Ungriff

YouthRIFF

Since its very beginnings, RIFF’s key mission has been to introduce cinema as a powerful tool for Iceland’s youngest generations to understand themselves in the reflections of others. Throughout the years, YouthRIFF, a film festival for children and youths, has evolved, grown and become a much awaited celebration for our young ones. By offering a highly curated program of the very best cinema for kids and teens and organizing film workshops and a myriad of educational activities, we aim to spark the necessary conversations that will inspire and accompany them through adulthood, with the hope that some will grow up to be the emerging filmmakers of tomorrow.

YouthRIFF offers children and youth audiences a diverse and inclusive programme showcasing films from around the world that are usually not screened in Icelandic cinemas; films that touch on social, environmental and youth matters so as to spark intellectual discussions after the screenings. Our goal is to inspire the younger generations and help them find their own solutions to particular issues, enriching their social consciousness along the way.

YouthRIFF has collaborated with preschools and primary schools in Reykjavík and around the country since its inception. Our film selection consists of short film programmes and feature films that are curated by age group suitability. All programs and screenings include supporting educational materials that facilitate the supervisor’s discussion with students in the cinema and the classrooms.

YouthRIFF embraces cinema as a fun and educational experience where the children are provided with film literacy insights. The implementation of the projects depends on the edition-specific topics, but in general, the study material is based on group work, discussion, reflection and critical thinking.

YouthRIFF 2023

YouthRIFF 2023 was held for the first time from 27 September to 8 October. The festival consisted of various events for children and young people.

The festival was organized by Guðna Th. Jóhannessyni, the President of Iceland, at a ceremony in Smárabíó where over 1000 children attended special school screenings of the Australian cartoon 'Scary Girl' and the Danish film 'The Fall'.

The school performances were not only held in the capital area, but elementary school children in Patreksfjörður, Bíldudal and Seiðisfjörður also took part in the festival, along with other schools in Skjaldborg and Herðubíó.

Guðni awarded Erni Árnason the first YouthRIFF Honorary Award for his contribution to children's content both in films and television programs. Örn has been working on children's material for around 40 years, and the most memorable time was when he woke up with the children on Saturday morning as a pretend grandfather.

At YouthRIFF, eight full-length films were shown in addition to 40 short films that children were invited to come and see in Norræna húsið and Slippbíó. Elementary- and pre-schools were invited to attend short-film screenings at Nordic House and the County Library in Akureyri during the festival.

The Swedish director Malin Ingdrid Johannson had a screening of his film Madden at the Óðal Community Center in Borgarnes, where young people in the 8th to 10th grade of the Elementary School in Borgarnes were invited to come to the film and take part in a special workshop based on it.

Spunasmiðja was held in collaboration with the Acting School of the City Theater, where children taught other children improv. Two workshops were held and they were well attended.

A special family movie was held in a cave (Raufarhólshelli) where families could go together to watch the movie 'Háttušpil i yður jöður'. The show brought great happiness to both children and adults.