Director and movie producer Gudný Halldórsdóttir received the Icelandic Optimism Award, ISK 1 million (USD 16,400, EUR 11,200), from President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson yesterday.
Halldórsdóttir latest film Vedramót (The Quiet Storm) was nominated for 11 awards at the 2007 Eddas, the Icelandic Film and Television Awards, held last Sunday.
According to ruv.is, the Optimism Award was founded by the Danish entrepreneur Peter Broeste in 1981. It is meant as a recognition and encouragement for Icelandic artists from different genres. Iceland’s President has been the patron of the award since its foundation.
When Broeste retired in 2000, he challenged Icelandic companies to take over the Optimism Award, and Alcan in Iceland, which operates an aluminum smelter near Reykjavík, accepted the challenge.
