RIFF Advisory Board
The RIFF Advisory Board takes office
Reykjavík International Film Festival is proud to introduce the RIFF Advisory Board, composed of leading professionals from a range of creative disciplines, particularly from the worlds of film and the performing arts. The board consists of Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, Andri Snær Magnason, Yrsa Roca Fannberg, Margrét Örnólfsdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson.
The role of the Advisory Board is to strengthen and support RIFF’s activities by serving in an advisory capacity and thereby contributing to the development of the festival’s programme and operations. Festival staff may seek the board members’ expertise, advice, and ideas, as well as present programme proposals and other initiatives for their consideration and feedback. At the same time, board members are encouraged to contribute their own ideas for programming and other initiatives that may further enhance the activities and continued development of the Reykjavík International Film Festival.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has established himself as one of Iceland’s most acclaimed actors, both at home and internationally. He is perhaps best known for his leading role in the hit television series Trapped (Ófærð). His extensive screen credits include numerous international films and television productions, among them The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In addition to acting, he has also been involved in screenwriting and content development, and remains one of the most prominent voices in Icelandic cinema.
Margrét Örnólfsdóttir
Margrét Örnólfsdóttir has worked extensively across film, television, and theatre. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a wide range of productions both in Iceland and internationally. Her credits include acclaimed television series such as Prisoners (Fangar), Pressa, Trapped (Ófærð), and The Flatey Enigma (Flateyjargátan). In addition to her work in the performing arts, she is also a children’s author and has published several books for younger readers.
Ingvar E. Sigurðsson
Margrét Örnólfsdóttir has worked extensively across film, television, and theatre. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a wide range of productions both in Iceland and internationally. Her credits include acclaimed television series such as Prisoners (Fangar), Pressa, Trapped (Ófærð), and The Flatey Enigma (Flateyjargátan). In addition to her work in the performing arts, she is also a children’s author and has published several books for younger readers.
Yrsa Roca Fannberg
Yrsa Roca Fannberg is a director, screenwriter, and cinematographer who has worked on a wide range of film projects in Iceland and abroad. Her work has been screened at international film festivals and has attracted attention for its distinctive and deeply personal approach to storytelling. Among her most notable works is the award-winning documentary The Earth Beneath Our Feet, which was screened at RIFF 2025 and received critical acclaim.
Guðmundur Arnar
Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson is an Icelandic director and producer. After studying visual arts, he went on to study screenwriting in Denmark. During his residency with the Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival, he developed and wrote his first feature film, Heartstone (Hjartasteinn), which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. His second feature, Beautiful Beings (Berdreymi), premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2022 and further established him as one of the leading voices in contemporary Icelandic cinema.
Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir has worked extensively in both film and television, building a distinguished career in Iceland and internationally. She has contributed to numerous high-profile productions, including major Hollywood projects, and is particularly renowned for her dynamic editing work on action and thriller films. Her credits include Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt, Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron, and most recently How to Rob a Bank, featuring Zoë Kravitz and Nicholas Hoult, which is scheduled for release later this year. Her work has earned her a reputation as one of the most accomplished film editors working internationally today.
Andri Snær
Andri Snær Magnason is one of Iceland’s most versatile and acclaimed authors. His body of work spans novels, children’s literature, plays, poetry, and non-fiction, and he is the only writer to have received the Icelandic Literary Prize in all of its categories. In addition to his literary achievements, Andri Snær has directed four films: Dreamland (Draumalandið), the documentary The Third Pole (Þriðji póllinn), which opened RIFF 2020, Tídægra / Apausalypse (2021), and the National Geographic documentary Time and Water (2026). Through both his writing and filmmaking, he has become one of Iceland’s most influential cultural voices, engaging audiences with works that explore imagination, society, and the relationship between people and nature.
