Reykjavík International Film Festival

Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF; Icelandic: Alþjóðleg kvikmyndahátíð í Reykjavík [ˈalˌθjouːðˌlɛːɣ ˈkʰvɪːkˌmɪntaˌhauːˌtʰiːð i ˈreiːcaˌviːk]) is an international film festival held annually in Reykjavík, Iceland. The festival lasts 11 days each year and emphasizes young talents. One way of doing so is having a competitive category (named New Visions) exclusively limited to a director's first or second feature-length film. At each festival, a number of awards are given out. The main award is the Discovery of the Year award, also called Golden Puffin, given by an international jury. The international federation of film critics FIPRESCI send a jury to RIFF from 2006. Also, the audience can vote for their favorite film from the whole programme. Lifetime achievement awards and creative excellence awards are given to well-known film directors who have achieved excellence in their work.

Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF) was founded in 2004 by a group of film enthusiasts and professionals with the goal of creating an annual international film festival in Reykjavík. The aim was to establish a major film event to enrich and enliven the local film culture, but moreover, to become an international attraction.

The festival organized its first event in Reykjavík in November 2004, initiating a discussion of the role and importance of film festivals in a local and international context. A festival program was organized in relation to the seminar, showing films by Icelandic film directors and professionals that work outside of Iceland.

The next RIFF was held from September 29 to October 9, 2005, and was a leap forward in size and scale compared to the year before. Programmer Dimitri Eipides was brought on board to supervise the film selection, and he has worked with us since. Eipides had gained experience as a programmer for the Toronto and Montreal Film Festivals as well as the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece.

In 2005, the foundation for the programme for the future was laid and a number of current categories surfaced for the first time. A Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Abbas Kiarostami and a retrospective of his works was screened along with an exhibition of his photographs. A Discovery of the Year award was given for the first time to Cristi Puiu, director of the film The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. Over 13,000 people came to see the festival's seventy films.

In 2006, RIFF's reputation had spread considerably, and the number of international guests multiplied. Representatives from media such as Variety, The Guardian and IndieWIRE attended the festival. The programme had also grown to incorporate over one hundred films, a number of master classes, symposiums and panel discussions – and even managed to cram a few concerts in too.

Grbavica by Jasmila Žbanić was the 'Discovery of the Year' and RIFF's first time FIPRESCI jury awarded Red Road by Andrea Arnold. Aleksandr Sokurov was given the lifetime achievement award and Atom Egoyan accepted recognition for his creative excellence.

In 2007, RIFF was held for the fourth time. Many filmmakers from all over the world visited Reykjavík for the festival. Among them was Aki Kaurismäki, who received the Reykjavík International Film Festival honorary awards, presented by the president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Hungarian film Iska's Journey by director Csaba Bollók was named Discovery of the Year. Iska's Journey received the Golden Puffin, awarded for the first time. Head of jury Hal Hartley gave the award.

Peter Greenaway visited Reykjavík, held a lecture and was awarded for his life achievement as a filmmaker. An international federation of film critics, FIPRESCI, awarded Danish debut feature The Art of Crying by Peter Schønau Fog, which also received the Church of Iceland award, given for the second time. "The film deals delicately with issues that often are kept quiet and presents them with respect, understanding and sympathy. The Art of Crying raises awareness of the fragility of life, moves the audience and calls for discussion and responses," is stated in the jury's motivation. The audience award went to Joy Division's Ian Curtis biopic Control by Anton Corbijn and Amnesty International awarded El Ejido for The Law of Profit – a documentary on immigrants in southern Spain.

In 2008, RIFF was held for the fifth time. Over 300 foreign guests visited the festival and well over 20,000 people saw the films that RIFF had to offer. The movie Tulpan received the Golden Puffin, RIFF's main award, and was named Discovery of the Year. Home by Ursula Meier received the FIPRESCI award and Snijeg by Aida Begić from Bosnia-Herzegovenia received the Church of Iceland award. Venkovský ucitel by Bohdan Sláma from the Czech Republic received the Gay-friendly award given by Iceland's National Association of Gays and Lesbians. The Association also gave She's a Boy I Knew by Gwen Haworth from Canada a special recognition award. Electronica Reykjavík by Arnar Jónasson from Iceland was voted most popular by the attendees at RIFF.

The special events at RIFF were a success. 'Sound on Sight' was a project where people were able to focus on the special bond and connection between music and film. A project called 'Minus 25' was designed for people under the age of 25 and included many mini projects, e.g., a competition where youngsters wrote music for the movie The Crowd, which was originally released in 1928. A short film competition for young students was held and even Iceland's kindergartens were able to participate in their own little project where children made short films from digital photographs. A talent campus was held where young people from Europe and America were invited to meet in Reykjavík and see what the film industry had to offer on the other side of the globe. This was only a fraction of the special events RIFF had to offer in 2008.

One of the biggest events at the festival and one of the festival's all-over highlights was the visit of 2009's honorary guest - Miloš Forman. Apart from Forman, many international guests came to Reykjavík for the 2009 edition: directors, press and other guests.

In 2010, RIFF was held for the seventh time on September 23 - October 3. In a short time, RIFF became quite well known among film enthusiasts and professionals. Gerald Peary from The Boston Phoenix called the festival "one of the best-programmed film festivals on earth, and with some of the most exciting guests." Todd Burns of Stylus Magazine concluded his article on the 2006 event with these words: "If it continues down this path, it won't be one of the best-kept secrets of the film festival circuit for long," and Brian Brooks from IndieWIRE had this to say: "Quite simply, in my humble opinion as a minor vet on the festival circuit, this event has instantly become one of my favorites. Of course, the lure of Iceland and its eccentric beauty helps, but Reykjavík's residents seem to have embraced the event, filling many of the festival's screenings."

In 2011, the 8th festival took place from September 22 to October 2. In 2011, the selection included films that have already had a lot of press, films that have done well at other festivals but were unlikely to get much attention beyond the festival circuit (Yorgos Lanthimos's Alps, Aleksander Sokurov's Golden Lion-winning Faust) and homegrown films. 'Discovery of the year: the Golden Puffin' was given to Angelina Nikonova for her Twilight Portrait. FIPRESCI awarded Volcano by Rúnar Rúnarsson, who also got The Church of Iceland award. Environment Award winner was Risteard O'Domhnaill for his movie The Pipe. Béla Tarr received a Lifetime Achievement Award and Lone Scherfig got a Creative Excellence Award. The Best Icelandic Short Award was given to Börkur Sigþórsson for Skaði. Additionally, in 2011 the festival focused on Romanian films, also had a special "Arabian Spring" programme and the festival audience enjoyed special events like a swim-in cinema, film concert, Bollywood beach party, and the RIFF wonderland.

In 2012, it was held for the 9th time, from September 27 till October 7. Visitors to the festival were able to participate in various special events, like costume screening and party, kindergarten stop-motion screenings, a popular swim-in cinema which became a RIFF's speciality, When the Raven Flies (1984) screening at film director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson's house, screenings of German movies and many other interesting activities. Benh Zeitlin and his film 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was awarded with a Golden Puffin Award. Dario Argento got the Lifetime Achievement Award and Susanne Bier won in the Creative Excellency category. The most popular film in 2012 was Queen of Montreuil by Sólveig Anspach. International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) awarded Sean Baker for her film Starlet and the Church of Iceland gave its award for Meni Yaesh and his film God's Neighbours.

In 2013, the festival celebrated its tenth anniversary. RIFF guests and visitors had the opportunity to participate in joke-cinema, midnight movie, cave-cinema, screenings in 'Borg' restaurant, various discussions with film creators, talent lab for youngsters and many other events. Golden Puffin and FIPRESCI Award in 2013 was given for Italian film director Uberto Pasolini and his work called Still Life. The Creative Excellency Award was given to Laurent Cantet, James Gray and Lukas Moodysson, who also won the Audience Award for We Are the Best!. Church of Iceland gave its award to Ritesh Batra for her movie called The Lunchbox.

RIFF returned in 2014 with a larger festival than the previous year. In addition to regular cinema screenings the festival held a drive-in cinema in neighbouring town Kópavogur and a hot tub cinema where audiences were able to chat with short film directors after the screenings of their film. A special focus was on Italian filmmaking this year. Smetto quando voglio by director Sidney Sibilia won the Golden Puffin and Bota by Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci won both the Audience and FIBRESCI awards. Mike Leigh was given a Lifetime Achievement Award and his latest movie Mr. Turner was screened to a full audience. Ruben Östlund was honored as an emerging master and became somewhat of a sensation in the city during the festival.

A special panel program was dedicated to the theme of war and peace with topics ranging from the Russo-Ukrainian war, screenings of Finnish war movies and a visit from reporter John Pilger. Another special part of the program was a focus on films from Greenland and the Faroese Islands. A part of the program was held in Kópavogur for the first time with one of the highlights being a film concert where metal band Sólstafir performed their musical score to the film Hrafninn flýgur by director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson.

In 2015, a total of 31,500 people attended the festival, which was once again more than ever before. From the opening film, Tale of Tales, through the concerts, swim-in cinema, cave-in cinema, 300 screenings of about 100 films, numerous panel discussions, about 50 Q&As, Masterclasses and finally the closing night's film, first episode of Baltasar Kormákur's Trapped, RIFF ran smoothly. The Iranian film Wednesday, May 9th by director Vahid Jalilvand won Discovery of the Year, and the distinguished FIPRESCI Award was awarded to Krisha by director Trey Edward Shults. Jerry Rothwell's How to Change the World got Environmental Award, and Matthew Heineman's Cartel Land was awarded with Audience Award. This year two shorts were joint winners of The Best Icelandic Short: Jón Ásgeir Karlsson's Heimildarminnd/Docyoumentary and Eva Sigurðardóttir's Regnbogapartý/Rainbow Party. The recipient of The Golden Egg was Canadian directors Harry Cherniak and Dusty Mancinelli for their project Winter Hymns. In 2015 Iceland celebrated the 100 years anniversary of women's right to vote, which was reflected in a special focus on films made by women or with a female point of view in the festival.

In 2016, the thirteenth edition of the festival took place from September 29 to October 10. Its theme was "What Kind of Peace", which was reflected in the themes addressed by the selection of films as well as special events such as a peace talk that accompanied the festival. The Golden Puffin was awarded to "Godless", directed by Bulgarian director Ralitza Petrova. It was part of the "New Visions" category, which features debut or sophomore films by the directors and challenge cinematic conventions. The plot centres on a nurse who traffics ID cards of demented patients and according to this year's jury "the film combines the downbeat suspense of a medicalized crime story with a subtle portrayal of the agony in a post-communist society where redemption is only glimpsed in the sacral world of music." The Danish/Swedish collaboration "The Giant", directed by Johannes Nyholm, received a special mention in the same category.

The film The Islands and the Whales by Mike Day received the Environmental Award, awarded to films competing in the "A Different Tomorrow" category that sheds light on environmental and humanitarian topics. This year's winners in the short film category were "Cubs" by Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir as Best Icelandic Short and "Home" by Daniel Mulloy as Best International Short. "Cubs" is about a single father who is planning a sleepover for his daughter and thematises the taboos in father/daughter relationships. The documentary "Mr Gaga" about choreographer Ohad Naharin, directed by Tomer Heymann, received the audience awards and "The Duke", directed by Max Barbakow received this year's Golden Egg. This year's RIFF honorary prizes were awarded to Deepa Mehta and Darren Aronofsky.

In 2017 the fourteenth RIFF festival was held to great reviews. Director Hlynur Pálmason opened the festival with his first feature film Winter Brothers. He would then go on to screen his second film A White, white day at Cannes in 2019. The Golden Puffin award was awarded to the film The Rider by acclaimed director Chloé Zhao. It was Roser Corella's film Grab and Run that won the Environmental award for the category A Different Tomorrow. The Golden Egg was awarded to Charlotte Scott-Wilson's film Hold on. This year's honorary guest included film maker Werner Herzog and director Olivier Assayas.

Sergei Loznitsa opened the fifteenth RIFF festival in 2018 with his film Donbass. The focus of this year's festival were the Baltic countries. Winners included Yann Gonzalez who won the Golden Puffin for his film Knife + Heart, Nathalia Konchalovsky who won the Golden Egg for her film, Vesna and Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside who won in the category A Different Tomorrow with their film América.

RIFF 2019 ran from 26 September to 6 October. The festival focused on the Arctic countries, among others. Confirmed honorary guests included acclaimed French director Claire Denis. The final day to submit a film was 14 July.

In 2020 the seventeenth RIFF festival edition was hybrid with both limited screenings in cinema and online screenings. The festival took place 26 September to 4 October. The film This is not a Burial by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese received The Golden Puffin. RIFF Industry days is the title of a series of events and talks held during the Reykjavík International Film Festival together with the 1st edition of the Icelandic Market Forum. (IMF). IMF is set for Icelandic professionals to showcase their work in progress-WIP to sales agents and other relevant audiovisual professionals and partners, enabling them to respond directly to the priorities of an expanding and ever-changing film industry. Market screenings were also held for those interested, strictly under registration as well as B2B meetings. The IMF aimed to facilitate better mutual knowledge and understanding between important players in the international audiovisual market and to form a basis for joint direction within the Icelandic film industry.

The 2021 edition of the Reykjavik International Film Festival was held from 30 September to 10 October 2021. The Golden Puffin was awarded to Moon, 66 Questions, directed by Jacquiline Lentzou. The Netherlands was the festival's country in focus, with a selection of contemporary Dutch feature films and short films presented. The opening film of the 2021 edition was The Worst Person in the World, directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier. Trier, along with French director Mia Hansen-Løve, received the RIFF Honorary Award for Outstanding Artistic Vision.^[1]

The 2022 festival tool place from 29 September to 9 October 2022. The Golden Puffin was awarded to Rodeo, directed by Lola Quivoron, and The Golden Egg awarded to Send the Rain to Haley Gray.^[2]

The 2023 edition was held from 29 September to 8 October and market the 20th anniversary of the event. The Golden Puffin was awarded to Baan, directed by Leonor Teles.^[2] While Háskólabíó had hosted individual screenings in earlier years, the 2023 festival marked the first time it served as the official main venue for RIFF.^[3]

The 2024 edition of the festival was held from 26 September to 6 October 2024. The Golden Puffin was awarded to Super Happy Together, directed by Kohei Igarashi. Sweden was featured as the country in focus for the year.^[2] The edition opened with two films: the feature Loveable (Elskling), the debut feature by Iceland director Lilja Ingólfsdóttir and the short film 1000 words by Erlendur Sveinsson. German actress Nastassja Kinski received an honorary award for Creative Excellence during the festival.^[4]

The 2025 edition was from 25 September to 5 October 2025. The Golden Puffin was awarded to Strange River, directed by Jaume Clarent Muxart. Switzerland served as the country in focus for the program.^[2] The opening film was the documentary Kim Novak's Vertigo, by director Alexandre O' Philippe and the closing film was The Wizard of the Kremlin by Olivier Assays.^[5]

New Visions is one of the main competitive sections of the Reykjavik International Film Festival. The program is dedicated to emerging directors who are presenting their first or second feature film, and it serves as a platform for introducing new talent in international cinema. Works selected for New Visions often experiment with form or address subject matter that departs from mainstream filmmaking traditions, focusing on films with more innovative approaches. Films in New Visions compete for RIFF's highest honour, the Golden Puffin Award.^[6]

A Different Tomorrow is a program section of RIFF that features films addressing environmental and humanitarian issues. The section highlights works that examine contemporary global challenges and explore possible future developments. A Different Tomorrow aims to encourage reflection, broaden audience perspectives, and contribute to public dialogue on sustainability and social responsibility.^[6]

Open Seas is a non-competitive program section of RIFF. The section presents a curated selection of internationally acclaimed films that have attracted critical attention at major festivals around the world during the previous years. It includes works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors, offering audiences access to notable films that have had significant impact on the global festival circuit.^[6]

The documentary program that features non-fiction films addressing a wide range of cultural, social, scientific, and political topics. The section aims to present work that offer new perspectives, contribute to public understanding, and encourage critical reflection. Through its selection, RIFF highlights documentaries that engage with contemporary issues and introduce audiences to diverse viewpoints.^[6]

Icelandic Panorama is a program section dedicated to films connected to Iceland through their subject matter, production or creative teams. The section showcases recent Icelandic cinema and works with strong ties to the country, offering insight into local storytelling traditions and the perspectives of Icelandic filmsmakers.^[6]

The short film program at RIFF is divided into four distinct section: Icelandic Shorts I, Icelandic Shorts II, Icelandic Student Shorts and International Shorts. Each section showcases short films from emerging and established filmmakers, both from Iceland and abroad.^[6]

Films from the North presents a selection of feature films and short films that depict the diverse cultural, environmental, and social realities of life in the Arctic region. The section also offers perspectives on how global issues affect northern communities and how the wider world is viewed from the Arctic. The program is curated in cooperation with the Tromsø International Film Festival.^[6] The selection of films was showcased at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik.^[7]

Minute Films is a program that presents one-minute films from filmmakers around the world. The initiative provides a consice audiovisual format through which creators explore contemporary themes and varied artistic perspectives. New series of Minute Films are released every two months, each highlighting different subjects and approaches to short-form storytelling.^[6]

Smart7 is a collaborative established by seven European film festivals: IndieLisboa (Portugal), the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece), New Horizons (Poland), the Vilnius International Film Festival (Lithuania), FILMADRID (Spain), the Transilvania International Film Festival (Romania), and the Reykjavik International Film Festival (Iceland). The initiative includes shared programming, professional workshops, and a joint competitive section presented across all participating festivals.^[8]

The Sólveig Anspach Award is a collaborative initiative established by the Embassy of France, the Alliance Française in Reykjavik, the Reykjavik International Film Festival, the City of Reykjavik, the Embassy of Iceland in Paris, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Icelandic Film Centre. ^[6] This award presents short films, both in Icelandic and in French. To qualify for these awards, the film submitted must be no longer than 20 minutes. The director of the short film must be a woman, either holding citizenship of or residing in a French-speaking country, or is Icelandic or residing in Iceland, and she must not have had a production company behind more than three of her films. Two awards are given out, one for best films in Icelandic and one for best film in French.^[9]

YouthRIFF is a children's and youth program of the Reykjavik International Film Festival. The initiative focuses on film literacy, creative education, and cultural participation among young audiences. YouthRIFF presents a curated selection of international films for children and teenagers and offers workshops, interactive events, and educational activities designed to introduce younger viewers to cinema as both an art form and a storytelling medium. One of YouthRIFF's central objectives is to support media education at the primary and secondary school levels. The program collaborates with schools across Iceland to facilitate screenings, discussions, and curriculum-connected activities that encourage critical thinking and engagement with social and cultural themes.^[10] In recent years, RIFF has organized numerous workshops and seminars across Iceland, both in Reykjavík and in smaller towns. These programs, often held as week-long courses for elementary school students, introduce children to the fundamentals of filmmaking and guide them through the process of creating their own short films. The completed works are then screened as part of the YouthRIFF program, giving young participants the opportunity to showcase their films within the official festival lineup.^[11]

RIFF Industry Days were designed as a tool to create new spaces for the exchange of ideas and to serve as an open for the circulation and promotion of the Icelandic film industry. The prime objective of RIFF Industry Days is to encourage meetings, generate debates and establish dialogues between filmmakers, producers, programme curators, critics and other professionals from across the film and television sector. The programme takes place during RIFF and includes a range of panel discussions, roundtables, lectures, screenings, masterclasses and network events. The programme provides a platform for project development, professional collaboration, and exchange of ideas concerning current trends in filmmaking.

The Reykjavík International Film Festival’s Talent Lab is an international workshop for up-and-coming filmmakers, first introduced in 2006 as a forum to mentor new talent.^[12] Held over several days during the festival, it brings together around 40 emerging directors, writers, and producers from around the world—typically those developing their first feature film.^[13] The program includes masterclasses, pitch sessions, panel discussions, and networking events with established industry professionals and peers.^[14]

Short films by Talent Lab participants are screened at the festival and compete for the Golden Egg award, presented as encouragement to a promising early-career filmmaker.^[15] The program has since become a key component of RIFF and is regarded as an important platform for emerging filmmakers internationally.^[16]

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