Reykjavík International Film Festival

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Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF; Icelandic: Alþjóðleg kvikmyndahátíð í Reykjavík), is an international film festival held in Reykjavík, Iceland annually. The festival lasts 11 days each year and emphasizes young talent. One way of doing so is having the competitive category (named New Visions) exclusive to director's first or second feature-length films.

RIFF was founded in 2004 and included 16 films in its programme. In 2005 the festival had grown dramatically, showcasing 60 films from 26 countries. 2006 was the festival's pinnacle so far as the programme spanned 100 films and multiple side-events. Preparations are underway for 2007's event.

In a short time RIFF has become quite known with film enthusiasts and professionals. Gerald Peary from the Boston Phoenix called the festival "one of the best-programmed film festivals on earth, and with some of the most exciting guests." Todd Burns of Stylus Magazine concluded his article on the 2006 event with these words: “If it continues down this path, it won’t be one of the best-kept secrets of the film festival circuit for long” and Brian Brooks from IndieWIRE had this to say: “Quite simply, in my humble opinion as a minor vet on the festival circuit, this event has instantly become one of my favorites. Of course the lure of Iceland and its eccentric beauty helps, but Reykjavik’s residents seem to have embraced the event, filling many of the festival’s screenings.”

Each festival a number of awards are given out. The main award is the Discovery of the Year award, given by an international jury. The international federation of film critics FIPRESCI sent a jury to RIFF in 2006. Also, the audience can vote for their favorite film from the whole programme. Lifetime achievement awards and creative excellency awards are given to well known film directors who have achieved excellency in their work.

[edit] RIFF Fact Sheet

Year	Dates	Discovery of the Year	Lifetime achievement	Creative Excellency	Audience award	International federation of film critics Award	Amnesty International Award
2004	Nov 17 - Nov 25	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2005	Sept 29 - Oct 9	The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu)	Abbas Kiarostami	NA	Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
2006	Sept 28 - Oct 8	Grbavica (Jasmila Žbanić)	Alexander Sokurov	Atom Egoyan	We Shall Overcome (Niels Arden Oplev)
2007	Sept 27 - Oct 7	Iska's Journey(Csaba Bollók)	Hannah Schygulla		Control	The Art of Crying	El Ejido, The Law of Profit