The Reykjavík International Film Festival returns in September 2025 with an electrifying slate of premieres destined to captivate audiences and critics alike. Our first ten screening titles from the 2025 edition promise a compelling snapshot of cinema’s future: daring debuts, visionary auteurs, and unforgettable storytelling from every corner of the globe. From pulse-pounding thrillers to poetic documentaries, the festival’s glimpse into this year’s lineup showcases the diversity and innovation that define RIFF’s spirit.
Stay tuned as we reveal these must-see films—each set to spark conversation, inspire wonder, and ignite Reykjavík’s vibrant cultural scene this autumn.
Sorry, Baby - Eva Victor
Eva Victor’s acclaimed and darkly comic drama about Agnes, a young professor in rural Massachusetts, navigating the aftermath of a sexual assault. Told in nonlinear chapters, the film weaves humor, resilience, and emotional nuance into a powerful portrait of trauma, friendship, and healing.
The Blue Trail - Gabriel Mascaro
Gabriel Mascaro’s swooning ode to ageing in style takes us on a trip—in more ways than one—through the Amazon river, its dreamy narrative following 77-year-old Teca rebelling against a Brazilian government that would rather forget her. Shot with vivid visual flair and a sense of abandon, this is an empowering, reinvigorating tale of finding freedom against all odds.
All That’s Left of You - Cherien Dabis
Cherien Dabi’s scintillating decade-spanning epic tells the story of a Palestinian couple that finds hope and courage in the midst of a relentless struggle, as they face an extraordinary life decision centered around a West Bank protest that will change their family’s destiny.
Queens of the Dead - Tina Romero
More than 50 years after George A. Romero released his seminal masterpiece The Night of the Living Dead, his daughter Tina Romero brings us Queens of the Dead — a riotous horror-comedy in which Brooklyn drag queens and club kids fend off a zombie apocalypse with heels, glitter, and guts.
Sirât - Óliver Laxe
A young woman vanishes at a rave in southern Morocco. Luis, her father, and Esteban, her brother, journey into the desert in search. A sensory, minimalist road movie blending trance rhythms with grief, found family bonds, and a spiritual trek across stark, inhospitable terrain.
Eleanor the Great - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut follows 94 year old Eleanor Morgenstein after her lifelong friend’s death. She moves to New York and, by accident, joins a Holocaust survivors’ support group—sharing her late friend’s story and forging an unlikely bond with a young journalism student.
Late Shift - Petra Volpe
Floria, a dedicated nurse navigates an understaffed Swiss surgical ward during an intense late shift. As pressure mounts, a critical error sparks a nerve-racking, race-against-time drama—an empathetic tribute to healthcare workers under strain.
Teenage Life Interrupted - Åse Svenheim Drivenes
In this stirring portrait of stunted youth, two doctors at the University Hospital in Tromsø, Norway, endeavour to treat young people with undiagnosable illnesses. What follows is an impassioned, considered examination of how we can reckon with the unknowable, and what role these teenagers have in a society that struggles to understand them.
The Mastermind - Kelly Reichardt
Suburban family man J.B. Mooney, a struggling carpentry dad in 1970s Massachusetts, plans a daring art heist from his local museum. But his amateur approach leads to unraveling consequences—quietly gripping in Reichardt’s understated, character driven style.
Magic Farm - Amalia Ulman
Amalia Ulman applies a daring off-kilter sensibility and scathing wit to her hilarious second feature film, starring Chloë Sevigny. A satirical farce where an edgy media company’s Argentina-bound film crew results in them arriving in the wrong country in search of a story. What follows is a comedy of errors, mishaps, and unexpected connections.
RIFF 2025 takes place in Reykjavík from September 25th to October 5th , and we can’t wait to welcome filmmakers and audiences from around the world.
Festival passes, discount cards (Super 8, U30 Youth Pass), and single tickets are available, offering flexible options for every kind of festival-goer.
*𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭