INDUSTRY MASTERCLASSES

RIFF 2022

more info and tickets at riff.is and on the app Venue: Mál og Menning Date: Friday 30th of September Time: 13:30-14:30 Moderator: Hrönn Marinósdóttir Vera lives in the shadow of her famous father. Tired of her superficial life and relationships, she drifts through Roman high society. When she injures a child in a traffic accident in the suburbs, she forms an intense relationship with an eight-year-old boy and his father. But soon she must realize that also in this world she is only an instrument for others.

VERA GEMMA

Vera Gemma made her debut as an actress and theatrical author in the early 90s. In the next decade, she acts in several films, working with directors such as Dario Argento and Paolo Virzì. Besides acting in many TV shows, Vera also cooperates with the electronic music group Psycohaven and writes two books. In 2013, she directs and produces a documentary about the life of her father Giuliano Gemma, Italian actor and stuntman. In 2022, she is the protagonist of the film Vera, directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel and premiered at Venice Film Festival, where she received the Best Actress Award of the Orizzonti section.

TIZZA COVI & RAINER FRIMMEL

Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel started to work together in 1996 and later founded their own production company Vento Film. They received numerous awards for their documentaries and their first fiction film La Pivellina premiered at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes where it was awarded with the Europa Cinemas Label. Their second feature film The Shine of Day received the Silver Leopard for best actor in Locarno. Mister Universo also premiered in Locarno where it received the Fipresci Award. Their newest film Vera (2022) premiered in Venice.

HONOURARY GUESTS

Venue: Mál og Menning Date: Friday 30th September Time: 15:00-16:30 Moderator: Nikitta Hamar Patterson

ALBERT SERRA

ALEXANDRE PHILIPPE

Each year RIFF is honoured to welcome several Guests of Honour: established film professionals whose vision and creative excellency distinguish them from their peers. RIFF’s past honorary guests have included Mia Hansen-Love, Joachim Trier, Debby Harry, Claire Denis and numerous other names from the international film scene. This year we are proud to host Albert Serra and Alexandre Philippe in Reykjavik. Join us for a special masterclass by these two cinematic visionaries!

Albert Serra is a Catalan artist and director. Having studied philosophy and literature, he wrote plays and produced different video works. He gained an international recognition with his first long feature, Honor of the Knights, a free adaptation of Don Quijote played by non-professional actors from his village. The film was presented at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2006. 2022 he returns to Cannes in the Official Selection in Competition with Pacifiction.

Alexandre O. Philippe holds a Masters in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is Creative Director at Exhibit A Pictures. Most of his films take on the role of unpacking the most influential works of master filmmakers, and dissecting seminal screen moments. Selected works include Lynch/Oz, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist, Memory: The Origins of Alien, 78/52, Doc of the Dead, and The People vs. George Lucas.

Venue: Ráðhús Reykjavikur Date: Wednesday 5th of October Time: 14:00-15:00 Moderator: Carolina Salas

DANIELA CAJIAS

MAURO HERCE

RIFF is proud to host the SPANISH WAVES, this year’s focus country. Besides our extensive selection of Spanish films, the Industry Days are also infused with Spanish flair. Join us for a special masterclass with two cinematographers and learn how they see the world through their cameras! This masterclass is supported by ICAA.

Are you working on or dreaming of making your first feature film? This is the masterclass for you. This is your chance to ask all your questions to those that have gone through the process from A to Z. What goes into directing a feature film? How do you bring your ideas to life? How do you develop your story to captivate audiences? How do you collaborate with a scriptwriter? These filmmakers are ready to spill the tea!

Daniela Cajias is a Bolivian cinematographer. In 2021 she became the first woman in the 35-year history of the Goya Awards to win the award for best cinematography, for her work on the film Las Niñas de Pilar Palomero.12 In 2017 she was the first director of Bolivian photography to win an international award. Her latest movie is Alcarras, this years winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale Film Festival.

Mauro Herce graduated in Engineering (Polytechnics of Catalonia) and Fine Arts (University of Barcelona), before he enrolled at the San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba) and Louis Lumière (France) Film Schools. In 2019, he made the short film LONELY RIVERS also selected at Locarno and with which he obtained the first prize in the official section of Gijón 2019, among other awards and selections at festivals. STRANGE FRUIT will be his second feature film as director, in which he will also be director of photography and screenwriter.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIRST FEATURE

Venue: Ráðhús Reykjavikur Date: Thursday 6th of October Time: 14:00-15:30 Moderator: Þorsteinn Sturla Gunnarsson

DAVID WAGNER

RÚNAR RÚNARSSON

David Wagner spent the early 2000s making short films with friends before entering the film industry in 2003, learning how professional films are produced by working in several different roles on film sets. In 2006 he participated in a summer film course at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts before completing a masters degree in directing at the Hamburg Media School. His last film Eismayer is part of the New Visions section and won the Grand Prize at Venice International Critics’ Week 2022.

Rúnar Rúnarsson had his debut feature film at the Director’s Fortnights in Cannes 2011 with VOLCANO, which was nominated for the Camera d’Or. His sophomore feature SPARROWS won Concha Ora, Main Award at the San Sebastian film festival. Since then, collecting 20 international awards. His 3rd feature film, ECHO, had a World Premiere in Locarno 2019 and was selected for Cannes Artelier and honored with six international awards. His crossroads trilogy of Short films received around 100 international film awards.

MASTERCLASSES

RIFF 2022

more info and tickets at riff.is and on the app

SUMMER LIGHT, AND THEN COMES THE NIGHT

Venue: Háskólabíó Date: Saturday 8th of October Time: 15:30-17:00 Moderator: Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir RIFF welcomes Rossy de Palma as Honorary Guest of the Spanish Waves program. Join us for a talk with the multidisciplinary Spanish icon where she reflects on her career and shares her views on the role of women in cinema.

The village is brimming with stories and if you listen closely it might tell you a few. Perhaps the one about the prominent businessman who starts dreaming in Latin and sacrifices a promising career for astronomy and old books, or the one about the big rock that can break the finely woven thread between life and death.

ROSSY DE PALMA

Rossy de Palma was born in Palma, Mallorca. Eighteen years old she moved to Madrid where she performed with the pop band Peor Imposible. In 1986 she met Pedro Almodóvar. Since then de Palma has acted in many of his films, for example: Law of Desire, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Broken Embraces and his latest film Parallel Mothers. Since then the world has enjoyed Palma’s unique charisma and talents in the many fields of art and as a singer and fashion model.

Elfar Adalsteins is an Icelandic director, screenwriter and producer. Through his production company Berserk Films he has produced several projects. His short film Sailcloth was shortlisted for the 2012 Academy Awards and won Best Icelandic Short at RIFF. Elfar’s first feature film, End of Sentence, was the opening film of RIFF 2019. In his latest release, ‘Summer Light, and then Comes the Night’, Elfar directs an all Icelandic ensemble cast from his screenplay adaptation of Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s eponymous celebrated novel.

Venue: Háskólabíó Date: Sunday 9th of October Time: 13:00-14:30 Moderator: Þórunn Lárusdóttir

ELFAR ADALSTEINS

SVANDÍS DÓRA EINARSDÓTTIR

Svandís Dóra graduated as an actress from The Icelandic Art Academy in 2010. She has starred on a number of TV series, such as Trapped III which was just released on Netflix, Fractures, The Lava Field, The Mayor, Promises, Ordinary People and in the award winning short Playing with Balls. Svandís Dóra role in the feature film In Front of Others, got her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress at the Icelandic Film Awards Edda. She is impersonating Þuríður in Summer Light, and then Comes the Night.

SVEINN ÓLAFUR GUNNARSSON

Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson was educated at the Icelandic Art Academy, graduating with a BFA degree in acting in 2006. He had previously studied philosophy at the University of Iceland. Sveinn works equally on stage and in cinema and has acted in films-international and Icelandic, TV-series and theatre productions as well as writing and directing.