We All Need Role Models – They Show Us What is Possible

In 1986, I was six years old when I saw the film Stella í orlofi (titled in english: Stella on Holiday) in the cinema. A critic for the newspaper Vísir gave the film two and a half stars and described the movie as characterized by “female chauvinism.” He praised the male lead actor but found other aspects of the film “less successful and flat” (FRI). The Icelandic public, however, was much more positive and the film became one of the most beloved Icelandic movies of all time.

Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir directed and Guðný Halldórsdóttir wrote the screenplay. These women became important role models for me. Both women have also written and directed Áramótaskaupið (The New Year´s Lampoon – Iceland’s annual satirical sketch show special) which has united over 80% of the nation in front of their television screens every New Year’s Eve for 59 years.

In 2022, a long-held dream came true when I became the seventh woman to direct Áramótaskaupið.

Decades after the premiere of Stella on Holiday Þorleifsdóttir was asked whether she would have liked to continue working as a film director, but she did not direct another feature film project until 36 years later:

“It certainly would have been enjoyable, but such opportunities simply weren't offered. I believe the fact that I was a female director was a significant factor. A man achieving the same success would have been called back to work” (Björn Þór Vilhjálmsson).

Although Þorleifsdóttir directed numerous theater and opera projects, she noted in a recent interview that she often faced hostility and found it challenging to counter continuous slander:

“That's difficult to respond to – if you do you're quickly labeled as bitter, overly sensitive, or difficult” (Samstöðin).

Þórhildur’s experience is far from unique. Research shows that women in leadership positions are often penalized for success in traditionally male-dominated fields, facing exclusion rather than new opportunities (Heilman et al.).

When I began working on the TV series Húsó in early 2021, one of my biggest wishes was for my favorite actress from childhood, the one who had played the title role in Stella on Holiday, to play one of the main roles in Húsó.

In the film industry women face greater challenges securing funding for their projects and generally receive smaller grants, something Guðný Halldórsdóttir, one of Iceland’s most productive film directors, has personally experienced:

“Even though I make expensive films, period pieces and such, I've always received the smallest funding from the film fund. And that's solely because I'm a woman. I see no other reason for it” (Vera Sölvadóttir).

Women are a minority among applicants for film grants at The Icelandic Film Fund, and this fact is often used to explain gender imbalance in the film industry. But when systemic discrimination is involved, the issue is far more complex.

Despite comprehensive gender equality legislation that mandates real equality in all areas of icelandic society, there is a clear disparity between the legal framework and its implementation within the film industry. The legislation is weak regarding grants from the Icelandic Film Fund, stating only that "consideration should be given as to whether the grant contributes to equalizing the status of women and men in filmmaking" (Alþingi).  This vague wording leaves no effective recourse for women experiencing systemic discrimination.

Iceland is often referred to as a paradise of gender equality. Although women hold key public positions of power in Iceland today, a backlash against gender equality remains a troubling reality here, as elsewhere, with gender-based violence notably on the rise (Kastljós).

Women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and other marginalized groups continue to experience intersecting forms of discrimination, often without adequate responses from police or the judicial system to enforce equality laws (Tómasdóttir).

In the world’s top film schools, women have long been roughly half the students. Yet, as in many other places, including Iceland, the film industry is characterized by what has been called a “gatekeeping system,” where a few individuals have decisive power over the distribution of funds and opportunities and over who gets to take part and who is excluded (Lewin).

Financial power still lies largely in the hands of men all over the world and women continue to have less access to capital. On Heimildin’s 2024 list of Iceland’s top 0.01% income earners, women made up only 23% – and just 18.5% of the overall high-income list (Steindór Grétar Jónsson).

The Icelandic Film Centre publishes limited statistics on the number of grant applications by gender, but comprehensive analyses of funding distribution by gender are unavailable, hindering a thorough understanding of the situation.

Research shows that the film industry has a deep impact on people’s attitudes and self-image. The more women who hold key positions in film projects, the more likely it is that women will appear on screen (Collins; Liddy).

As Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir has said, it was crucial that women held all the key positions in Stella í orlofi:

“First of all, no man could have written that screenplay – and it would be hard to find a man who could have directed it either. It would have been an entirely different film. It takes women to understand women like Stella. She lives in every woman.” (Björn Þór Vilhjálmsson)

(Note: This is the English translation of an essay first published in Icelandic on October 28th, 2025.)

References:

Alþingi. e.d. Kvikmyndalög nr. 137/2001. https://www.althingi.is/lagas/154c/2001137.html.

Björn Þór Vilhjálmsson. 2018. „„Konur að verki“: Viðtal við Þórhildi Þorleifsdóttur.“ Hugrás, 22. janúar. https://hugras.is/2018/01/konur-ad-verki-vidtal-vid-thorhildi-thorleifsdottur.

Collins, R., L. 2011. „Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Media: Where Are We Now and Where Should We Go?“ Sex Roles 64: 290–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9929-5.

FRI. 1986. „Sjokk í prógrammið.“ Dagblaðið Vísir. 20. október. https://timarit.is/page/2521507.

Kastljós. 2025. „Mansal á veitingastöðum, bakslag í jafnréttisbaráttunni og Stormur (viðtal)." Ríkisútvarpið. Kastljós, 8. mars. https://ord.ruv.is/program/tv/ruv-episode-198542.

Lewin, K. 1947. „Frontiers in Group Dynamics: II. Channels of Group Life; Social Planning and Action Research.” Human Relations (New York), 1 (2):143–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872674700100201.

Liddy, S. 2020. „The Gendered Landscape in the International Film Industry: Continuity and Change.“ Women in the International Film Industry, ritstj. Liddy, S. Sviss: Springer Nature.

Liddy, S. 2023. Women, Ageing and the Screen Industries. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18385-0.

Heilman, M., E., og Okimoto, T.,G. 2007. „Why Are Women Penalized for Success at Male Tasks?: The Implied Communality Deficit.” Journal of Applied Psychology 92 (1): 81–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.81.

Maskína. 2025. „Yfir helmingur landsmanna ánægður með Áramótaskaupið.“ Maskína, 4. febrúar. Sótt á https://maskina.is/yfir-helmingur-landsmanna-anaegdur-med-aramotaskaupid.

McDougall Jones, N. 2020. „The 'Confidence Gap' Isn’t Holding Back Women in Film-the Industry Is.“Ms. Magazine, 7. febrúar. https://msmagazine.com/2020/02/07/the-confidence-gap-isnt-holding-back-women-in-film-the-industry-is.

Samstöðin. 2025. „Helgi-spjall: Þórhildur Þorleifsdóttir." Rauða borðið, 15. febrúar. https://samstodin.is/show/helgi-spjall-thorhildur-thorleifs.

Steindór Grétar Jónsson. 2024. „Það sem hátekjulistinn sýnir okkur." Heimildin, 24. ágúst.

https://heimildin.is/grein/22459/thad-sem-hatekjulistinn-synir-okkur.

Tómasdóttir, S. 2023. „Áskorun vikunnar: Formgerum hið óformlega." Just Consulting, 10. nóvember. https://www.justconsulting.nl/10-november-2023.

Vera Sölvadóttir. 2018. „Í húsi leikstjórans.“ Útvarpsþáttur. Ríkisútvarpið, 10. maí. https://spilari.nyr.ruv.is/utvarp/spila/i-husi-leikstjorans/26944/80ul01.