Reykjavik International Film Festival (September 28-October 8) is planning a busy 20th edition, with honorary awards going to Isabelle Huppert, Luca Guadagnino, Vicky Krieps, Nicolas Philibert, Luc Jacquet and Catherine Breillat, who will all come to the Icelandic capital.
A delegation from Cannes will include Christian Jeune, head of the film department, Maud Amson, director of sales and operations at the Marché du Film, and Bruno Muñoz, head of short films.
The festival’s Industry Days (October 3-7) will explore topics like AI and animation for adults; social impact through films; festival and distribution strategies; French-Iceland co-productions; and an open talk with the new director of the Icelandic Film Centre, Gisli Snaer Erlingsson.
The Talent Lab will see 40 emerging filmmakers from around the globe attend masterclasses by the likes of Guadagnino, Krieps, Huppert and Ninna Palmadottir.
Palmadottir’s Solitude will open the festival after its well-received launch in Toronto. The festival will screen more than 80 features from 63 countries, including 12 films as part of the French focus, and will close with Venice Golden Lion winner Poor Things.
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, RIFF will screen a collection of award-winning Icelandic short films, including early works by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, Hlynur Palmason and Nanna Kristín Magnusdottir
In addition to Solitude, three other Icelandic features will show at the festival: Alda Loa Leifsdottir’s Togolisa, Pamela Hogan’s The Day Iceland Stood Still, and Sævar Gudmundsson and Kreshnik Jonuzi’s Belonging.
Also new this year is accompanying children’s and youth festival YoungRIFF; new section Smart7, a collaboration between RIFF and six European film festivals in a new network (New Horizons, IndieLisboa, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Transilvania International Film Festival, FilMadrid and Vilnius International Film Festival).
The festival will also screen shorts – in partnership with Tromso International Film Festival – to the Arctic Circle Assembly gathered in Reykjavik October 19-21.
Special events will include concerts, a scavenger hunt, a comedy night and screenings in a lava cave and an ice cave – a popular swim-in screening was held as a preview event.
Nine first and second features in the New Visions programme will compete for the Golden Puffin award. Those titles are:
Family Time, dir. Tia Kouvo (Fin-Swe)
The Settlers, dir. Felipe Galvez (Chil-Arg-UK-Tai-Fr-Den-Swe-Ger)
Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, dir. Thien An Pham (Sp-Fr-Viet-Sing)
Slow, dir. Marija Kavtaradze (Lith-Sp-Swe)
Solitude, dir. Ninna Palmadottir (Ice-Slov-Fr)
The Vanishing Soldier, dir. Mika Gustafson (Isr)
The Sweet East, dir. Sean Price Williams (US)
Baan, dir. Leonor Teles (Port)
One Night With Adela, dir. Hugo Ruiz (Sp)
No comments yet