Róska

Born

1940-10-31

Died

1996-03-13

Birthplace

Reykjavik, Iceland

Biography

Ragnhildur Óskarsdóttir (October 31, 1940 – March 13, 1996), better known by her pseudonym Roska, was an Icelandic artist, film director, communist, and feminist. She studied fine arts and film directing in Prague and Rome, Italy, where she lived for most of her life. One of her trademarks was her bright red lips, which appear in many of her films. She directed or co-directed films such as "L'impossibilità di recitare Elettra oggi" (1969), "The Ancient Folk-Tale of Ólafur Liljurós" (1977) and "Sóley" (1982) as well as seven documentaries about Iceland for Italian state television (RAI) in the 1970s. She was known for her radical political views, which were also clearly expressed in her work. She was a member of the Communist Youth Union and took part in a four-month sit-in strike at the Keflavík television studio in 1969, during which they sprayed paint on the camera lenses. In Rome, she was actively involved in left-wing and anarchist groups and, among other things, in 1968, together with her husband Manrico Pavolettoni, participated in a four-month sit-in strike in the small town of Fabrico near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy.