O by Rúnar Rúnarsson selected for Venice Film Festival

The latest short film by director Rúnar Rúnarsson, O, starring Ingvar Sigurdsson in the lead role, has been selected for the Orizzonti Short Films International Competition at Venice Film Festival 2024.

O is a poetic story about a man who wants to succeed, but his main obstacle is himself.

This will be the eighty-first time the festival takes place, making it one of the oldest in the world. Each year, the two most prestigious film festivals in the world, Venice and Cannes, compete to premiere the top films of the year.

O follows in the wake of Rúnarsson's fourth feature film, When the Light Breaks, which opened the Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film premiered to a standing ovation from the audience and positive reviews from film critics. Major film magazines, Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily, have listed When the Light Breaks among the best films at Cannes this year.

"We are of course very pleased with the honor that our films have received," says Rúnarsson. "It's largely the same people behind the camera for both O and When the Light Breaks. We are incredibly proud of and grateful to these people. The journey that O and When the Light Breaks are on is also a tremendous recognition for Icelandic filmmaking. For the significant work that the government and private sector have done in recent years."