The curtain will rise tomorrow on the 20th Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), which has big things in store to celebrate its two decades of existence. The event, headed by Hrönn Marinósdóttir (with Frédéric Boyer as artistic director) will indeed feature as guests of honour Isabelle Huppert, Vicky Krieps and Nicolas Philibert, who will deliver masterclasses, as well as Luca Guadagnino, Catherine Breillat and Luc Jacquet who will be giving Extended Talks.

The main competition, titled New Visions and dedicated to first and second features, includes Solitude [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ninna Pálmadóttir
fiche film] by Icelandic director Ninna Pálmadóttir (unveiled in Toronto and set to open the festival), three films that were well-received in Cannes (Caméra d’or-winner Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Thiên Ân, The Settlers [+lire aussi :
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interview : Felipe Gálvez
fiche film] by Chile’s Felipe Gálvez, and The Sweet East by American director Sean Price Williams), Slow [+lire aussi :
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interview : Marija Kavtaradze
fiche film] by Lithuania’s Marija Kavtaradze (Best Director award winner in Sundance), One Night with Adela [+lire aussi :
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interview : Hugo Ruiz
fiche film] by Spain’s Hugo Ruiz (awarded in Tribeca), Family Time [+lire aussi :
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interview : Tia Kouvo
fiche film] by Finland’s Tia Kouvo (discovered at the Berlinale) and two titles presented in competition in Locarno: The Vanishing Soldier [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Israeli director Dani Rosenberg and Baan [+lire aussi :
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interview : Leonor Teles
fiche film] by Portugal’s Leonor Teles. The 2023 Golden Puffin award will be given by a jury composed of Icelandic director Ísold Uggadóttir, IndieLisboa director Susana Santos Rodrigues, and this writer.

Showcased in the Open Seas section are the Venice winner Poor Things [+lire aussi :
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interview : Suzy Bemba
Q&A : Yorgos Lanthimos
fiche film] by Yorgos Lanthimos (which will close the festival), Berlin award winners 20,000 Species of Bees [+lire aussi :
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interview : Estíbaliz Urresola
fiche film] by Spanish director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren and Music [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by German filmmaker Angela Schanelec, and four Cannes titles: the awarded French candidate at the Oscars The Taste of Things [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Tran Anh Hung, May December by Todd Haynes, Eureka [+lire aussi :
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interview : Lisandro Alonso
fiche film] by Lisandro Alonso, and How To Have Sex [+lire aussi :
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interview : Molly Manning Walker
fiche film] by English director Molly Manning Walker (winner in Un Certain Regard). A high level menu completed by the documentary Menus plaisirs - Les Troisgros [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Frederick Wiseman, and Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World [+lire aussi :
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interview : Radu Jude
fiche film] by Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude (awarded in Locarno).

The A Different Tomorrow competition gathers Motherland [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Alexander Mihalkovich and Hanna Badziaka (winners at CPH:DOX), Here [+lire aussi :
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interview : Bas Devos
fiche film] by Belgium’s Bas Devos, Orlando, My Political Biography [+lire aussi :
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interview : Paul B. Preciado
fiche film] by Spain’s Paul B. Preciado, Twice Colonized [+lire aussi :
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interview : Lin Alluna
interview : Lin Alluna
fiche film] by Danish director Lin Alluna, Youth (Spring) [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Chinese filmmaker Wang Bing, the American-French production Queendom [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Agniia Galdanova, Blue Sky White Clouds by Germany’s Astrid Menzel, Knit’s Island [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by French directors Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse and Quentin L'helgoualc'h, and the American production Theater of Thought by Werner Herzog.

The very rich RIFF programme also features a Documentary section, an Icelandic Panorama (which includes the feature films Togolisa by Alda Lóa Leifsdóttir, The Day Iceland Stood Still by Pamela Hogan and Belonging by Sævar Guðmundsson and Kreshnik Jonuzi), the Cinema Beats programme, the Films From The North (with Let the River Flow [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ole Giæver
fiche film] by Norway’s Ole Giaever) and Midnight Thrill sections, a focus on Latvian animation, a section for international short films  and the traditional Golden Egg competition which shines a light on young filmmakers from around the world who have participated in the RIFF Talent Lab.

This year, a Focus France is on the cards, with among other titles The Beast [+lire aussi :
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interview : Bertrand Bonello
fiche film] by Bertrand Bonello, The Goldman Case [+lire aussi :
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interview : Cédric Kahn
fiche film] by Cédric Kahn, Last Summer [+lire aussi :
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interview : Catherine Breillat
fiche film] by Catherine Breillat, On the Adamant [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nicolas Philibert
fiche film] by Nicolas Philibert, Marinette [+lire aussi :
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interview : Virginie Verrier
fiche film] by Virginie Verrier, and The (Ex)perience of Love [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ann Sirot & Raphael Balboni
fiche film] by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni.

Worth pointing out too is the new section Smart7 (in collaboration with the New Horizons, IndieLisboa, Transilvania, Thessalonique, Filmadrid and Vilnius festivals) which will show Black Stone [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Greek director Spiros Jacovides, Bread and Salt [+lire aussi :
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interview : Damian Kocur
fiche film] by Poland’s Damian Kocur, Tobacco Barns [+lire aussi :
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interview : Rocío Mesa
fiche film] by Portugal’s Telmo Churro, Mammalia [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Romania’s Sebastian Mihailescu, Structure [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Iceland’s Gústav Geir Bollason, and Remember to Blink [+lire aussi :
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interview : Austėja Urbaitė
fiche film] by Lithuania’s Austèja Urbaitè.

Finally, the Industry Days will take place from 3-7 October, with the Work In Progress dedicated to Icelandic production and several talks about current topics animating the world film industry.