The feature film Estrany riu, the debut work by Catalan director Jaume Claret Muxart, won the Golden Puffin, the top prize at the Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), which celebrated its 22nd edition from September 25 to October 5. The awards were announced on Saturday afternoon during a ceremony held at the Bíó Paradís cinema in the Icelandic capital.

The jury of the New Visions section, composed of Mohsen Makhmalbāf, Giona A. Nazzaro and Saga Garðsdóttir, praised the film for its “formal and poetic sensitivity,” describing it as “the debut work of a highly promising Catalan director.” In their statement, they added that Claret Muxart “shows a precocious yet mature talent that avoids mannerism and formalism,” and called the film “a complex symphony of unspoken yet deeply felt emotions.” A Special Mention in this section went to Solomamma, by Janicke Askevold, recognized for the “extraordinary performance of Lisa Loven Kongslì” in her portrayal of a woman embracing single motherhood with honesty and humor.

In the A Different Tomorrow competition, the top prize was awarded to Mr. Nobody Against Putin, by Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein. The jury, made up of Fiorella Moretti, Pipaluk K. Jørgensen and Jónas Margeir Ingólfsson, described the film as “a rare and authentic insight into the propaganda machinery behind an entire war,” told through the eyes of a teacher documenting the indoctrination of his students.

The Young People’s Jury granted its award to Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, by Sepideh Farsi, describing it as “a luminous act of resistance for the Palestinian people,” where “shaky video calls, intimate conversations and voice recordings become a testament to life under occupation.”

In the International Shorts section, the jury — Daniel Hadenius-Ebner, Erlendur Sveinsson and Kahina Asnoun — chose The Mine, by Randa Maroufi, as Best International Short, praising its “masterful balance of form and meaning” and describing it as “a breathtaking distillation of cinematic essence that reveals how resistance emerges where existence fades away.” A Special Mention was given to Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018, by Juliette Le Monnyer, for its “courage and clarity” in transforming a single unedited long take into “a powerful visual testimony of life under occupation.”

In the Icelandic Shorts category, Memory Traces, by Gríma Irmudóttir, was named Best Icelandic Short, lauded for its “powerful cinematic language and soundscape” and its ability to connect the landscape with the characters’ emotional journeys. Meanwhile, The Art of Giving, by Karin Ros Wiium, won Best Icelandic Student Short.

Finally, in the Golden Egg competition, part of RIFF’s Talent Lab for emerging filmmakers, the top prize went to Fadeaway, by Brendan Prost, which jurors Rúnar Guðbrandsson, Gunnar Björn Guðmundsson and Ólöf Birna Torfadóttir described as “a well-crafted and powerful film about a man at a life crossroads.” A Special Mention was awarded to 7–10, by Ana Pio.