RIFF Rolls Into Town: Documentaries Shine At Reykjavík’s Biggest Event For Cinephiles

“Watching a film on the big screen is like listening to vinyl, now that you’re used to listening to music on your iPhone,” says Frédéric Boyer, Head of Programming at the Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), when I call him a few days before the festival to ask for help navigating the maze of its programme. Streaming has taken a bite out of cinema culture, and high living costs only add to the sense that festivals are a luxury — both for cinephiles and young directors.

Yet despite that, and despite the steady churn of bad news everywhere, RIFF takes pride in curating a handpicked mix of new and classic films from around the world, and in bringing their directors to Reykjavík in person.

Frédéric, also the Artistic Director of the Tribeca Film Festival since 2012 and Les Arcs European Film Festival since 2009, is well-connected in the industry, calling many of the filmmakers friends. But, he insists, none of that really matters. “It’s cool when people know nothing about the film, just the title, and you walk in and discover something. And sometimes the filmmaker is even better than the film itself.”

So, how do you decide what to see in RIFF’s packed 11-day programme? Here are a few places to start.

Jude Law as Putin, Scarlett Johansson in the director’s chair

In addition to 80 feature films, and a selection of short films, this year’s festival is bringing a bunch of guests of honour to town, including photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn, known for his iconic portraits of influential musicians over the past century (with his documentaries Control and Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis screening at RIFF), actress Kim Novak (with Vertigo and Pal Joey screening), and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (known for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century, and Memoria, with the latter screening at RIFF).

In addition, Benny Safdie, who recently won a Silver Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival for his solo directorial debut The Smashing Machine, will join the festival online to introduce the film. Among his recommendations, Frédéric highlights the closing film The Wizard of the Kremlin, calling it, “one of the biggest films this year.” In the film, Jude Law portrays the ascension to power of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The film’s director, Olivier Assayas, will be at the screening and participate in a Q&A led by Frédéric.

“Watching a film on the big screen is like listening to vinyl.”

Another highlight from Frédéric is Sirât, “a really big film from Cannes,” directed by Oliver Laxe. It follows the story of a young woman who disappears at a rave in Morocco, and her family’s desperate search for her across the desert. Also from Cannes comes Eleanor the Great, the directorial debut of none other than Scarlett Johansson. The film tells the story of 94-year-old Eleanor, recovering from the loss of her longtime friend, who begins a friendship with a New York City journalism student.

From a Swiss focus, to an exceptional Nordic programme, to “Cave-In” cinema outside of town, and a few culinary events — including a sold-out Tampopo screening paired with a ramen tasting — it seems like RIFF has something for everyone.

“The Icelandic and Reykjavik audiences are super curious about new things,” says Frédéric. “They are very young. They know cinema. They know music. I’m programming partly Tribeca, and it’s a little bit like the New York audience — super curious, not shy about asking questions.”

Walls between us

The festival’s documentary programme looks especially strong this year. Just a few days before RIFF kicks off, I watched the Greenlandic documentary Walls – Akinni Inuk, directed by Sofie Rørdam and Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg. It’s the story of Ruth, who spent 18 years in prison, weaved together with a story of her friendship with the film’s co-director, Nina, connected by a similar, traumatic past.

Produced over the course of eight years, the film began as an attempt to explore the judicial system in Greenland, which, until this day, operates under Danish law. This has created a prison system that, on paper, aims to quickly reintegrate inmates into society, but in reality is flawed and not built for long-term incarceration. Over time, the film pivoted and evolved several times. One of the directors, Sofie, even spent time incarcerated to better understand the facility and gain the trust of inmates — that’s how she met Ruth.

“A lot of inmates there make a lot of noise and are very much in front, but she was not — she had a very different psyche. But she was also one who really struck you — she was very deep, very reflective, and had a different sense about her, which was especially very touching,” Sofie told me over a short phone call. “She was used to people just coming in and out of the prison, while she was constantly there. The prison was really made for people with very short sentences, maybe a few months and not for someone like her who had an indefinite sentence.”

Speaking about her time at the prison, Sofie admits, “I feel a little ashamed, actually, that I did it. Not that I did, but because it’s different to be incarcerated knowing that you will get out in a few days, compared to them being there all the time. It was very intense, and I have the deepest respect for people who go through that experience, and someone like Ruth, who’s been there for decades. It completely strips you of your identity to be locked up in that way.”

“We made the film a story about people, about friendship, about the women, instead of making it a journalistic story about the system.”

The film pairs the human story of repeated injustice toward the Greenlandic people with the stunning backdrop of the country’s natural beauty. It has already been nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize. “We made the film a story about people, about friendship, about the women, instead of making it a journalistic story about the system,” says Sofie.

It all began in a toilet

Another documentary that caught my eye is Last Farm in Reykjavik by Brandon Moran, produced together with his two friends, Joshua Cozzo and Scott Pierce. The documentary focuses on the story of Gunnþór Sigurðsson, a man who until recently worked at the infamous Punk Museum in Reykjavík. How did three Americans with no prior connection to Iceland end up making a documentary about a museum in a public toilet?

“How the film came about is actually part of the film,” says Brandon, admitting that the documentary was never planned when he first went to Iceland in 2019. But meeting Gunnþór changed the course of that trip — and the eight trips that followed. As we speak, he’s trying to finalise the film in time for its Icelandic premiere at RIFF.

Personally, I’ve never met Gunnþór nor been to the museum, even though I walk past it almost every day. “He’s quite a character,” says Brandon, adding, “It’s funny because a lot of the people we talk to [in the film] — music journalists, academics, musicians, have never been to the museum either. We kind of also touch upon this in the film, like — is it a tourist thing, or is it a museum for locals to visit as well to remember the punk era?”

The film revolves around Gunnþór’s story, while also featuring interviews with some of the iconic Icelandic musicians and artists who defined the punk era in Iceland. From Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, the director behind the iconic Rokk í Reykjavík, to Einar Örn Benediktsson of The Sugarcubes and Purrkur Pillnikk, and many more. “The thing I always say is, for filmmakers just getting started, if you want to do an international documentary, maybe try going to Iceland, because everybody’s connected somehow,” Brandon shares. “The crazy part is a lot of these people, we just found them on Facebook and sent them a message, and they responded.”

But trying to plan a meeting with them wasn’t that easy. “The biggest challenge…” he begins, “I know it’s part of the culture there, but we would tell people we were interviewing, ‘We’re going to be in Iceland like on the 15th. Are you free that week? Can we set up a meeting?’ And they would all say they’d never plan. They said, ‘When you land, get a hold of me then.’ So, we booked our flights and our accommodation, but had no plans until we got there. It was nerve-racking to spend all that money on a production trip and not know if anybody was going to show up.”

The Reykjavík International Film Festival runs from September 25 to October 5. Programme and tickets available through riff.is