RIFF - Reykjavik International Film Festival

Reykjavík’s 23rd International Film Festival ran from September 24 to October 4, 2026, opening with The Last First: Winter K2 and turning the city into a meeting place for new voices and established filmmakers. The Golden Puffin went to Marine Atlan’s La Gradiva. The New Visions jury, chaired by João Pedro Rodrigues alongside Ísold Uggadóttir and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, also gave a special mention to Jack Auen and Kevin Walker’s Chronovisor. In the documentary competition, Camille Bildsøe’s If Luck Will Come won the A Different Tomorrow Award, while Lana Daher’s Do You Love Me received a special mention. That jury brought together Susan Wendt, Tito Rodriguez and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir. The short-film honours ranged from Fan Sissoko’s Hold It Together, named best Icelandic short, to Ibrahim Omar’s Nothing Happens After Your Absence, the international winner. Yannis Karpouzis’s Left Behind took the Golden Egg, and the young people’s jury chose Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid. Portugal was the country in focus, and the festival’s special guests included Maria de Medeiros and João Pedro Rodrigues. Honorary distinctions celebrated Alexander Skarsgård, Maria de Medeiros, David Leitch and Kelly McCormick; producer Sigurjón Sighvatsson received a Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards were presented on October 3, before the festival’s final day of screenings.