, Matthew Barney and Yoko Ono. Magnusson has worked closely with a team of experienced professionals: producer and film director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Los Angeles based film producer Sigurjón Sighvatsson, writer Jón Proppé and co-director of the Serpentine Galley in London, Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Known for

Directing
2024 Epilogues Directing Director N/A
N/A
2018 Mihkel Directing Director 58
Average
2016 Poor Iceland Directing Director N/A
N/A
2011 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero Directing Director 58
Average
2011 Little Cosmonaut Directing Director 59
Average
2010 Imagine Peace Directing Director N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Jorunn Vidar Directing Director N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Magnus Blondal Johannsson Directing Director N/A
N/A
2006 She Talks Icelandic Directing Director N/A
N/A
2005 Screaming Masterpiece Directing Director 59
Average
2002 Possibihilities Directing Director N/A
N/A
2000 ERRÓ - North - South - East - West Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2024 Epilogues Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2018 Mihkel Writing Writer 58
Average
2016 Poor Iceland Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2011 Little Cosmonaut Writing Writer 59
Average
2010 Imagine Peace Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Jorunn Vidar Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Magnus Blondal Johannsson Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2006 She Talks Icelandic Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2005 Screaming Masterpiece Writing Writer 59
Average
2002 Possibihilities Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A

Production
2016 Poor Iceland Production Producer N/A
N/A
2011 Little Cosmonaut Production Producer 59
Average
2010 As If We Existed Production Co-Producer N/A
N/A
2010 Imagine Peace Production Producer N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Jorunn Vidar Production Producer N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Magnus Blondal Johannsson Production Producer N/A
N/A
2006 She Talks Icelandic Production Producer N/A
N/A
2005 Screaming Masterpiece Production Executive Producer 59
Average
2002 Possibihilities Production Producer N/A
N/A
2000 ERRÓ - North - South - East - West Production Producer N/A
N/A
1998 Slurpinn & Co. Production Production Assistant N/A
N/A

Camera
2016 Poor Iceland Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Jorunn Vidar Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A
2009 The Word Music: Magnus Blondal Johannsson Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A