The Reykjavík International Film Festival celebrates emerging cinema and film greats

Opening the hefty programme for RIFF, one thing is clear: independent, pioneering cinema is king here, with emerging filmmakers at the heart of proceedings.

This is particularly evident in the festival’s ‘New Visions’ selection, which sees up-and-coming directors present their first or second feature film to compete for the festival’s main accolade, the Golden Puffin.

These emerging filmmakers will be showing alongside greats of the industry, who will be present (in person or virtually) in Reykjavík. 

This year’s guests include actress Nastassja Kinski, famed for Roman Polanski’s Tess (1979) and Wim Wenders’ 1984 neo-western Paris, Texas, the latter of which will be screened at RIFF together with Paul Schrader’s Cat People (1982), and followed by a masterclass by Kinski; director Bong Joon-ho, of Parasite (2019) fame, who will join Icelandic audiences for a discussion following the screening of his earlier films Mother (2009) and The Host (2006); and Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari, co-producer of three films with Oscar-nominated, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos, who brings three films to screen in Iceland, including her 2024 drama Harvest. 

Each year, RIFF dedicates a section of its programming to a particular country. This year, Sweden comes under the spotlight, with films including Frida Kempff’s The Swedish Torpedo (2024), set just before the onset of the Second World War and centring on the first Scandinavian to swim the English Channel, as well as a selection of short films.

In addition to bringing many international films to local audiences, RIFF also aims to be a meeting place between Icelandic cinema and the world. With this in mind, its ‘Icelandic Panorama’ section is dedicated to the best of new independent Icelandic cinema, with Pascal Payant’s family drama All Eyes on Me (2024) and Heimir Freyr Hlöðversson’s documentary Birdlife (2024), which follows Iceland’s first professional bird photographer, among the movies screening.

As well as drawing cinema aficionados for screenings, the festival’s Industry Days (2-6 October) invites film professionals for conversations on topics as diverse as costumes, marketing, distribution and makeup.

But it’s not only cinema enthusiasts who will be delighted by the programme – it’s foodies too. The 2024 festival includes festival favourites like the ever-popular drive-in cinema, but also filmic-gastronomic crossovers, such as a special screening of Alfonso Arau’s Like Water for Chocolate (1992) paired with a unique menu by vegetarian restaurant Sónó Matseljur and the cheese-centred documentary Shelf Life (Ian Cheney, 2024) accompanied by a cheese and wine tasting.

RIFF is a feast not only for the eyes and ears, it seems.

"At RIFF we are excited to present our international and local guests with a broad selection of films from around the world, as well as providing them with a platform where the industry can come together, connect and enjoy each other's company,” RIFF director Hrönn Marinósdóttir told Euronews Culture.

“This year I am especially excited to welcome our honorary guests Bong Joon-Ho, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Jonas Åkerlund and Nastassja Kinski. It's a pleasure and a privilege to be able to screen their work, offer masterclasses and Q&As, and, of course, to sit down and enjoy their films!” she said with excitement. 

The 2024 Reykjavík International Film Festival runs from 26 September- 6 October. Find out more here.