The Reykjavík International Film Festival will present the Icelandic documentary The Ground Beneath Our Feet, directed by Yrsa Roca Fannberg, at this year’s festival.
The film has been on a winning streak across Europe, receiving unanimous acclaim. It premiered at the Danish documentary festival CPH:DOX last spring. It has also been selected for screenings at the Gimli International Film Festival, Dok.fest Munich, the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, and Nordisk Panorama, all to glowing reception. At RIFF 2025, the film will be screened with the director present, who will take part in a discussion following the screening.
“Life at Grund – captured on film.”
In The Ground Beneath Our Feet, we follow the director into the twilight of life at the Grund nursing home in Reykjavík, where time obeys its own rules. Yrsa herself has worked at Grund for many years and is deeply committed to the wellbeing of the elderly. Over time, she has formed close relationships with the residents, who also become the film’s subjects. A special screening for the residents and their families will be held at Grund on October 3. Following RIFF, the film will open at Bíó Paradís cinema. The documentary captures poetry in the everyday and memories that are both beautiful and fleeting. Yrsa’s gentle and considerate storytelling makes the film a heartfelt hymn to daily life as evening falls. The film was shot entirely on film stock, with carefully crafted post-production.
The documentary is produced by Akkeri Films, marking the second collaboration between the company and the director. Hanna Björk Valdimarsdóttir, CEO of Akkeri Films, is the film’s lead producer, while the sound design was created by her husband, Björn Viktorsson.
At RIFF, the film is one of eight competition titles in the New Visions section and will also be judged by the festival’s Youth Jury.