“Vigdís,” the four-part biopic about Iceland’s iconic former president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, widely known as the world’s first democratically elected female head of state, will bow Feb. 17 at the Berlinale Series Market Selects, courtesy of REinvent International.
The show – which chronicles Finnbogadóttir’s journey from 1948, when she finished secondary school, up until her presidential election in 1980 – lands in Berlin off the back of a strong national run on pubcaster RÚV, where it premiered on Jan. 1.
“It’s one of the most successful TV series broadcasted in Iceland, with around 60% accumulated viewings per episode,” boasts producer Rakel Garðarsdóttir, co-creator with co-writers Ágústa M Ólafsdóttir and Björg Magnúsdóttir (“The Minister”). In the small nation of 390,000 inhabitants, ruled by two women- President Halla Tómasdóttir and Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, the series about Finnbogadóttir, who championed equality and women’s rights during her presidency (1980 to 1996), has sparked a national craze for everything related to Vigdís. According to ruv.is, books and memorabilia about her are selling like hotcakes, just like knitting patterns of the iconic wool dress that she wore the day after her presidential inauguration.
“It feels like the show has had an incredible reach,” said Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who plays Finnbogadóttir in two episodes. “Families have come together on Sundays, with kids asking various questions, while the older generations have reminisced the times they lived [under Finnbogadóttir]. In a way, Vigdís has united us once more,” the actor told Variety.
For Garðarsdóttir, who first came up with the idea for the series in 2009 when she was given the “Vigdís” biography by author Páll Valsson, Finnbogadóttir’s legacy shines far beyond the national border, hence the relevance of a TV biopic.
“Vigdís Finnbogadóttir’s story is a perfect fit for a fiction adaptation because it transcends her personal achievements and speaks to a universal truth about the power of representation and trailblazing leadership. For us in Iceland, Vigdís is more than a historical figure. She is a role model who showed an entire generation of women that anything is possible. This story is not just Icelandic; it’s global.”
However, finding the right fiction narrative turned out to be a long and winding road for the co-writers and Vesturport creatives – Garðarsdóttir, Filippusdóttir, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, and actor/director Björn Hlynur Haraldsson are all credited with Iceland’s other recent hit show, “Blackport.”
In fact, more than 10 years have elapsed from the moment Garðarsdóttir set out to create the Vigdís biopic to delivery. An original feature version was dropped mid-way for a four-part episodic format, as the creators kept digging up more crunchy material from Finnbogadóttir’s backstory, featured in chronological order in the show: from her late teens, her period in France where she studied French literature, her drama school years in Copenhagen, time as a theater manager in Reykjavik until her presidential victory. The other side of the coin of the sunny public figure revealed dark spots in Finnbogadóttir’s private life: the loss of her brother at a young age, her miscarriages, her divorce and an uphill battle to adopt a child. “Her story is full of disappointments and hardship, but she always carried on and held her head high,” Garðarsdóttir observed.
If fine-tuning the tone, point of view and storyline were major challenges, getting the approval from the main protagonist – Finnbogadóttir herself- was an easy feat as the producer explained: “Vigdís comes from a theatrical background, so she fully appreciates the creative freedom that artists require. She felt confident in our collective vision to the extent that she chose not to review the script, placing her complete trust in our process.”
Vesturport team with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Credit: Vesturport
Iceland’s former president also agreed to Filippusdóttir as her screen alter ego, next to Elín Hall (European Film Promotion Shooting Star 2025, star of “When the Light Breaks”), who plays her from her late teens to her thirties in the first two episodes.
Discussing her role, Filippusdóttir said she immersed herself completely into her character, watching, reading and studying everything she could find. “I spent hours analyzing [Vigdís’] movements, her presence, the subtle shifts between her public and private self, how she carried herself in the office versus how she was at home, simply drinking coffee. And I could feel her taking over my presence. Her posture, her speech, even the rhythm of my own movements started to shift. Any actor will tell you: when a character truly settles into you, when they start shaping you from the inside out, that’s one of the greatest rewards of this job,” said the prolific actor who has appeared in “Trapped,” “The Valhalla Murders” and “Blackport.”
Directing duties were shared between Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (“The Minister”, “Descendants”). “Both directors brought so much passion to the project,” Garðarsdóttir said. “Björn directed the first two episodes featuring the young Vigdís, a time when patriarchy was still the dominant force in society, while Tinna directed the second two episodes -with Filippusdóttir playing Vigdís-in which the women’s [liberation] movement became a force and demanded change. Both directors are actors as well and that really shows in the performance of the actors on screen.”
Another major challenge was recreating the late 1940s to 1980.
“Creating a period drama in Iceland is definitely a huge challenge,” admitted Garðarsdóttir. “Financially, it’s tough, and as a small nation, it’s hard to find locations that don’t look too modern. But at the same time, it’s a fun challenge; it really pushes you to think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions. We actually shot every single scene in Iceland, even those that take place in Scandinavia and France. That’s what we call movie magic! Luckily, we were incredibly fortunate to have an amazing crew filled with some of the most talented people, and their hard work and dedication made the series as stunning as it turned out to be.”
“Even though most of our costumes were rented from Peris Costumes in Madrid, we also reached out to the Icelandic nation for help. We asked people to check their basements and storage spaces for clothes or interesting pieces they could lend us for the shoot, and the response was incredible! On top of that, Vigdís herself generously lent us some of her own clothing, which added a truly special and authentic touch to the production.”
Considering the material, financing the show was a relatively easy endeavor. Besides the major commissioner RÚV, the Vesturport team secured funding from the Icelandic Film Fund, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Creative Europe, and the rest of the Nordic pubcasters part of the N12 alliance: NRK, DR, SVT, and YLE. REinvent then came on board against international rights.
“The show has been extremely well received. We have already made sales, and more offers are on the way. It is an absolutely beautiful story, and we can’t wait to present it at the Series Market Selects in Berlin,” said REinvent sales and marketing director Helene Aurø.
Meanwhile Iceland’s talent-driven Vesturport, soon to be housed in a brand new multi-disciple artistic venue in Reykjavik, is busy with various projects, including a new stage version of “Frozen: The Musical” for the Nordic countries and a new series: “Stick ’em Up,” which Filippusdóttir describes as “a spiritual successor of ‘Blackport.’”
