Film Submission
We open for film submissions on November 1st 2024!
The 22nd edition of the Reykjavík International Film Festival will take place between September 25st and October 5th, 2025. The main purpose of RIFF, Iceland’s major annual film event, is to offer a wide selection of groundbreaking, independent cinema, and to highlight the work of young and emerging filmmakers, by presenting only first and second works in the Grand Prix competition category New Visions.
The festival's objective is to increase general interest in independent cinema, increase the level of cinematic literacy and enrich film culture in Iceland by offering different cross-platform programs.
Rules and Conditions
We accept fiction, documentary, hybrid, and animation films of any genre, both in the feature (beyond 60 min) and short (under 60 min) forms.
All submissions: Must have been completed after January 1st, 2024. Must be at minimum Icelandic premieres (i.e. must not have been screened publicly in Iceland prior to the 2025 festival, including a broadcast version of any length). Must be in English, or subtitled in English.
Submission Fee
The price for submission is 7.600 ISK (about 55 EUR) but early submission price is 4.900 ISK (about 35 EUR). Early submission is open until March 31st. The fee is non-refundable. The submission deadline is July 10th 2025.
Please note that submission fees contribute towards the administrative duties carried out by our festival team and previewing panel. These fees are essential to the sustainability of our festival and therefore we are unable to offer waivers.
Programming Consideration
RIFF will consider both international and Icelandic films, whether they are fiction films or documentaries, regardless of length or subject matter. All submissions will be given full consideration by our programming team.
Programming Decisions
The Final decision on programming, categorization, and scheduling of films will be determined by the Festival programming team. Their decision is final (and not open to negotiation). Successful applicants will receive this information in their official invitation.
No screeners or application materials will be returned. Do not send film prints, master tapes, or other originals.
If your film is selected, you will receive a more detailed form asking for promotional materials needed for our catalogue and website (delivering these on time and in the right format is 100% on you). We expect all submitted films to be free of screening fees.
You can expect your film to be screened 3-4 times during the festival and 4-5 times around the rural countryside of Iceland in the month following the end of RIFF in a separate program named ‘RIFF around the country’. The project aims to reach audiences that would otherwise not have a chance to see our program. For officially selected films, RIFF wants to provide as much support as possible to filmmakers attending the Festival: For feature-length films, RIFF will do its best to bring a representative to Reykjavík Iceland for each invited film. For all selected films, RIFF will provide Festival accreditation for every credited director.
Selected Films
RIFF features three juried competition programs: the ‘New Visions’ category (fiction and documentary films), the ‘A Different Tomorrow’ category (documentaries) and the short film categories (‘Best Icelandic Short’, ‘Best International Short’, and the ‘Golden egg’ – which goes to the best short film at The Talent lab); and several other programs that are non-competitive.
Selected feature-length films in the ‘New Visions’ and ‘A Different Tomorrow’ categories, and short films at the ‘Short Film’ categories are eligible for jury prizes.
Preview Format
Online screeners are mandatory. Any number of titles may be submitted. However, each title must be submitted on a separate entry form and screener.
