06/10/2025 - The Catalonian director’s pic has taken home the top prize, whilst Mr. Nobody Against Putin and the short The Mine also triumphed at the Icelandic gathering

The 22nd Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF, 25 September-5 October) has announced this year’s award winners during a ceremony held on Saturday afternoon at the city’s Bíó Paradís cinema. The main award in New Visions – the Golden Puffin – went to Strange River [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaume Claret Muxart
film profile], the debut feature by Jaume Claret Muxart.

The jury – comprising Mohsen Makhmalbāf, Giona A Nazzaro and Saga Garðsdóttir – praised the film’s formal and poetic sensitivity, calling it “the debut work of a highly promising Catalan director”. They added that Claret Muxart “reveals a precocious and accomplished talent that never indulges in mannerisms or formalism”, and celebrated the film as “a complex symphony of unspoken yet deeply perceived emotions”.

A Special Mention went to Solomamma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Janicke Askevold
film profile] by Janicke Askevold, singled out for the “extraordinary performance of Lisa Loven Kongslì” in her portrayal of a woman embracing single motherhood with honesty and humour.

In the A Different Tomorrow competition, the award went to Mr. Nobody Against Putin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein, which the jury – made up of Fiorella Moretti, Pipaluk K Jørgensen and Jónas Margeir Ingólfsson – described as “a rare and authentic insight into the propaganda machinery behind an entire war”, told through the eyes of a teacher documenting the indoctrination of his students.

Meanwhile, the Young People’s Jury bestowed its prize upon Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi, recognising it as “a luminous act of resistance for the Palestinian people”, where “shaky video calls, intimate conversations and voice recordings become a testament to life under occupation”.

The International Shorts jury – including Daniel Hadenius-Ebner, Erlendur Sveinsson and Kahina Asnoun – chose The Mine by Randa Maroufi as Best International Short. The jurors praised the work for its “masterful balance of form and meaning”, describing it as “a breathtaking distillation of the film’s essence, revealing how resistance emerges where existence slips away”. A Special Mention was awarded to Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 by Juliette Le Monnyer, for its “courage and clarity” in transforming a single, unedited long take into “a gripping visual testimony of life under occupation”.

In the Icelandic Shorts section, Memory Traces by Gríma Irmudóttir triumphed as Best Icelandic Short. Jurors Francisco Dias, Lisa Hoen and Hjördís Jóhannsdóttir applauded its “powerful cinematic language and soundscape”, highlighting the film’s ability to connect the landscape with the characters’ emotional journey. Meanwhile, Best Icelandic Student Short went to The Art of Giving by Karin Ros Wiium.

Finally, in the Golden Egg competition – part of RIFF’s Talent Lab dedicated to emerging filmmakers – the top prize went to Fadeaway by Brendan Prost, described by jurors Rúnar Guðbrandsson, Gunnar Björn Guðmundsson and Ólöf Birna Torfadóttir as “a well-crafted and powerful film about a man at a difficult crossroads”. A Special Mention was also bestowed upon 7–10 by Ana Pio.

Here is the list of this year’s award winners:

New Visions Golden Puffin
Strange River [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaume Claret Muxart
film profile] – Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain/Germany)
Special Mention
Solomamma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Janicke Askevold
film profile] – Janicke Askevold (Norway/Latvia/Lithuania/Denmark/Finland)

A Different Tomorrow Award
Mr. Nobody Against Putin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Pavel Talankin, David Borenstein (Denmark/Czech Republic)

Young People’s Jury Award
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk – Sepideh Farsi (France/Palestine/Iran)

Best International Short
The Mine – Randa Maroufi (France/Italy/Morocco/Qatar/United Arab Emirates/Lebanon)
Special Mention
Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 – Juliette Le Monnyer (Belgium)

Best Icelandic Short
Memory Traces – Gríma Irmudóttir (Iceland)

Best Icelandic Student Short
The Art of Giving – Karin Ros Wiium (Iceland)

RIFF Talent Lab

Golden Egg Award
Fadeaway – Brendan Prost (Canada)
Special Mention
7–10 – Ana Pio (UK)