Team Deakins HLYNUR PÁLMASON - Writer / Director
Mar 4, 2026
Hlynur Pálmason, an Icelandic writer-director known for image-driven films like A White, White Day and Godland, discusses his visual, in-camera approach. He talks about finding locations early, shooting economically, embedding photography into development, working with actors to find a film’s rhythm, and how Iceland’s landscape and history shaped his projects.
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Find Locations Early And Write Around Them
- Find and lock locations early and write the script around the space so the environment reveals story details like season and scene mechanics.
- Hlynur writes scripts tailored to a single site (e.g., a limestone valley near Copenhagen) to minimize location needs on low budgets.
Prep Deeply But Leave Room To React
- Prep thoroughly but keep room to react on set because reality delivers unexpected gifts and moments of grace you must capture.
- Hlynur prepares precise drafts yet allows evolving changes during shooting to seize spontaneous performances or visuals.
Use Character Portraits As Narrative Breathers
- Hlynur films portraits of rooms and characters as breathing points that let the audience pause between intense sequences.
- He started photographing every space on The Painter and adapted that rhythmical portrait approach into his features.
