A group of film industry veterans is launching a new film festival in Iceland, Stockfish Film Festival.

The inaugural festival is planned for Feb 19-March 1.

The organisers, led by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, say they want the event to focus on “a focus on industry networking, showcasing home-grown talent and Iceland’s fabled locations and attractive tax rebate.”

Stockfish is created by Iceland’s industry guilds to run at the country’s only arthouse cinema, Bio Paradis, which is located in downtown Reykjavik and backed by the guilds.

In addition to Fridriksson, the board also inclues Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson (FK - The Icelandic Film Makers Association); Guðrún Edda Þórhannesdóttir (SÍK - Association of Icelandic Film Producers); Birna Hafstein (FÍL - The Icelandic Actors Association); Dögg Mósesdóttir (WIFT - Women in Film and Television) and Sjón (The Icelandic Playwrights and Screenwriters Association).

The national EDDA awards will be held during the festival and there is also cooperation with Kosmorama, Trondheim’s International Film Festival in Norway.

Funding for the non-profit festival comes from the City of Reykjavik and Promote Iceland.

Stockfish picks up the reins of the Reykjavik Film Festival, which ran from 1978 to 2001. Fridriksson also spearheaded that festival.

Stockfish’s  industry initiatives will include works-in-progress presentations and a screenwriting workshop for Icelandic writers.

“Many high profile directors and actors have been shooting their films here and the country has had much global media coverage,” said Fridriksson, who represents SKL, the Association of Icelandic Film Directors.

“Our aim is offer opportunities to connect with the creative community in Iceland, which has been quite successful internationally for years now. By bringing high quality films and guests to the festival, we can create an international dialog and a strong platform in Reykjavik for such exchanges.”

The new festival is completely separate from the Reykjavik International Film Festival, headed by Hronn Marinosdottir. RIFF hosts its 11th edition Sept 25-Oct 5.

Topics