Iris Magdalene Schmidt is a Danish-Greek film director working at the intersection of film, technology and storytelling.
By integrating cutting-edge technologies into her filmmaking, she expands the possibilities of cinema while keeping storytelling firmly at the center. She creates distinctive worlds and narratives across music videos, commercials, short films, and fiction.
Within fiction, Iris specialises in surreal and bizarre universes, exploring characters who challenge conventions, identities, and social structures. Since 2020, she has been at the forefront of AI-driven filmmaking and virtual production, working with the use of game engines and interactive technologies in cinematic storytelling.
Iris has worked as Creative Director at Virsabi, a leading company in virtual production (VP), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). Virsabi’s clients include GANNI, Red Bull, IKEA, Jabra, Mærsk, Pfizer, KVIK, and Bang & Olufsen. Additionally, Iris has made films for Nordea, Normal, Folkekirkens Nødhjælp, WIFT DK, Hip Hop Hub, Medina and Københavns Kommune.
Her work has been featured in Producers Guild of America magazine and showcased at the Danish Film School’s PictureThis conference, where she talked about the future of filmmaking.
Recently, she has presented her work at the Danish television station TV2 and Nordisk Panorama Film Festival 2025. Her newest project, Tænkepauser: Tyngdekraft, has premiered on DR2 and is available on DRTV.
Commercially, Iris is represented by FERN.
Through her distinctive filmic style, Iris Magdalene Schmidt continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, creating cinematic stories that use technology to expand the imagination.
NOMINATIONS
2023 - Nominated AX Wound Film Festival
2023 - Nominated New York International Women Festival
2023 - Semi-Finalist New York International Women Festival
2023 - Nominated Golden Short Film Festival, 3rd Quarter Finalist
2023 - Nominated Golden Short Film Festival, Golden Sci-fi Short Category
2022 - Nominated TiSFF* Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival
2019 - Nominated VIZARTS Jury Prize
2019 - Winner VIZARTS Jury Prize for Best Virtual Production
2019 - Winner VIZARTS Jury Prize for Best Storyworld
CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND PANEL DEBATES
2025 - THIS 2025 - Future of Media & Content - ‘Future of Directing – Creativity Meets Artificial Intelligence’ panel debate
2025 - Nordisk Panorama Film Festival - Immersive Day, ‘Challenging Gravity: A Film Director Pushing Creative Possibilities with AI by Iris Magdalene Schmidt’ presentation
2025 - The Animation Workshop - ‘A Deep-Dive Into ‘Gravity’: A Film Director Pushing Creative Possibilities’ presentation
2025 - TV2, ‘Fra vision til virkelighed: en rejse gennem skabelsen af en musikvideo, og et kig på den kreative proces med nye teknologier’ presentation
2024 - Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts, ‘A film director’s insights into how to combine new technology and film’
2022 - PICTURE THIS_22, The Danish Film School, ‘Learning By Doing. Case Studies of Virtual Production’ panel debate
2020 - VIZARTS Summit, ‘Exploring the power of Virtual Production‘ presentation
2019 - VIZARTS Summit, ‘The Love Triangle: A fusion of film, gaming and virtual reality’ presentation
PRESS
2024 - GAFFA, ‘Drew Sycamore: AI har gjort det muligt at skabe en musikvideo, der har et budget som en sci-fi blockbuster’
2024 - ProAV Magasinet DK interview, ‘Kvinde i En Nørdet Virtuel Verden’
2024 - Producers Guild of America magazine feature, ‘Making Magic with AI’
NORDISK PANORAMA FILM FESTIVAL 2025
Invited to Nordisk Panorama Film Festival to present the process behind the latest film TYNGDEKRAFT, part of Danmarks Radios TÆNKEPAUSER series.
As part of Nordisk Immersive Media Day, the talk “Challenging Gravity: A Film Director Pushing Creative Possibilities” explored the journey of using new technology as a creative tool, and dove into the process of the film, from the first spark of an idea to building a whole fictional world.
