If Olafur Arnalds could... soundtrack a movie

Icelandic songsmith Olafur Arnalds tells DiS about the films he'd love to have written the soundtrack for...

1. Pan's Labyrinth

   Well, first of all because it's one of my favorite movies, but maybe it's also one of my favorite movies because I can really relate to it and the music that's in it. Simple motifs and playing around with different themes for different worlds. Mixing two contrasts together - the harsh reality of the Spanish Civil War and a fantasy world. I like contrasts and the challenge that it is to work with both sides but still keep it all within the same frame. I'm a big fan of Gulliermo Del Toro and I would really love to get the chance to write for one of his movies some day.

2. The Green Mile

   The soundtrack to this film is what got me into this whole mess! It got me interested in classical instrumentation and it was such a big inspiration to my first classical pieces.

3. Nói Albínói (e. Noah the Albino)

   An Icelandic movie about an Albino guy who lives somewhere in a very remote, freezing town in the north of Iceland and meets a girl from the city. This movie is so cold in the same way that a lot of my music is.

4. The Shawshank Redemption

   Just because I think it would fit [with my music], and I like this film. The music it has already was also quite an inspiration for me when I was starting out.

5. The Hobbit

   I know this hasn't even been made yet! If there is something about Gulliermo Del Toro's films so far that wouldn't fit with my music, it's that the fantasy parts are more about children's fantasies. But Tolkien's style mixed with Del Toro's mystic approach would be a perfect match in my opinion.

Olafur is currently on tour in the UK and headlines Union Chapel in London this Saturday. Dates and more info at myspace.com/olafurarnalds.