Biografia
By his teenage years, Lyngdal had already established himself as a prodigy, earning numerous awards for his video art and short films. After studying cinematic arts at the esteemed CECC in Barcelona, he returned to his native Iceland. Staying true to his artistic roots, he directed a series of shorts and choreographic films, garnering awards and showcasing his work worldwide, including at the Reykjavik Short Film Festival, Nordisk Panorama, Prague Shorts Festival, St. Petersburg International Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival.
One of his most notable works is Burst, a choreographed short film created in collaboration with choreographer Katrin Hall, Artistic Director of Gothenburg Opera’s dance company. Burst was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2003 Icelandic Academy Awards, Edda. Its choreography later served as the foundation for Shakira’s music video "Did It Again."
Selected by the European Film Academy and Wim Wenders, Lyngdal directed the short film KISSING, which was featured at the European Film Academy Awards in 2003.
His short film drama The Magician won the Edda Award for Best Short Film in 2005.
Lyngdal wrote and directed the 2006 New Year’s satire Áramótaskaup, a 60-minute comedy aired on Icelandic national TV every New Year’s Day. The show received positive reviews and achieved a record 92% viewership.
Between 2008 and 2009, he devoted most of his time to directing the four-part mini-series The Cliff, a dramatic crime story involving paranormal events and ghosts in rural Iceland. The series premiered on RÚV, the Icelandic national broadcaster, to record ratings and favorable reviews.
His debut feature film, the romantic comedy Our Own Oslo, became the second highest-grossing film in Iceland in 2011 and was the opening film of the 60th International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg.
During the winter of 2011-12, Lyngdal filmed his second feature, the sci-fi thriller Frost, on the Langjökull glacier. Frost was selected to compete for the Golden Skull Trophy at Screamfest LA 2013.
Lyngdal returned to direct the second season of The Cliff, also known as The Lava Field. This season surpassed the first in ratings and reviews in Iceland and was acquired by Netflix. In 2016, it became one of the major dramas for the French/German broadcaster Arte and won the Edda Award for Best TV Drama in 2015.
Currently, Lyngdal is developing One Kiss, a romantic comedy with Pegasus Pictures (Iceland) and Ugly Duckling Films (UK), as well as Reykjavík Freestyle, a dance drama TV series produced with RÚV and Pegasus Pictures.
His commercial work has earned numerous awards both domestically and internationally. His commercials for Thule Breweries were shortlisted at Cannes Lions. To date, he has directed over 300 commercials in Iceland and abroad.
