RIFF 2024
Jonas Akerlund
Jonas Åkerlund is a renowned Swedish director who has made a name for himself in visual music videos and films. His unique work on Madonna's music video for "Ray of Light" earned him a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1999, and he has won three Grammy Awards in the same category in total. Åkerlund has also directed numerous other notable music videos, including Beyoncé's "Hold Up," Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi," The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up," and Metallica's "ManUNkind." All are examples of how he consistently pushes the boundaries of the music video. In addition to music videos, Åkerlund has directed several documentaries, including the award-winning Rammstein: Paris, which captures the German industrial rock band on their 2012–2013 tour and showcases their amazing stage presence through the director's signature visual style.
Nastassja Kinski
In 1986, Nastassja Kinski described acting as a love affair. Such was the intensity of being sucked into the world of a film. “After the shoot is over, the actor has to slip back out and you are left naked and cold, like a snake that has shed its old habits.” These words were uttered by Kinski at the height of her fame in the 1970s and her unique appeal on the big screen in films such as the neo-Western Paris, Texas and the erotic cult classic Cat People created a legendary image for her that perhaps did not always have much in common with the woman behind the name. Nastassja Kinski was born in Berlin in 1961 and made her breakthrough in the role of Tess in Roman Polanski's film of the same name in 1979. Today, she has a career spanning over 60 films and numerous awards for her roles.
Bong Joon-Ho
Athina Rachel Tsangari
Athina Rachel Tsangari's films have been praised as eccentric tragedies that challenge the unwritten rules of filmmaking. Fourteen years after her film Attenberg won the Coppa Volpi award at the Venice Film Festival, she returned there this year with her latest film Harvest – and received a glowing reception. Chevalier was chosen as Best Film at the BFI-London Festival, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Independent Spirit Awards. It is worth noting that at the time both were Attenberg and Chevalier Greece's contribution to the Academy Awards. Tsangari was also the main director/executive producer Trigonometry of the series that was produced for BBC2 and HBO Max.
Under the Haos Film banner, Tsangari has produced films for Yorgos Lanthimos and Georgis Grigorakis, and co-produced and starred in Richard Linklater's film Before MidnightShe has taught filmmaking at Harvard University, as well as UT Austin and Le Fresnoy, and was the artistic director of the screenwriting and directing workshop Oxbelly.
RIFF 2023
Vicky Creeps
Last December, German-Luxembourgish actress Vicky Krieps (b. 1983) was honored as Best Actress at the 35th European Film Awards held in Reykjavík for her portrayal of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Marie Kreutzer's Corsage (2022). Krieps' career began to blossom in the middle of the last decade when she won one role after another in various major film projects. She showed her talent in The Young Karl Marx (2017) and Gutland (2019), but it was her amazing performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar-winning Phantom Thread (2017) that catapulted her to stardom. Her captivating presence on the silver screen was evident in Bergman Island (2021) and More Than Ever (2022), Gaspard Ulliel's penultimate film. In her latest film, Krieps returned to her German roots, playing the title role in Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert (2023), directed by legendary German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta. For her brilliant performance and innate ability to portray different characters, Vicky Krieps won the RIFF Award for Outstanding Artistry.
Luca Guadagnino
Luca Guadagnino (b. 1971) is an Italian filmmaker known for his heartfelt, heartfelt, and artistic films. Guadagnino's breakthrough came with the romantic drama I Am Love (2009), starring Tilda Swinton, which won a total of 14 prestigious film awards. This marked the beginning of a successful collaboration between the two, which continued with critically acclaimed films such as A Bigger Splash (2015) and the remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria (2018). One of Guadagnino's most famous works is the romantic classic Call Me By Your Name (2017), which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film played a key role in launching lead actor Timothée Chalamet to stardom, and Guadagnino's collaboration with him continued in his latest film, Bones and All (2022). Guadagnino continues to bring audiences captivating cinematic narratives, with his latest film, Challengers, starring Zendaya, set for release next year. In the meantime, he is finishing up Queer, starring Daniel Craig, in Italy. Luca Guadagnino’s contributions to the art of cinema make him a notable guest of honor at this year’s RIFF, receiving the RIFF Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement.
Isabelle Huppert
Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (b. 1953) is a French film star whose career spans over 50 years and includes over 150 film and television roles. Huppert's career is dotted with awards that reflect her unique talents. In 1978, her performance in The Lacemaker (1977) earned her the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and her winning streak continued with two Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival for Violette Nozière (1978) and The Piano Teacher (2001). Huppert received international acclaim for her performance in Elle (2016), which earned her both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. In recognition of her enduring influence, the New York Times named Isabelle Huppert the second-best actress of the 21st century, and at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2022, she was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear as a testament to her lifelong dedication to acting. With a name etched in the annals of film history, we are thrilled to honor Isabelle Huppert, her legacy, and her unstoppable source of talent at RIFF 2023.
Nicolas Philibert
One of France's most admired documentary filmmakers, Nicolas Philibert (b. 1951) is known for his artistic and sensitive explorations of everyday human life. Philibert took his first steps as a filmmaker in the 1970s when he assisted renowned directors such as René Allio and Alain Tanner. In the following decades, he made the leap from television production to feature-length documentaries, garnering attention for works such as La Ville Louvre (1990), In the Land of the Deaf (1992) and Every Little Thing (1997). One of Philibert's most successful films, To Be and to Have (2002), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Louis Delluc Prize before achieving incredible success internationally. In his latest masterpiece, On the Adamant (2023), which won the Grand Prix at this year’s Berlinale, Philibert provides a fascinating insight into the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. At the twentieth edition of RIFF, we celebrate Nicolas Philibert’s remarkable career and films – which have repeatedly captured the world through a sincere and investigative lens.
Catherine Breillat
French filmmaker and writer Catherine Breillat (b. 1948) is known for her sensitive and provocative works that explore sexuality, gender relations, and family conflict. Over her 50-year career, she has repeatedly challenged traditional values with her erotic works. Breillat began her film career with a role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris (1972). Her directorial debut, A Real Young Girl (1975), based on Breillat's novel Le Soupirail, was banned in many countries due to its graphic sexual content and was not released in theaters until 2000. Some of her later works, such as Nocturnal Uproar (1979) and Romance (1999), also suffered similar treatment. Breillat’s directorial career includes 20 films, including bold titles such as Fat Girl (2001) and Anatomy of Hell (2004), while her latest film after a ten-year hiatus, Last Summer (2023), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is currently screening at RIFF. Catherine Breillat’s reputation extends far beyond simple provocation. Her films often explore themes that other filmmakers overlook, and through multi-layered characters, viewers gain insight into a feminine world that challenges accepted values. At the twentieth RIFF, we pay tribute to this bold filmmaker who is always unafraid to show the unsaid.
Luc Jacquet
French documentary filmmaker Luc Jacquet (b. 1967) is the recipient of RIFF’s Green Puffin environmental award. With a single-minded determination and a burning passion for the wonders of the earth, Jacquet’s films take viewers on a breathtaking journey to the wildest ecosystems on the planet. Jacquet’s early interest in nature and the animal kingdom led him to earn a master’s degree in zoology and ecology. This academic background paved the way for Jacquet’s numerous expeditions to Antarctica, where he immersed himself in the ecology of the world’s least populated continent. On one of his expeditions, Jacquet took on the role of cameraman for Hans-Ulrich Schlumpf’s film The Penguins (1993). This marked the beginning of his passion for documentary filmmaking and ignited his interest in showing the natural world on the big screen. Since then, Jacquet's sincere interest in environmental issues has been evident in his award-winning documentaries, including Once Upon A Forest (2015), Ice and the Sky (2015), and March of the Penguins (2005), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. Jacquet's films not only capture the beauty of our planet, but also bring joy and magic to it, leaving a lasting impression on audiences around the world.
Eagle Arnason
Örn Árnason receives the UngRIFF Honorary Award for his contribution to Icelandic children's culture. Örn is one of the country's best-known actors and has delighted young and old with diverse roles in a career spanning almost four decades. Örn is a permanent actor at the National Theatre but was for years a freelance actor, producer, director and author. Among the well-known projects that Örn has starred in are the television series Spaugstofan, the series about Afa, Kardemommubærinn, Ronja ræningjadóttir, Slá í gegn, Umhverfis jörðina á 80 dámina, Óvitar, Spamalot, Dýrin í Hálsaskógir, Ballið á Bessastaðim and Harry and Heimir. Örn has dubbed numerous cartoons for both television and cinema and was one of the founders of the dubbing company Hljóðsetning. He has also worked in television production for many years and has sung on several albums.
RIFF 2022
Rossy from Palma
Rossy de Palma was born on September 16, 1965 in Palma, Mallorca. At the age of eighteen, she moved to Madrid, where she was in the pop band Peor Imposible or Worst Possible. In 1986, she was working in a rockabilly bar when she met Pedro Almodóvar – and thus began their successful collaboration. Since then, she has starred in a number of his films, including Law of Desire (1987), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Broken Embraces (2009) and his most recent film Parallel Mothers (2021). It can therefore be said that with this encounter, Rossy de Palma's fame rose and her special personal charms spread far and wide across the world – as an actress for directors such as Álex de la Iglesia, Robert Altman, Mike Figgis, Laure Charpentier, Terry Gilliam and Mehdi Charef, and as a singer and fashion model, for designers such as Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler.
Alexander O. Phillipe
Alexandre O. Philippe holds an MFA in screenwriting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is the artistic director of Exhibit A Pictures. He has made several award-winning short films. The most famous of these is Left, which won an award at the Akira Kurosawa Short Film Festival in Japan. Philippe has made a name for himself with his documentaries, most of which have in common the analysis of pop culture, influential films and scenes. Among them is the postmodern masterpiece 78/52, which dissects the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho to the core. Other well-known films include The People vs. George Lucas and Doc of the Dead. In addition to directing films, he lectures, teaches courses and sits on juries at various film festivals.
Albert Serra
Albert Serra is a Catalan artist and filmmaker born in 1975 in Spain. He has made a name for himself in both theater and film, as a screenwriter, director and producer. European myths, history and literature are themes that often appear in his work. He has been actively involved in filmmaking since 2004 and has made award-winning films such as Honour of the Knights (2007), The Death of Louis XIV (2016), Story of My Death (2013), which won the Golden Leopard, the main prize at the Locarno Film Festival, and Freedom (2016), which received the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2019. Serra is a funny and mysterious eccentric, who has made several noteworthy comments – for example about the acting profession, which he finds lacking in intelligence and weak-willed. He uses uneducated actors whenever possible. His films, however, are not at all grounded in their views or messages – they are characterized by a slow, artistic rhythm without complexity. In his new film, entitled Pacific Fiction, a new tone is struck in both his work and the art of cinema itself. There, his unique style sustains the plot and the dangerous atmosphere in this calm and artistic thriller.
RIFF 2021
Joachim Trier
Joachim Trier was born in Oslo in 1974 and grew up in a family of filmmakers. He first stepped behind the camera as a teenager, making skateboard videos. He later studied filmmaking in Denmark and the UK, where his short films immediately attracted attention. His first two feature films, Reprise (2006) and Oslo 31 August (2011), are set in the Norwegian capital and could be described as classic realist stories of young people at a crossroads. Both were highly successful at film festivals on both sides of the Atlantic. He followed them with his English-language debut, Louder Than Bombs (2015), which starred stars such as Isabelle Huppert and Jesse Eisenberg. He then took up the supernatural genre in Thelma (2017), a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl with supernatural powers. His latest film, The Worst Person in the World (2021), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is the final film in the director's Oslo trilogy. His works are sensitive accounts of people's inner turmoil, where existential themes are never far away. Joachim Trier is without a doubt one of the leading living Nordic directors.
Mia Hansen-Løve
Mia Hansen-Løve was born in Paris in 1981 and studied acting and worked as a critic for the prestigious magazine Cahiers du Cinema before finding her calling as a director. Her oeuvre consists of seven feature films that have won awards (including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival) and been praised by audiences and critics alike. Her films are deeply personal, blending the autobiographical and the fictional in a remarkable way. A thoughtful and restrained style, which has been described as transparent, is the hallmark of the films and draws the viewer directly into the story. The narratives are characterized by extensive dialogue and place characterization and atmosphere at the forefront. Her unique and emotionally profound films are at the forefront of French cinema today.
Trine Dyrholm
Danish actress Trine Dyrholm (born 1972) became famous in her homeland at a young age. At the age of fourteen, she came in third place in the Eurovision Song Contest qualifiers with the song "Danse i måneskin" and at the age of eighteen, she won the Bodil Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her film debut in Springflod (1990). She subsequently studied at the Danish Academy of Dramatic Arts and has since the turn of the century established herself as one of the country's leading film actors. She frequently works with leading Danish directors, such as Susanne Bier and Thomas Vinterberg, and is known for her roles in Hævnen (2010), Kollektivet (2016) and Dronningen (2019), to name a few. She has won the Bodil Award a record seven times, and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance. We are honored to welcome this iconic actress of Danish cinema and enjoy her latest work, the epic Margrete den første – Margret the First – in her presence.
Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry (b. 1945), the legendary American singer, songwriter and actress, is best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Blondie. She grew up in New Jersey and founded Blondie with Chris Stein in 1974. Stemming from the creative melting pot of 1970s New York – Blondie provided a beautiful link between the punk and avant-garde tendencies of CBGB, the liberating disco movement of Studio 54, and the burgeoning wave of hip hop emerging from the Bronx. The band became an international phenomenon – releasing classic albums such as Parallel Lines and hit singles such as Heart of Glass, Call Me, Rapture and The Tide Is High, selling around 40 million records in the process. Debbie Harry has released five solo albums and starred in films such as David Cronenberg’s classic, Videodrome. Blondie is active and we are fortunate to witness the short concert documentary Blondie: Vivir en la Habana, in the Cinema Beats! Shorts program, in Debbie’s presence.
RIFF 2019
Katja Adomite
Katja Adomeit was born in 1981 in Bad Schwartau, Germany. As a producer, she has produced numerous critically acclaimed short films. Her short film Lars & Pete (2009) was selected for the Short Film Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and Berik (2010) won the Grand Prix at Cannes that same year. She is also known for her works Not at Home (2013), The Square: A Arte da Discórdia (2017) and Força Maior (2014).
Claire Denis
Claire Denis was born on the 21th of April, 1946 in Paris, France but was raised in colonial French Africa. She is a director and writer and worked with themes of colonial and post-colonial West Africa. Her feature film Beau Travail (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, winning multiple awards. Other acclaimed works of her include Trouble Every Day (2001), 35 Shots of Rum (2008), White Material (2009) and High Life (2018.
John Hawkes
John was born on the 11th of September, 1959 in Alexandria, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor and has starred in the critically-acclaimed, Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), which received wide praise and was awarded the special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Camera d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Additional feature credits include From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), A Slipping-Down Life (1999), the psychological thrill-er Identity (2003) and Miami Vice (2006).
Omar Ragnarsson
Ómar Ragnarsson is well known in Iceland as a prominent television personality. He has been filming television programs about Iceland's nature for several decades from his plane for shows such as Stiklur and Ferði Stiklur. He is also known as a comedian, as he has brought joy to the homes of Icelandic people with his singing and jokes. For many years, he has dedicated himself to the fight for environmental protection and generously volunteered countless hours of his time to the cause. Icelanders are deeply indebted to Ómar, because without his work, Iceland's unspoiled nature could not be appreciated as it is today.
RIFF 2018
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen was born on November 22, 1965 in Østerbro, Denmark. His first film, Pusher (1996), was a breakthrough for him and he quickly became one of Denmark's most well-known actors. Other notable films include Flickering Lights (2000), En kort en lang (2001) and the Emmy-winning series Rejseholdet (2000). His success has made him an international actor, and he played Dr. Hannibal in the NBC series Hannibal from 2013–2015 with great success.
Shailene Woodley
Shailene Woodley was born on the 15th of November 1991 in San Bernardino County, Californien, USA. She is an actress and her debut was in 1999's Replacing Dad (1999). In 2011 she had her big screen breakthrough when she appeared in Alexander Payne's The Descendants (2011). Her performance in the role of Alexandra King brought critical acclaim and recognition by the movie industry. She won an Independent Spirit Award and the 2012 MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Performance Award, as well as a Golden Globe nomination.
Jonas Mecca
Jonas Mekas was born on December 24, 1922 in Semeniskaia, Lithuania and died on January 23, 2019. Mekas worked as a director, cinematographer, editor, writer, actor, poet, artist and media personality. After 60 years of tireless work in film, art and media, he earned the title of "The Godfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema". One of his most respected works was the experimental documentary As I was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty from 2000.
Laila The package
Laila Pakalnina was born on the 4th of June, 1962 in Liepaja, Latvian SSR, USSR. She is a director and writer and has directed over 20 movies in her career. Some of her works are the films Kurpe (1998), Pitons (2003), Ausma (2015) and Dawn (2015). Dawn (2015) was selected as the Latvian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards and her film Kurpe (1998) was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Sergei Loznitsa
Sergie Loznitsa was born on September 5, 1964 in Baranovichi, Belarus. He is a director and has made documentaries since 1996 as well as several feature films. In 2013, Sergei Loznitsa founded the film production and distribution company ATOMS & VOID. His works include My Joy (2010), which was selected for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival that same year.
RIFF 2017
Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas was born on the 25th of January 1955 in Paris, France. He is a director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs and French comedies. He is best known for his films Demonlover (2002), Something in the Air (2012), Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) and Personal Shopper (2016). His films have been screened multiple times at Cannes Film Festival, the first one being Cold Water (1994) becoming a breakthrough film in his career.
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog was born on the 5th of September 1942 in Munich Germany. He is a director, writer, producer, actor and poet. He founded his own film production company in 1963. Later in his life, Herzog staged several operas in Bayreuth, Germany, and at the Milan Scala in Italy. Herzog has won numerous national and international awards for his poetic feature and documentary films. He has produced, written, and directed more than sixty feature films and documentaries.
Welsh Grisebach
Valeska Grisebach was born on the 4th of January 1968 in Bremen, Germany. She is a director and writer known for her films Be My Star (2001), Longing (2006), and Western (2017). Grisebach's diploma film Mein Stern (Be My Star) won the International Critics' Award at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as the prize for Best Feature Film at the Turin Film Festival. Her latest Film Western (2017) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 and winning a Film Prize at the Festival of German Film.
RIFF 2016
Chloe Sevigny
American actress Chloë Sevigny was born in 1974 and rose to fame as a teenager after being discovered on the streets of New York. She was featured in an article in The New Yorker, where she was called "one of the coolest girls in the world", and this was followed by several films, first the controversial but acclaimed film 'Kids' in 1995 and later the Academy Award-winning film 'Boys Don't Cry'. For the latter, Sevigny was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 'Big Love'.
Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta is a Canadian director and screenwriter. She was born in Amritsar, India, in 1950, and studied at the University of New Delhi, graduating with a master's degree in philosophy. Mehta moved to Canada in 1973. Mehta has received international recognition for her moving and provocative films, often addressing issues such as human rights and social injustice. She is probably best known for her trilogy about the elements; the films 'Fire', 'Earth' and 'Water', which were released between 1996 and 2005, the latter of which was nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign language film category.
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1969. He studied filmmaking at Harvard and won several awards for his graduation film. His first feature film was 'Pi' from 1998. In his films, Aronofsky often works with strong themes such as control, overcontrol of mind and body, mental health and insanity. He portrays characters with extreme obsession that leads them towards self-destruction. Aronofsky has made six feature films and has won numerous awards for them. He won the most awards for the drama thriller 'Black Swan' from 2010, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director.
RIFF 2015
Piers Handling
Piers Handling was born in 1949 in Canada. He served as the Director of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) from 1994 to 2018. He was succeeded by Joana Vicente. In 2003, Handling was named "Director of the Year" by the Canadian Public Relations Association. He has been honored with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (1997), the Queen Elisabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Clyde Gilmour Award (2014), the Order of Ontario (2014), and the Governor General's Award for Lifetime Achievement (2017).
David Cronenberg
Cronenberg was dubbed the “Baron of Blood” as he released one gory horror film after another in the 1970s, following his debut, ‘Shivers.’ It marked the beginning of his strangely fascinating exploration of the relationship between body, mind, technology and media that continued into the 1990s, when his films became increasingly intellectual: tales of gender or alternate realities, whether they were caused by hallucination, digital or insanity. In the 21st century, Cronenberg has released a series of dark films that shed light on the violence within us. His masterful intuition and fully developed technique call for audience appreciation – which we show in this way.
Margarethe Hope Trotta
Margarethe von Trotta is one of the leading directors of the New German Cinema of the ‘60s and ‘70s. She brought a youthful and fresh view to contemporary cinema as she dealt with contemporary social issues and framed them experimentally, where artistry was foregrounded and complex technical executions were set aside.
RIFF 2014
Ruben Ostlund
Ruben Östlund was born on the 13th of April 1974 in Styrsö, Göteborg, Sweden. He is director and screenwriter most know for his films Force Majeure (2014) and the satirical picture The Square (2017). Both films received critical acclaim, with Force Majeure (2014) winning the Jury Prize in the section Un Certain Regard at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. At the 50th Guldbagge Awards in Sweden it won Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh was born on February 20, 1943 in Brocket Hall, England. He won the Best Director award at Cannes for Naked (1993) that same year. He also received critical acclaim for Secret & Lies (1996), Vera Drake (2004) and Mr. Turner (2014). Leigh is known for spending a lot of time rehearsing, and he often uses improvisation with his actors to build character and plot.
RIFF 2013
Luke Moodysson
Lukas Moodysson was born 1969 in Lund, Sweden. His first three features took film festivals and cinemas by storm; the youth drama Show Me Love (Fucking Åmål 1998), the highly amusing dramedy Together (Tilsammans 2000) and the terribly effective Lilya 4-ever (2002). His first feature film, Show Me Love made him recognizable all over the world as the film’s subject, a convincing tale of love and coming of age set in a small and boring Swedish town, had a strong international reference.
Laurent Cantet
Laurent Cantet was born in 1961 in Melle, France. He gained fame with his first three films, Human Resources (Ressources humaines) (1999), Time Out (L´Emploi du temps) (2001) and Heading South (Vers le sud) (2005). The latter is a kind of French answer to Ken Loach: a sincere executive driven by his own conscience but not taking his political commitments seriously. Cantet's fourth film, The Class (Entre les murs) (2008), won the Palme d'Or at Cannes that same year, establishing him as one of Europe's most renowned directors.
James Gray
Crime, immigrants and New York City are recurring themes in James Gray’s movies. He was born in New York City in 1969, grew up in Queens and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema & Television. He made his directorial debut in 1994 at the age of 25 with Little Odessa, a critically acclaimed film. His second film, The Yards, was selected for official competition at the Festival de Cannes 2000, and so was We Own the Night in 2007. Gray’s fourth feature film, the César-award nominated Two Lovers, teamed him with Joaquin Phoenix for the third time. Gwyneth Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini also star in this Brooklyn-set romantic drama.
RIFF 2012
Ulrike Ottinger
Ulrike Ottinger grew up in Konstanz. From 1962 to 1968 she lived and worked as an artist in Paris. In 1966 she wrote her first screenplay. Since 1985 she has made numerous documentaries in Asia. Her work has been shown at all the major film festivals in the world and has also been recognized for her work in retrospective exhibitions, including at the Cinémathéque française in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Marjane Satrap
Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969. She grew up in Teheran where she studied at the French Lycée. She next continued her studies in Vienna before moving to France in 1994. She then entered the Atelier des Vosges, home to the great names of contemporary comics. In her graphic novel Persepolis, she speaks of her own story and that of her family, resulting in a heartfelt history of the Iranian people. She’s since published a number of books including Embroideries and Chicken With Plums.
Susanne Beer
"First and foremost, as a filmmaker, my role is not to make a boring film. I don't see a conflict between art and business, but I see it between boredom and business." Susanne Bier was born in 1960 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her ability to find the balance between art and entertainment has made her a popular director in both Europe and Hollywood. Her films are extremely compelling, and in 2011 her film In a Better World (Hævnen) won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.
Dario Silver
Dario Argento was born 1940 in Rom, Italy and is one of the best-known Italian filmmakers. His works often resemble kinetic paintings, they are full of saturated colours, progressive music and unique visual compositions. He is not interested in realism but in creating a beautiful world that is still full of ugly things and evil spirits. Argento is still busy after more than forty years in the business and an oeuvre of over twenty films.
Damo Suzuki
Damo Suzuki was born in 1950 in Japan. He was the lead singer of the band CAN from 1970 to 1973, during which time the band released some of its best albums. CAN is one of the most influential bands in history and is considered to be the pioneers of the experimental rock genre known as "kraut-rock". Musicians such as David Bowie, Brian Ferry, Brian Eno and John Frusciante have cited CAN as one of their main influences. The first song Suzuki sang with CAN was Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone from the album Soundtracks.
RIFF 2011
Bela Tarr
Béla Tarr was born on July 21, 1955 in Pécs, Hungary. He is a producer and director known for Satanic Tango (1994), Werckmeister Harmoniák (2000) and A torinoi ló (2011). Werckmeister Harmoniák is considered one of the most important films of the 21st century. Tarr has been described as having a pessimistic view of humanity, with his characters often suspicious and having turbulent relationships with each other, often described by critics as darkly comic.
Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig is a Danish film director and screenwriter, born 1959, who has been involved with the Dogme 95 film movement and who has been widely critically acclaimed for several of her movies, including the Oscar-nominated film An Education (2009). Scherfig's films are generally romantic comedies, including her film One Day (2011), based on the David Nicholls novel. Through both experimenting with creative constraints and her astute attention to detail, she has come to be recognized as a significant talent in the film industry.
James Marsh
James Marsh was born on April 30, 1963 in Truro, Cornwall, England. He is a director and producer, known for The King (2005) and Wisconsin Death Trip (1999). Other famous works of his include Man on Wire, which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and The Theory of Everything, the multi-award-winning biopic of physicist Stephen Hawking released in 2014. Marsh received a nomination for the BAFTA for Best Director and the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture.
RIFF 2010
Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch was born 1953, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA. He is a film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor, and composer. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Down by Law (1986), Mystery Train (1989), Dead Man (1995), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), Broken Flowers (2005), Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), Paterson (2016), and The Dead Don't Die (2019).
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon was born 1979 in Paris and is an independent filmmaker, photographer, and sound artist. He has deconstructed the music film and created a new genre with his Take Away Shows on www.blogotheque.net. Moon accompanies the musicians with his handheld camera, whose mobility allows him access to even the most intimate spaces. Moon has already portrayed artists such as R.E.M., Arcade Fire, Tom Jones, Sigur Rós, Beirut, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and almost 100 other musicians.
RIFF 2009
Milos Foreman
Miloš Forman was born in 1932. His parents died in Auschwitz, but his father was originally sent there to deliver banned books. Censorship is and has been a strong theme in many of Forman's works, the best example being his defense of porn kingpin Larry Flint's right to free speech in The People vs. Larry Flint. Forman is one of the world's leading directors and is one of only four directors to have won two Academy Awards for directing, for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984).
RIFF 2008
Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshat was born in Iran in 1957 but now lives and works in New York. She is one of the best-known Iranian artists in the Western world and has worked in film, video-art and photography. Her first major photographic work, Women of Allah (1996), was created to try to deal with the change she experienced. The work - where she covers portraits of women with Persian calligraphy - attracted the attention of the international art-world.
Costa-Gavras
"Any resemblance to real events, to real people, living or dead, is not accidental, it is INTENTIONAL." Thus begins the film Z, and it really gives a flavour of all the films of Costa-Gavras, who is one of the most political directors ever. He was born in Greece in 1933. Due to his father's criticism of the government there, the family had to move to France, where he studied at a film school. The politics that originally brought him to France have coloured all his films since, and he is very aware of the ills of society.
RIFF 2007
Tail Hartley
Hal Hartley is a well-known filmmaker, born 1959 in Lindenhurst New York, USA. He is an alumnus of the American Academy in Berlin. His most recent film is Fay Grim which received its European premiere at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival. Hartley has received awards at the Cannes, Tokyo and Sundance film festivals for his films Trust (1991), Henry Fool (1998) and Amateur (1994). He was a visiting lecturer at Harvard University teaching filmmaking from 2001 to 2004.
Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Karusimäki was born in 1957 in Orimattila, Finland. He is a director and is known for his subtle, dark humor. His films are realistic, funny and honest. Through his gloomy works, however, one can find a ray of hope shining through the ironic surface. Aki is known for his derogatory descriptions of himself in interviews, describing his films as bad films but speaking vehemently against low culture.
Hannah Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla was born 1943 in Chorzów, Poland and is an actress. Her ability to convey emotional turmoil through restraint by means of reserved expressions and a soothing, almost hypnotizing, is just a single part of her talents. It is this control that also radiates Effi Briest’s intellect, which is both different and far greater than that of the much older and more educated husband – characteristic of many of the relationships between Schygulla and the opposite sex in her roles.
RIFF 2006
Alexander Sokurov
Aleksandr Sokurov was born in 1951 in the Irkutsk region of Russia. He is one of the most important filmmakers of our time. In his younger years, Aleksandr worked extensively in television and later graduated from the prestigious film school, VGIK, in 1979. His films challenged the Soviet authorities, but he received great support from his distinguished colleague Andrei Tarkovsky. After the fall of the regime, Sokurov's films began to win him numerous awards around the world. Sokurov has been best known for his feature films and has directed over 20 interesting documentaries.
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan is an Armenian-Canadian film and stage director, screenwriter, and producer. He was born on July 19, 1960. He received critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival for his earlier work, and then achieved success with his film Exotica (1994). His subsequent film, The Sweet Hereafter (1997), earned him two Academy Award nominations. In 2009, he released the film Chloe, which became a huge hit, especially on DVD/Blue-Ray. His work often explores themes of alienation and isolation, with characters mediating their interactions through technology, bureaucracy, and other forms of power.
Thomas Bangalter
Thomas Bangalter was born on January 3, 1975 in Paris, France. He is a musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ, and composer, best known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, alongside Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. He has recorded and released music as a member of the trio Stardust, the duo Together, and as a solo artist. Bangalter's work has influenced a wide range of artists in various genres
RIFF 2005
Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran in 1940. He graduated from a university in fine arts before working as a graphic designer. He later joined the Center for the Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents, where he founded a film department, effectively launching his film career at the age of 30. Since then, he has produced numerous films and has become one of the most important artists in contemporary Iranian art.
RIFF 2004
Sturla Gunnarsson
Sturla Gunnarsson was born in Iceland and raised in Vancouver, Canada. His first film, After The Axe, released in 1982, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. In 1998, Such a Long Journey (1998), based on the novel by Rohinton Mistry, became the first fiction film to receive international acclaim. Sturla has since made two other films, Rare Birds (2001) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005), and finally two documentaries, Gerrie and Louise (1997) and Air India 182 (2008).
Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He produced his first film in 1985, and since then his distinctive style of recreating and renovating silent film conventions and international critical acclaim have made him one of Canada's most celebrated directors. In 2003, Maddin also expanded his career to become an author and an installation artist.
