Sturla Gunnarsson (born August 30, 1951) is an Icelandic-Canadian film and television

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and producer. Gunnarsson was born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

in 1951. He moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, with his parents when he was seven years old. As he grew up he became interested in

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...

and went to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

where he completed undergraduate studies in English literature and graduate work in film studies. Part of the graduate program requires the production of a film. His, '' A Day Much Like the Others'', went on to win top honours at the Canadian Student Film Festival and the European Student Film Festival. It was also screened at New York City's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

. With his formal education behind him, Gunnarsson moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

and worked initially at the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

(NFB). His first NFB project, '' After the Axe'', received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Documentary Feature. He has since won a number of awards including Emmy Award, Genie Award and Gemini Awards, a

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...

, and the Prix Villes de Cannes. His documentary about David Suzuki, '' Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie'', won the People’s Choice Documentary Award at the

2010 Toronto International Film Festival The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. '' La ...

. In 2018, Gunnarsson worked with film and story editor Nick Hector to complete the movie '' Sharkwater Extinction'' after the death of Rob Stewart.

Features and TV movies

* '' A Day Much Like the Others'' (1979) * '' After the Axe'' (1982-P) * '' Final Offer'' (TV 1985-P) * '' Where Is Here?'' (1987-P) * ''

Diplomatic Immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

'' (1991-P) * '' The Diary of Evelyn Lau'' (TV 1993) * '' We the Jury'' (TV 1996) * '' Mother Trucker: The Diana Kilmury Story'' (TV 1996) * '' Gerrie & Louise'' (1997) * '' Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way'' (TV 1997) * '' Such a Long Journey'' (1998) * '' Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story'' (TV 1999) * '' Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol'' (TV 1999) * '' Scorn'' (TV 2000) * ''

Rare Birds ''Rare Birds'' is a 2001 Canadian comedy/drama film. It was directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and written by Edward Riche based on his novel. The film features spectacular scenery from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. It also features music by The P ...

'' (2001) * '' The Man Who Saved Christmas'' (TV 2002) * ''

100 Days in the Jungle 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' (TV 2002) * '' Above and Beyond'' (TV 2005) * '' Beowulf & Grendel'' (2005-P) * '' Air India 182'' (TV documentary 2008) * '' Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie'' (2010) * ''

Ice Soldiers ''Ice Soldiers'' is a 2013 Canadian action- science fiction film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and starring Dominic Purcell, Adam Beach and Michael Ironside. In the film, Malraux (Purcell), and a team of Canadian scientists release a group of fr ...

'' (2013) * ''

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

'' (2014)

Awards

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...

in 1997, for ''Gerrie & Louise'' * Genie Award in 1986, for ''Final Offer'' * Gemini Awards *

* Prix Villes de Cannes * Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

in 2010, for ''Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie'' * Canada's Top Ten Film Festival People's Choice Award, awarded in January 2015 for ''

References

External links

* *Watch films by Sturla Gunnarsson at th
National Film Board of Canada
*Sturla Gunnarsson's personal websit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnarsson, Sturla 1951 births Sturla Gunnarsson Icelandic film producers Icelandic television directors Canadian documentary film directors Film producers from British Columbia Canadian television directors Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Film directors from Vancouver Living people National Film Board of Canada people Sturla Gunnarsson University of British Columbia alumni