Lofi Production

About

LoFi Productions was founded in 2005 by people with background in art, curating and visual anthropology. Based in Iceland, the company focuses on the production of documentaries on art, artists’ films and video-work and the use of the moving image in exhibition making. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir (born 1975, Reykjavik) is a filmmaker and an artist living in Iceland. Her studies include Bard College, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, with MFA in Fine Arts, class of 2012. Gestsdóttir completed an MA in Visual Anthropology from Goldsmiths College, University of London, 2001 and BA in Anthropology from University of Iceland, 2000. She is the co-founder and editor of Rafskinna, an interactive arts magazine. Markús Þór Andrésson (born 1975, Zürich) is an independent curator, writer and filmmaker living in Iceland. He holds a degree in Curatorial Studies from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, class of 2007. In 2001 he finished his BA in studio arts from the Iceland Academy of the Arts. His work includes the making of exhibitions, writing on art for catalogues ands magazines and writing / directing documentary films and television programs on art.

In Progress

TIME AND TIME AND AGAIN

48 min film
dir. Markús Þór Andrésson, Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir
prod. Hlín Jóhannesdóttir, Sami Jahnukainen – Mouka Filmi

This film about time and art are based on the life and work of Icelandic artist Hreinn Friðfinnsson. His work is a poetic and philosophical exploration into every-day human experience where time and coincidence play an important role. Merging reality with fiction the project revisits selected works by Friðfinnsson and uses them as inspiration for a narrative.

Projects

RANGSÆLIS / AROUND

10 min (2011)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

Travelling around the country one summer with her partner and small child, Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir brought along her camera with the intention of collecting material for an experimental film. Their route lay counter-clockwise along the Ring Road in Iceland with stops at the usual landmarks, roadside shops, and guesthouses. As the trip progressed it became clear that much would not go according to plan, many of the film sequences were ruined, it was no picnic travelling with a small child, and rural bliss and nature were perhaps not all they were cracked up to be. In the film, Gestsdóttir portrays the contrasts that gave the trip its flavour—expectations and disappointments, beauty and ugliness, the predictable and the surprising—with sidelong glances at other travellers and their way of absorbing the surroundings.

Shown in the film program of the exhibition ‘Without Destination’ in the Reykjavik Art Museum, 2011.

AS IF WE EXISTED / EINS OG VIÐ VÆRUM

30 min (2010)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

assistant dir. Curver Thoroddsen

prod. Dorothée Kirch

An artist and his model spend half a year in a derelict Venetian pavilion creating painting after painting in an endless loop. This experimental film suggests a mental portrait reflecting the gradual decline from leisure and order into obsession and chaos. The director bases the work on her documentation of the actual six-months long performance by Ragnar Kjartansson in the Venice Biennial 2009, entitled The End.

Shown at Bíó Paradís, Reykjavík, Art Basel, Miami Beach and Scandinavia House, New York, Reykjavík Art Museum 2011. Also at the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) 2011.

STEYPA

64 min (2007)
dir. Markús Þór Andrésson, Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir
prod. Dorothée Kirch

“…contemplative, funny, oftentimes nutty, certain times ridiculous – and I use this as a high compliment.” (curator Gregory Volk on Icelandic art)

The documentary follows several young artists from Iceland. As they work on different projects around the world, they discuss their use of materials, subject matters, inspiration and background. The Icelandic word for concrete (one of the artist’s sculpting material of choice) as well as a colloquial local term for ‘nonsense,’ STEYPA offers a playful and intelligent discussion of the scene. With artists Margrét H. Blöndal, Ásmundur Ásmundsson, Icelandic Love Corporation, Unnar Örn Auðarson, Huginn Þór Arason, Katrín Sigurðardóttir and Gabríela Friðriksdóttir. Original Soundtrack by Ólafur Björn Ólafsson

Official Selection: Skjaldborg, Iceland; Reykjavik International Film Festival; Iceland Hot Docs, Canada; 700.is Experimental Film and Video Festival, Iceland; Pärnu International Film Festival, Estonia; Temps d’Images, Portugal. Shown in RUV, Icelandic National Broadcasting Service; American Scandinavian Foundation, USA; Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland Australian Cimémathèque, Australia; Nice08 Art and Culture Festival, UK; Museek Festival, Russia.

VERSATIONS TETRALÓGÍA

30 min (2005)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

A documentary on Gabríela Friðriksdóttir’s work, Versations Tetralogia, created for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennial, June 12–November 6, 2005. Her work is a polyphonic installation in which the different themes and media she has used hitherto are crystallised. Her approach is characterized by the use of a variety of media: drawings, paintings, photographs, and sculptures figure as prominently as installations, performances, and video films. In her works Friðriksdóttir assembles various cultural, religious, and psychological elements to unfold a unique aesthetic canon of signs, forms, and meanings.

INNER OR DEEP PART OF AN ANIMAL OR PLANT STRUCTURE

50 min (2004)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

A documentary that follows Björk and the making of her album, Medúlla, which was crafted out of nothing but vocals, vocal samples, and the odd keyboard or two. The film features interviews and impromptu performances from Medúlla contributors like Japanese beatbox artist Dokaka, as well as footage of recording the album in the studio and at different locations — including London, Reykjavík, New York City, and Brazil — with the Inuit throat singer Tagaq, Rahzel, and several of the other artists involved in making the album. The title of the film is the actual definition of the word “Medúlla”.

Official Selection: CPHDox 2005, Nordisk Panorama 2004, Silverdocs 2005, Tekfestival 2005, Moffom 2005, Popcorn Film Festival 2004 and more. Also shown at the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) in 2005. Released on DVD for international distribution in 2005.

TRIUMPH OF A HEART – The Stories Behind the Music Video

30 min (2004)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir & Markús Þór Andrésson

A documentary about the making of Björk’s Triumph of a Heart music video, which was directed by Spike Jonze. Partially a mocumentary, the feature focuses on the auditions for the bar patrons who had to be able to make the noises and sound effects required for the live performance in the music video.

Official selection: CPHDox 2005, ZagrebDox 2005, Tekfestival 2005, Moffom 2005 and more. Also shown at MTV USA in 2004. Released on DVD for international distribution in 2005.

MINUSCULE

75 min (2002)
dir. Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

A documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at Björk and her touring entourage for the 2001 Vespertine tour. It includes interviews with harpist Zeena Parkins, the Inuit choir from Greenland, electronic duo Matmos, and an ongoing conversation with Björk herself about her recordings and her tours.

Released on DVD for international distribution in 2003.