Marteinn Thorsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, and holds dual citizenship of Iceland and Canada. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film Studies from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, in 1993. Thorsson's graduation film, a 65-minute film noir titled "Diary of an Assassin," showcased his early talent.
In 2004, Thorsson co-wrote and co-directed the feature film "One Point O" with Jeff Renfroe. The film, starring Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Kara Unger, Udo Kier, and Lance Henriksen, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. "One Point O" went on to be sold to over 43 countries worldwide, earning awards and recognition globally.
Thorsson's work did not go unnoticed, as Variety Magazine included him on its 10 Directors To Watch List in 2004.
Thorsson's second feature, "Rokland" (also known as "Stormland"),was produced by Snorri Thorisson at Pegasus Pictures in Reykjavik. Based on the novel by Hallgrimur Helgason, the film traveled to festivals worldwide and earned accolades, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the Icelandic Edda Awards in 2011 for Olafur Darri Olafsson and Elma Lísa Gunnarsdóttir, respectively.
Thorsson's third feature, "XL," reunited him with Olafur Darri Olafsson and Elma Lísa Gunnarsdóttir, among others. The film won Best Actor at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and earned 11 nominations for the Edda Awards.
Thorsson's upcoming projects include the supernatural thriller "Recurrence" (also known as "Una"),produced by Gudrun Edda Thorhannesdottir at Duo Productions, and the coming-of-age drama "Wild Summer," co-produced by Thorsson and Gudmundur Oskarsson with Christian Riffard in France and Paola Sponda in Italy.
In addition to his feature films, Thorsson has created award-winning promotional videos for Astral Media (The Movie Network) in Toronto, Canada. He has also directed and edited television programs for Icelandic Television, music videos, and commercials.
Thorsson has taught screenwriting, directing, and producing at the Icelandic Film School and served as the Creative Director of the Reykjavik International Film Festival's Transatlantic Talent Lab in 2011 and 2012. During his tenure, he organized and moderated the prestigious lab, which brought together international students for workshops and masterclasses led by industry professionals such as Geoffrey Gilmore, Valdis Oskarsdottir, David Cronenberg, Béla Tarr, James Marsh, Peter Wintonik, Dario Argento, Ulrich Thomsen, and others.
