Youth Council
The Youth Council is a group of film enthusiasts who actively participate in shaping the festival. The council gains insight into RIFF's programming, selects films of interest, and shares their recommendations with audiences.
In addition, the council meets regularly throughout the year where we discuss ideas, receive feedback, and develop programming and events together. In this way, the council becomes an active participant in shaping the festival experience.
Below are the members of the Youth Council 2026
Nikulás Tumi
Filmmaker
Nikulás Tumi is an Icelandic filmmaker who is currently pursuing a Master's degree at FAMU in the Czech Republic. In 2022 he completed his Bachelor's degree in Film Studies at the University of Iceland. He has worked in music video production and programming, as well as having directed short films that have been screened at festivals across Europe, including Karlovy Vary, where his film Blue Boy was shown in 2024. In 2019 he served on the jury of the European University Film Awards (EUFA) and in 2024 he served on the jury of Smart7 as Iceland's representative at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF).
Sandra Gunnarsdóttir
Sagnfræðingur, athafnakona og flugþjónn
Sandra is a historian and flight attendant with Icelandair. Throughout her career, she has taken on a wide variety of roles and projects, including working as a dance instructor, model, eyewear consultant, and appearing in commercials and artistic short films. She is also a qualified history teacher and has worked on a range of history-related projects. A passionate supporter of the arts, Sandra also studied at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts.
Ragnhildur Björt
Historian
Ragnhildur is an MA student in History and works at the University Bookstore alongside her studies. A devoted bookworm, she is the kind of person who always wants to read the book before watching the film. Recently, her research has focused on the many ways people perceived the world through their senses in past centuries, with a particular interest in the history of smell. She dreams that one day cinemas will have a ""smell organ,"" allowing audiences to experience the same scents as the characters on screen—just as Aldous Huxley imagined in Brave New World.
Ari Hallgrímsson
History Student
Ari is a History student at the University of Iceland and works as a church warden at Hallgrímskirkja. His qualifications for serving on the Youth Programming Council are beyond question, having won both Best Screenplay and Best Lead Actor at Mýrarhúsaskóli’s short film competition in 2013—a feat that has, of course, become legendary.
Arína Vala
Filmmaker
Arína Vala is a filmmaker and director from Reykjavík, Iceland. She is currently based in New York, where she graduated with an MFA in Directing and Screenwriting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2025. She also holds a BA in Film Studies from the University of Iceland. In 2024, her short film High Tide (Háflóð) premiered at the Stockfish Film Festival, while her debut short film, City Symphony (Borgarsinfónía), screened at RIFF in 2020. Arína has also directed music videos for the bands Reykjavíkurdætur and Inspector Spacetime, both of which were nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2022 Icelandic Listener's Choice Awards.
Melkorka Gunnborg
Playwright
Melkorka is a playwright and literary scholar. She has participated in various productions in the independent performing arts scene as author, co-author, director and assistant director, including at the summer theatre Afturámót in 2024 with the productions Hansel og Gretel and Þegar við erum ein. Recently she has worked as assistant director at the Reykjavík City Theatre in the productions Þetta er Laddi and Moulin Rouge. She has also worked in programming for Rás 1 and contributed to the shows Lestin, Tengivagninn and Víðsjá.
Grettir Valsson
Professional Idiot
Grettir is a young writer, comedian, personal trainer, and liar, as well as a self-confessed amateur actor and a trained clown. He is currently studying Playwriting at the Iceland University of the Arts while working across a variety of entertainment projects. He recently released the family album Don't Let the Record Fool You (Ekki Láta Plata Þig) and has appeared in a wide range of performances and productions. Above all, however, Grettir strives to be a kind, compassionate, and open-minded person.
Skúli Thayer
Artist
Skúli Thayer is taking his first steps as an artist, having recently graduated from the Fine Arts department at the Iceland University of the Arts. In August, he participated in an exhibition organised by the artist-run residency OPEN, where he presented an installation and a performance. He works extensively with humour, documentation, and everyday life in his works. Although Skúli is a visual artist, he also appreciates other art forms and watches a lot of films, though the popular Minions movies will always remain his favourite.
Harpa Hjartardóttir
Filmmaker
Harpa Hjartardóttir is a master's student in film directing at FAMU in Prague and also holds a BA degree in Film Studies from the University of Iceland. She is the biggest fan of the Icelandic film Blossi/810551 and wrote her BA thesis about it as an Icelandic cult film.
Her film Pólitískur öfgamaður was recently screened at Skjaldborg, the documentary film festival in Patreksfjörður. Pólitískur öfgamaður is a short documentary about the rapper Erpur Eyvindarson.
Þorsteinn Sturla Jónsson
Director
Þorsteinn is a director, screenwriter, and script consultant with over eight years of experience in filmmaking and the performing arts. He has studied both film and theatre, and is currently enrolled in the Playwriting programme at the Iceland University of the Arts. His graduation film, Dead Silence (Dauðaþögn), received awards at film festivals across Europe. In 2020, Síminn TV acquired the broadcast rights to his documentary Are We Rolling? (Erum við að rúlla?). His stage works have been presented at Tjarnarbíó and the National Theatre of Iceland. He is currently part of the writing team behind a feature film project that has received three screenwriting grants from the Icelandic Film Centre.
Sigyn Jara
Entrepreneur
Sigyn Jara holds a degree in Leisure and Social Studies and has worn many different hats throughout her career. She has worked in tourism, event management, as a yoga instructor, DJ, and producer of short films, theatre productions, and music videos. Her most recent project in the film industry was assisting with the production of Where Is the Dream? (Hvar er draumurinn?), a film based on songs by the Icelandic band Sálin hans Jóns míns. More recently, Sigyn has helped establish Reykjavík City’s Extreme Sports youth programme for students in grades 8–10, an initiative focused on building young people's confidence and encouraging them to spend more time outdoors. An avid traveller, she also completed a trip around the world earlier this year.
Arndís María
Performance Art Student
Arndís is a Playwriting student at the Iceland University of the Arts, a youth centre worker, and a performing artist. Most recently, she worked as dramaturg and co-producer on Cabaret, staged by Leikhús Ókunnuga Fólksins (The Theatre of Strangers) in collaboration with the National Theatre of Iceland during the last theatre season. The production received the Gríma Award for Dance and Stage Movement of the Year. Arndís also served as assistant director on the choral performance Merg, which was presented at Tjarnarbíó this past winter to great acclaim.
Anna Sóley Jónsdóttir
Art History Student
Anna Sóley is a passionate art enthusiast and is currently completing a BA in Art History at the University of Iceland.
She has worked as an International Officer at the Student Council Office and regularly assists with exhibition installations at Herma, the artist-run exhibition space on Hverfisgata.
