RIFF DIARY 2026
Day 1
There was a full house at Háskólabíó last night as the Reykjavík International Film Festival officially opened for the 23rd time with a festive ceremony. Demand for tickets to this year’s opening film, The Last First: Winter K2, was so high that both Screen 1 and Screen 2 at Háskólabíó sold out, with the film being screened simultaneously in both auditoriums.
Day 2
Producer Sigurjón Sighvatsson received a special surprise at RIFF on Friday evening when the festival honoured him with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to cinema. The unannounced tribute accompanied a David Lynch double bill celebrating the 40th anniversary of Propaganda Films, featuring the Twin Peaks pilot and Wild at Heart in a new 4K restoration, with Sighvatsson himself in attendance for the occasion.
Day 3
Director David Leitch and producer Kelly McCormick received RIFF’s Honorary Awards for Outstanding Creative Excellene at Reykjavík Art Museum’s Hafnarhús yesterday. Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, Chair of Reykjavík’s Cultural Council, presented the awards. The pair also joined editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir for a masterclass exploring their filmmaking process, sharing insights into how character, emotion and collaboration shape memorable cinema and bring compelling action sequences to the screen.
Day 4
Paddington brought families together at Háskólabíó this morning for a cosy pyjama screening hosted by RIFF and UngRIFF. Screening room 1 sold out, with an additional screening added to meet demand. Children arrived in pyjamas with their favourite teddy bears for a family cinema treat. Actor Siggi Þór hosted the event, celebrating the beloved Peruvian bear in a heartwarming film that delights audiences of all ages.
Dagur 5
Screening Room 1 at Háskólabíó was sold out last night for RIFF’s Book Cinema event, held in collaboration with the Jane Austen Society of Iceland. Guests were invited to a special screening of Pride and Prejudice. Before the film, Kristín Linda Jónsdóttir and Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir discussed the novel, the film and Jane Austen’s timeless appeal. Sparkling wine and a warm atmosphere set the scene for Joe Wright’s 2005 award-winning film, starring Keira Knightley.
Day 6
Alexander Skarsgård brought star power to RIFF last night, attending a sold-out screening of at Háskólabíó. All seats in the Grand Auditorium were filled, as the actor received RIFF’s Honorary Award for Artistic Excellence and joined audiences for a conversation moderated by Andri Snær Magnason after the screening, making for a truly memorable evening at Reykjavík International Film Festival. á RIFF. Uppselt var í Hátíðarsalinn þegar leikarinn hlaut heiðursverðlaun RIFF fyrir framúrskarandi listfengi og ræddi við gesti að sýningu lokinni undir stjórn Andra Snæs Magnasonar. Kvöldið varð eftirminnilegur hápunktur Alþjóðlegrar kvikmyndahátíðar í Reykjavík og einstakt tækifæri fyrir bíóunnendur til að hitta stjörnuna.
Day 7
Producer Erik Hemmendorff’s masterclass was among the highlights of RIFF on Wednesday, September 30, offering audiences insight into a producer’s perspective and the work behind the films. Emerging filmmakers took centre stage at a screening of shorts competing for the Golden Egg, made by this year’s RIFF Talent Lab participants. Afterwards, the filmmakers answered questions from the audience. The day brought together experience and innovation, inviting festivalgoers to get to know the people behind the films.
Day 8
Portugal took centre stage at RIFF on Thursday, October 1, as cinema and music came together at Háskólabíó. Maria de Medeiros received the festival’s Honorary Award for Creative Excellence, presented by Hrönn Marinósdóttir and Frédéric Boyer. Portuguese representatives were thanked for their collaboration on this year’s country focus, before Fado Bicha and the Reykjavík Queer Choir filled the evening with music, colour and creative energy.
Day 9
A packed auditorium welcomed Maria de Medeiros for Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction on Friday, October 2. The actress addressed audiences, while RIFF’s partners handed out burgers during the interval with impeccable efficiency. Filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues, chair of the New Visions jury, also presented Will o’ the Wisp alongside a masterclass, giving festivalgoers an opportunity to encounter two distinctive voices in Portuguese cinema on another memorable day.
Day 10
RIFF celebrated its award winners on Saturday, October 3. La Gradiva won the Golden Puffin, while If Luck Will Come by Camille Bildsøe triumphed in A Different Tomorrow. Yannis Karpouzis’s Left Behind received the Golden Egg, and Ibrahim Omar’s Nothing Happens After Your Absence was named Best International Short. Together, the winners reflected the remarkable range and creativity of this year’s international festival programme.
Day 11
RIFF 2026 closed on Sunday, October 4, with a packed screening of The Last First: Winter K2 in Háskólabíó’s Grand Auditorium for the second consecutive day. John Snorri’s daughter Halla addressed audiences beforehand, while extreme mountaineers Haraldur Örn Ólafsson and Vilborg Arna Gissurardóttir joined a Q&A afterwards. Festivalgoers also enjoyed another chance to catch the previous evening’s award winners and some of this year’s most popular films, bringing eleven days of discovery, conversation and shared cinema to a fitting close.
PARTNERS
