RIFF is the intersection of Icelandic and foreign film art. The category includes films that have been made by Icelanders, so it is worth noting.
Two films from this category will be premiered at the beginning and end of the festival. The films will be shown at Bíó Paradís and online via www.riff.is but the Third Pole will premiere at the University Theater.
The subjects of the films could not be much more diverse, but they include a film about circus arts, an unconventional documentary about schizophrenia, a housewife's school and its value in modern society, and Eurovision as a political force.
The Hero's Journey to the Third Pole
The opening film of RIFF is a moving documentary about schizophrenia with songs and elephants, directed by Anní Ólafsdóttir and Andri Snæs Magnason. It tells the story of the elephant princess Anna Tára and the rock star Högni, who have both struggled with schizophrenia, and gives the viewer an insight into the thoughts and realities of two individuals with the disease. This is a travelogue, a film about unexpected friendship and an open discussion about what it means to have a mental illness.
Against The Current
The festival will conclude with the premiere of director and songwriter Óskar Páll Sveinsson's first full-length documentary. This is a symbolic film about trans woman Veigu Grétarsdóttir who kayaks around Iceland counterclockwise, or against the current, for three months. At the same time, she comes to terms with herself in the process of gender reassignment, and the film gives insight into Veigu's inner struggle for life or death, whether in life itself or alone out on a kayak.
The Circus Director
RIFF and Reykjavík Arts Festival are collaborating to premiere the latest film directed by Helgi Felixson and Titti Johnson. An interesting film about circus director Tilde Björfors, the director of Circus Cirkör, who brought modern circus art to Sweden two decades ago. The film's central theme is what happens when we stop daring to take risks in life and let fear control us.
Lobster Soup
A film that comes straight from the San Sebastian Film Festival where it won two awards. The film is directed by Pepe Andreu & Rafael Molés
but among the screenwriters are Ólafur Rögnvaldsson. The setting is the Café
The pier in Grindavík, which serves as a shelter for the townspeople on the last 3000 square meters of building land on the harbor, while the tourists and lava fields seem to be increasingly pushing the entire village out to sea. An intriguing view of Iceland through the eyes of the Spanish filmmakers who have made a name for themselves with their documentary films, which they are very passionate about.
Separation between heaven and earth
European premiere of the film Between Heaven and Earth/Á milli Himins og Jarðar at RIFF, which is nominated for the 2020 European Film Awards as an Icelandic film. The film is produced in collaboration with the Icelandic production company Oktober production and the Palestinian production company Ustura Films. Between Heaven and Earth is a love story about divorce where the viewer gets the opportunity to go on a car trip through Palestine and Israel. The couple's journey gives us an insight into the various aspects of this society that is torn and torn by millennia-old conflicts and war.
Sisters: Dreams & Variations
A European premiere of a colorful film that is all at once a documentary, an animation and a performance. Its director, Catherine Legault, is an award-winning director and editor, and this is her first feature-length documentary. The film tells the story of the fun and artistic sisters Tyr and Jasa, who are fascinated by their great-grandmother's recordings of Icelandic folk songs. They travel to Iceland together for the first time, and work together on an artistic performance that brings together their artistic creation and cultural heritage.
The School of Housewives
Nordic premiere of the Housewives' School, a unique contemporary source about the Housewives' School in Reykjavík. The film deals with the vanished world of the Icelandic housewife and how the role of the school has changed over the years. The old days are reflected alongside observations of students at the school today and how much the image of the school has changed. Stefanía Thors has worked on many films and documentaries, but this is the first documentary she has directed.
A Song Called Hate
Hatrið is the directorial debut of Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir, who recently turned to filmmaking after working in the music industry for two decades. The film follows the band's journey through the nooks and crannies of Eurovision, Israel, and Palestine. The film follows the tensions and questions that arose along the way, and interviews the band members before and after their performances were seen by two hundred million people on television. The film provides a realistic insight into how Hatri dealt with this enormous, often very personal, project, and shows how the journey changed their mindset and outlook on life.
Shadowtown
The premiere of Skuggahverfinu is the first feature film that Jón Einarsson Gústafsson and Karolina Lewicka have worked on together. The film's main actress is the western Icelandic Brittany Bristow, but the film also stars the world-renowned actor John Rhys-Davies, who is familiar to Icelanders from The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones films. Icelandic actors include Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Inga María Eyjólfsdóttir and Rúnar Freyr Gíslason. Skuggahverfinu is a dramatic film with a creepy twist.
