Biography

Helena Jonsdottir has worked on and created countless productions for television, film, music videos, visual arts and the theater stages in the last 40 years. Helena has written, choreographed and directed her own works that have been screened in Art Festivals, Film Festivals,TV, Art Museums and other venues since the 90s. Helena is recognized internationally for her work. She has won several awards, for example as a choreographer nominated in Los Angeles as the best choreographer at the Music Video Production Association Awards in 2000, winning her first award at the Reykjavík Short Film Festival in 2001, then 10 Moving North in 2003 and won first prize at the IV.Video tanzpreis 2003/2004 SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne, Germany to name few. Winner of the Dance theater awards held by Icelandic dance company and Reykjavík city theater with her physical theater OPEN SOURCE that was put in full production touring to such places like China, Belgium and Schotland from 2005-2009. The award winning short television film "Another” won the Grand Prix at the Cinessonne Film Festival in Paris, France in 2006 and the latest film GONE 2015 award winning short film that is still touring. Several collaborations, for example with Estonia Broadcasting service ETV, EBU European Broadcasting Union, Arte Germany, YLE, SVT, DR, SDF, NRK, NPS and RUV. Episodes commissioned by the Icelandic Dance Company in 2013, a full performance that got the highest critics reviews in Iceland, it was also performed at the Oslo Opera house in 2015. Being on several boards of Film festival jury including the Rose d'Or an international awards festival. In addition to her creative projects Helena is an associate professor both at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and guest professor in different International Academies of the Arts incl. freelance internationally as a lecturer and workshop leader. And today as a founder, producer and artistic director of the Physical Cinema Festival in Reykjavík Iceland.

In 2017 by The Icelandic press and culture Helena was selected as the Icelandic Dance artist of the year. Awarded for pioneering work for dance + physical cinema in Iceland for over three decades.