We had the opportunity to have a little conversation with Mirjam Thorkelsdottir, in our Talent Spotlight series. She is a director / screenwriter who started her filmmaking journey already at the age of twelve, and has made a feature film that is in post-production. We talked about her focus as a director and how she thinks emotional honesty is one of the most important things to have as a director.

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Mirjam Sveinbjörg Thorkelsdottir, and I'm an Icelandic-Albanian film director. I started making short films when I was around twelve years old, inspired by my father's love for cinema, and visual storytelling quickly became the thing I cared most deeply about. My work often explores morally complex characters and emotional grey areas, usually through a grounded and intimate visual language. I'm drawn to stories that balance realism with something psychological and poetic — stories that feel emotionally raw and human.

For me, film is not just entertainment. It's a way to understand people, confront uncomfortable emotions, and create connections. I studied directing at Westerdals Oslo ACT (2017-2020) and later at The Norwegian Film School (2021-2024).

What is the latest project you worked on that you are proud of?

The latest project I'm especially proud of is my debut feature film, Løgnhals (Liar), which I wrote and directed while studying at The Norwegian Film School. It was made as a low-budget production, which meant we had to be very creative and trust intuition throughout the process.

What made the project so special to me was how personal and emotionally fearless both the film and the process became. The story explores themes like identity, shame, self-deception and the human need to be loved. These are themes I find myself constantly drawn to as a storyteller. I wanted the characters to feel deeply human, even when they make destructive or morally questionable choices.

What I'm most proud of is not only the emotional honesty of the film, but also what we managed to create together as a team. Despite limited resources, the crew and actors built something intimate, cinematic and uncompromising. There was a strong sense of trust and shared passion throughout the production, and that collaboration taught me a lot about leadership, vulnerability and trusting my own voice as a director.

What is the most important thing you focus on as a director / screenwriter?

The most important thing for me as a director is emotional honesty. I'm drawn to stories where relationships become intense, vulnerable and sometimes uncomfortable, where love, power, fear and dependency exist at the same time.

I'm especially interested in characters who are searching for belonging. People who don't always behave "correctly," but act out of loneliness, desire, shame or fear of being abandoned. I'm much more interested in emotional complexity than in creating clear heroes or villains.

In my work, I try to get as close as possible to the inner life of my characters. I focus a lot on physical and emotional details like small shifts in body language, silence, breath, eye contact or touch. I often feel the most important things are communicated underneath the dialogue.

Visually, I'm drawn to intimacy and realism. I want the audience to feel like they are inside the emotional experience of the characters rather than observing them from a distance. Even when my films move through beautiful or natural environments, there is often an unease beneath the surface.

At the core of my filmmaking is a desire to understand people without simplifying them. I want to create films that stay with audiences emotionally and open up conversations about the parts of ourselves we usually try to hide. I'm also interested in trying to understand the people around us that we don't fully understand. The contradictions, vulnerabilities and emotional needs that shape how people behave, even when their actions are difficult or uncomfortable to relate to.

Who in the nordics should get the spotlight next, and why?

I think Peter Theisen Amlie deserves more attention. He's an incredibly talented writer and artist whom I've known for a long time, and over the years we've gone from being friends to also becoming collaborators.

What inspires me most about Peter is his genuine love for storytelling. That involves both intimate, character-driven stories and larger, more ambitious worlds. His work has a strong emotional core, but at the same time there's always something slightly surreal and unexpected in his perspective. He has a unique ability to balance vulnerability with absurdity in a way that feels very human.

I also deeply admire the way he writes female characters. They feel complex, messy, funny and emotionally honest rather than symbolic or idealized. I think he has a very distinct voice, and I genuinely believe more people should discover his work.