Overview
The Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) is Iceland's major annual film event. The 23rd edition runs from September 24 to October 4, 2026, screening approximately 100 films over 11 days. RIFF accepts fiction, documentary, hybrid, and animation films of any genre, in both feature (over 60 minutes) and short (under 60 minutes) forms. The festival's Grand Prix competition category, New Visions, is restricted to first and second feature films only, making it a dedicated platform for emerging directors.
For filmmakers seeking a festival that programs bold, unconventional cinema in a small, concentrated environment, RIFF offers a distinctive option. The submission fee is 4,900 ISK (approximately 40 EUR) for early submissions and 7,600 ISK (approximately 60 EUR) for regular submissions, with a final deadline of July 24, 2026. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2025, and must be at minimum Icelandic premieres. The festival is not Oscar-qualifying for short films.
Submit via FilmFreeway or through the RIFF website.
Key Sections
- New Visions (Grand Prix Competition) - restricted to first and second feature films (fiction and documentary); the top prize is the Golden Puffin
- A Different Tomorrow - competitive program for films addressing environmental and social futures
- Golden Egg Competition - short films by emerging filmmakers participating in the RIFF Talent Lab
- Icelandic Films - showcase for new Icelandic cinema, including Best Icelandic Short Film and Best Icelandic Student Short Film competitions
- International Short Films - competitive short film category with Best International Short Film award
- Arctic and Indigenous Program - a dedicated program highlighting stories from Arctic and Indigenous communities in the North
- Children's Program - films for younger audiences
- Horror Program - genre programming
Submission Details
Submission fees:
- Early submission (by March 15, 2026): 4,900 ISK (approximately 40 EUR)
- Regular submission (by July 24, 2026): 7,600 ISK (approximately 60 EUR)
- Fees are non-refundable. No waivers are offered.
Eligibility requirements:
- Films must have been completed after January 1, 2025
- Must be at minimum Icelandic premieres (must not have been screened publicly in Iceland prior to the 2026 festival, including broadcast versions)
- Must be in English or subtitled in English
- Accepts fiction, documentary, hybrid, and animation; features (over 60 min) and shorts (under 60 min)
- Online screeners are mandatory
- Any number of titles may be submitted, but each title requires a separate entry form and screener
Screening commitment: Selected films screen 3 to 4 times during the festival and 4 to 5 times during a rural Iceland tour in the weeks following the festival, extending reach to communities outside Reykjavik.
Notification: Filmmakers will receive programming decisions via official invitation from the festival programming team. All decisions are final.
Major Awards
- Golden Puffin - top prize in the New Visions competition (first and second features)
- Golden Puffin Special Mention
- A Different Tomorrow Award - best film in the environmental/social futures program
- Golden Egg - top prize in the short film competition for emerging filmmakers in the RIFF Talent Lab
- Golden Egg Special Mention
- Best Icelandic Short Film
- Best International Short Film (with Special Mention)
- Best Icelandic Student Short Film
- Young People's Jury Award
The 2025 edition (22nd) awarded the Golden Puffin to "Strange River" (Estrany Riu) by Jaume Claret Muxart (Catalonia/Spain), a debut feature. The A Different Tomorrow Award went to "Mr Nobody Against Putin" by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin (Denmark/Czech Republic). The Golden Egg went to "Fadeaway" by Brendan Prost (Canada). The Young People's Jury Award went to "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk" by Sepideh Farsi (Palestine/France).
Past Winners
2025 Golden Puffin (22nd edition):
- Strange River (Estrany Riu), dir. Jaume Claret Muxart (Catalonia/Spain) - debut feature about a teenager cycling along the Danube, also screened at San Sebastian's Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section
- A Different Tomorrow Award: Mr Nobody Against Putin, dir. David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin (Denmark/Czech Republic)
- Golden Egg: Fadeaway, dir. Brendan Prost (Canada)
- Young People's Jury Award: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, dir. Sepideh Farsi (Palestine/France)
2024 Golden Puffin (21st edition):
- Super Happy Forever, dir. Kohei Igarashi (France/Japan) - opened at Venice Film Festival's Giornate degli Autori before winning at RIFF
- A Different Tomorrow Award: A New Kind of Wilderness, dir. Silje Evensmo Jacobsen (Norway) - also won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance
2022 Golden Puffin (19th edition):
- Rodeo, dir. Lola Quivoron (France) - premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard, feature debut about an underground dirt bike community
- Special Mentions: Sister, What Grows Where Land Is Sick? (dir. Franciska Eliassen) and I Have Electric Dreams (dir. Valentina Maurel)
2017 Golden Puffin:
- The Rider, dir. Chloe Zhao (US) - premiered at Cannes Directors' Fortnight, acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for US distribution, Zhao later won the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- The Rider (dir. Chloe Zhao, 2017 Golden Puffin) - acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for US distribution in a multi-territory deal, also picked up by Altitude Film Distribution for the UK. Zhao went on to win the Academy Award for Best Director for Nomadland (2021).
- Rodeo (dir. Lola Quivoron, 2022 Golden Puffin) - premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard, produced by Charles Gillibert at CG Cinema, sold internationally by Les Films du Losange. Quivoron spent five years developing the script.
- Super Happy Forever (dir. Kohei Igarashi, 2024 Golden Puffin) - opened at Venice Film Festival's Giornate degli Autori, received French theatrical distribution in July 2025.
- A New Kind of Wilderness (dir. Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, 2024 A Different Tomorrow Award) - also won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024, aired on PBS POV in the US, picked up for international distribution.
- Baan (dir. Leonor Teles, 2023 Golden Puffin) - world premiered at Locarno, international sales handled by Totem Films, Teles' first narrative fiction feature.
- Moon, 66 Questions (dir. Jacqueline Lentzou, 2021 Golden Puffin) - world premiered at Berlinale Encounters, Greek feature debut.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
RIFF's New Visions competition is restricted to first and second features only. This is the festival's main competition and the path to the Golden Puffin. If your film is a debut or sophomore work, this is where it belongs. Films beyond the second feature can still screen in non-competitive sections.
The A Different Tomorrow section programs films addressing environmental and social futures. If your documentary or fiction film tackles climate, sustainability, or humanitarian topics, this competitive section offers a second prize track alongside New Visions.
The Icelandic premiere requirement is strict. Your film must not have screened publicly in Iceland before RIFF. Since most international films have not played in Iceland, this requirement is easier to meet than a national premiere rule at larger festivals.
RIFF accepts rough cuts and works-in-progress through its Talent Lab for the Golden Egg short film competition. If you are an emerging short filmmaker, the Talent Lab provides structured professional development alongside your festival screening. Apply early, as the lab has limited slots.
The rural touring program gives selected films 4 to 5 additional screenings across Iceland after the main festival. This extended reach means your film travels to communities that rarely see international art house cinema. Films with strong visual storytelling and minimal dialogue tend to play well on the rural tour.
Industry Reputation Notes
RIFF positions itself as a discovery platform for first and second features. Festival Director Hronn Marinosdottir describes it as "a distinctive discovery platform with a sharpened focus on first and second features." The New Visions competition is the core of this identity.
Compared to Gothenburg Film Festival (Sweden) and Tromso International Film Festival (Norway), RIFF is smaller but more internationally focused. Gothenburg functions as the Nordic industry hub with its Nordic Film Market. RIFF functions as a talent discovery engine with a global scope. Tromso serves Arctic and Nordic cinema specifically.
Program Director Frederic Boyer also directs the Tribeca Festival, creating a bridge between RIFF and the US festival circuit. Films that win at RIFF often appear on Tribeca's radar. This connection gives RIFF winners potential US exposure that other Scandinavian festivals cannot offer.
The festival is not a major acquisitions market. Deals happen at Berlin, Cannes, and Toronto, not at RIFF. However, the festival's guest program brings major international filmmakers to Reykjavik. Recent guests include Bong Joon-ho (2024), Olivier Assayas (2025), and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2025).
The rural touring program is unique among European festivals. No comparable Scandinavian festival sends selected films on a multi-week rural tour. This feature gives RIFF a community engagement model that larger industry-focused events lack.
What Filmmakers Should Know
RIFF's New Visions competition is specifically designed for first and second features. If your film is a debut or sophomore work, it is eligible for the Golden Puffin, the festival's top prize. Films beyond the second feature can still screen in non-competitive sections and the A Different Tomorrow program.
The festival's rural tour is a distinctive feature. Selected films travel to communities across Iceland in the weeks after the main festival, reaching audiences who would not otherwise see international art house cinema. This extended screening life gives films more exposure than a standard 11-day festival run.
Icelandic filmmakers should treat RIFF as their primary domestic platform. The Best Icelandic Short Film and Best Icelandic Student Short Film categories provide dedicated competitive slots for national work, and the festival's relationship with Icelandic media and cultural institutions gives local filmmakers direct access to domestic industry attention.
The RIFF Talent Lab runs alongside the Golden Egg competition, providing emerging short filmmakers with professional development and networking during the festival. Filmmakers accepted into the Talent Lab receive structured programming alongside their festival screenings.
The festival's location in Reykjavik, a city of approximately 140,000 people, creates an intimate environment where filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences share the same venues and social spaces. The main screening venue is Bio Paradis, Reykjavik's arthouse cinema.
Festival History
RIFF was founded in 2004 and held its first edition that year. Over 22 editions, the festival has grown into Iceland's most significant film event, building a reputation for programming independent and unconventional cinema. The Golden Puffin, named after Iceland's Atlantic puffin, has been the festival's top prize since its early editions.
The festival has consistently championed emerging filmmakers through the New Visions restriction to first and second features, and through the Talent Lab and Golden Egg competition for short filmmakers. Past Golden Puffin winners have gone on to screen at major European festivals and secure international distribution.
RIFF's programming increasingly includes a dedicated Arctic and Indigenous program, reflecting Iceland's position as an Arctic nation and the festival's commitment to stories from northern communities. The A Different Tomorrow program, focused on environmental and social futures, has grown in prominence as documentary filmmaking around climate and sustainability has expanded.
The 23rd edition (2026) marks the festival's continued expansion, with the rural touring program now reaching communities across Iceland with 4 to 5 additional screenings per selected film.
Watch: Trailers and Interviews
See Also
For Nordic cinema, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate your festival submission budget across multiple festivals, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking.
