Einar Thor

Einar Thor, also known as Einar Þór Gunnlaugsson, (born August 2, 1964) is an Icelandic film director and writer primarily based in London since 1990. He has written and directed various films and videos, made dozens of radio programmes for Icelandic national radio and written articles on art, politics and culture. His filmmaking style has been described by critics as laid back, amusing and minimalistic. Einar Thor grew up on a farm in northwest Iceland, and in his early years became also a part-time sailor in the nearby village, Flateyri, where he was also born.

He used to be a year ahead in junior school and left his home ground at the age of 14 for further studies in south Iceland, left school at the age of 17 to work in various jobs in fishing and farming, but continued his studies again at the age of 19.

At 23 he went as a volunteer to Nicaragua in 1988 during the Contras conflict. He returned to Europe where he graduated from the London Film School with a distinction in directing in 1992. He also studied mass media theory and Spanish at the University of Iceland and at the Universidad de Málaga, Spain, from 1988 to 1990, and later continued his academic studies at City University, London where he completed an MA in Art Management and Policy Making in the arts in 2001.