Dagur Kári Pétursson

Dagur spent his formative years playing in rock bands, studying photography and contemplating a career as a writer. Upon discovering the works of Jim Jarmusch, Aki Kaurismaki and Francois Truffaut, Dagur gravitated towards film-making, the ideal umbrella for all his interests. Dagur graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1999, with the award-winning short Lost Weekend.

Dagur’s feature film debut, Noi the Albino (2003), swept over 20 awards at festivals around the world and had a successful theatrical release in over 30 territories. His second film Dark Horse was in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005 (Un Certain Regard). Shot in New York, The Good Heart premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009 – starring Brian Cox, Paul Dano and Isild Le Besco. In 2015, the film Virgin Mountain was in the official selection at The Berlinale in 2015. It won 3 major prizes at the Tribeca Film Festival (Best film, best script, best actor) and went on to win a dozen more at festivals around the world. His last feature film Hygge (2023) was one of the most popular films in Denmark in recent years. Dagur has also directed episodes in Borgen (2022) and The Excavation (2025).