Sturla Gunnarsson is a Canadian film director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

.

Gunnarsson was born in Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 in 1951. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, with his parents when he was seven years old. As he grew up he became interested in filmmaking

Filmmaking

Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...

 and went to the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

 where he completed undergraduate studies in English literature

English literature

English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....

 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 the Museum of Modern Art

Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...

.

With his formal education behind him, Sturla moved to Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and worked initially at the National Film Board (NFB). His first NFB project, After the Axe

After the Axe

After the Axe is a 1982 Canadian drama film about executive firings, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* James B. Douglas - Biff Wilson* Janine Manatis - Wife...

, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature

Academy Award for Documentary Feature

The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...

. He has since won a number of awards including Emmy Award

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

, Genie Award

Genie Award

Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...

 and Gemini Awards, a Prix Italia

Prix Italia

The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...

, and the Prix Villes de Cannes.

His documentary about David Suzuki

David Suzuki

David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...

, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, won the People’s Choice Documentary Award at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

2010 Toronto International Film Festival

The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, 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. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...

.

Features and TV movies

• A Day Much Like the Others (1979)
• After the Axe
  After the Axe
  After the Axe is a 1982 Canadian drama film about executive firings, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* James B. Douglas - Biff Wilson* Janine Manatis - Wife...
  
  (1982-P)
• Final Offer
  Final Offer
  Final Offer is a Canadian film documenting the 1984 contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers Union and GM. Ultimately, it provided a historical record of the birth of the Canadian Auto Workers Union as Bob White, then head of the Canadian sector of the UAW, led his membership out of...
  
  (TV-1985-P)
• Where Is Here? (1987-P)
• Diplomatic Immunity (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
  Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way
  Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way is a 1997 television movie chronicling Joe Torre's first year as manager of the New York Yankees when they won the World Series in 1996. It stars Paul Sorvino as Joe Torre....
  
  (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
  Rare Birds is a 2001 Canadian comedy/drama film. It was directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and written by Edward Riche based on his novel. This movie features spectacular scenery from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. It also features music by the The Pogues and characteristic Canadian Maritime...
  
  (2001)
• The Man Who Saved Christmas (TV-2002)
• 100 Days in the Jungle (TV-2002)
• Beowulf & Grendel
  Beowulf & Grendel
  Beowulf & Grendel is a 2005 film loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Filmed in Iceland and directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, it stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grendel and Sarah Polley as the witch Selma...
  
  (2005-P)
• Air India 182 Documentary (TV-2008)
• Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (2010)

Awards

• International Emmy Award in 1997, for Gerrie & Louise
• Genie Award
  Genie Award
  Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
  
   in 1986, for Final Offer
• Gemini Awards
• Prix Italia
  Prix Italia
  The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
  
  
• Prix Villes de Cannes
• Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
  Toronto International Film Festival
  The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
  
   in 2010, for Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

External links