RIFF Talks

What are RIFF’s talks?

A series of concise scripted, polished, well-designed, well-produced and edited presentations, by the hand of remarkable contemporary filmmakers. A series of 18 minutes long talks, enough for the speakers to flesh out an idea but short enough that the listeners could take in, digest, and understand all of the important information.

A series of personal talks about a theme that feels passionate so that the sense of purpose from the speaker will create an energy boost for the audience.

‌A talk that takes us on a journey focused on the desired outcome, also about the process of realizing how we’re going to get there and what it feels like to break through our minds.

SPEAKERS

Davíð Óskar Ólafsson Producer / Director

How to take your company to the next level?

An inspirational talk about how Mystery Productions has evolved over 13 years.

Davíð is an established Icelandic producer and director. He started young and worked his way up to becoming one of Iceland’s leading producers. Since he established Mystery Productions in 2006 he has produced 6 features and 2 TV series. His films have travelled the world and premiered at some of the biggest festivals such as TIFF, Sundance, Berlinale, San Sebastian, Busan, and Locarno just to name a few. The TV series Fangar was one of the most-watched TV in Iceland and was nominated for a record-breaking 16 Edda awards. His latest TV series The Valhalla Murders is the first Netflix Original series coming out of Iceland and will premier in Iceland this Christmas and will be released worldwide through Netflix early next year. David has directed one feature film Bakk and he also directed two episodes of The Valhalla Murders and aims to balance his producing and directing in the future.

Thordur Pálsson

From pitch idea to reality?

A journey in which director Thordur Palsson will guide us through the process of creating a TV series from an idea proposal.

Thordur Palsson graduated from the prestigious National Film and Television School with an MA in Directing Fiction in 2015. His graduation film BROTHERS has won numerous awards, most notably at the 2015 Palms Springs ShortFest.

Since graduation Thordur won the coveted 2015 Nordic Talents pitch prize with his project STUCK IN DUNDALK. In 2016 his project THE DAMNED was chosen to take part in the Nordic Genre Boost, held by Nordisk Film and TV Fond. It is currently in development with FilmBros Productions AS and Elation Pictures.

Thordur is in post-production on his first TV series called THE VALHALLA MURDERS which is being produced by True North, Mystery, and RUV. It is part of a new partnership between DR Sales and RUV. The series is set to premiere on RUV in winter of 2019.

Zeina Abi Assy

Emerging Media is For Everyone

An introduction to emerging media from transmedia to immersive storytelling, and how technology is impacting the way we tell and experience stories. This workshop will focus on the history of emerging media, the current state of the industry and where it is heading.

Zeina Abi Assy is a writer and media artist from Lebanon. She is the Director of Interactive Programs at Tribeca Film Institute where she blends her background in graphic design, digital media and creative writing to create programs that focus on the power of incubation in emerging media. With experience in the Middle East and North America, her work moves between cultural criticism and fictional poetry to investigate the complexity of culture, technology and politics and their effects on our lived experiences. Her work has appeared in the printed anthology “Arab Women Voice New Realities.” She is a mentor at NEW INC, The New Museum’s cultural incubator.

Katja Adomiet

Unconventional distribution

Katja Adomeit is a German producer, based in Denmark and Germany. She loves the creative and financial side of producing and is in a constant search of new ideas that matter and different processes during development and production, that allow for new and different results. Katja is known for, just to name a few, Wolf and Sheep, The Orphanage, The Weight of Elephants, Pine Ridge, Loving Pia, Force Majeure, Team Hurricane and The Square and many more, and have worked in numerous countries including Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Germany, France, Russia, Ukraine and New Zealand.

She established and owns Adomeit Film in Denmark and in Germany, where she produces international fiction films, focusing on arthouse projects by young filmmakers from all over the world. For the future, Katja wants to combine arthouse with entertainment.

Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir Writer/Director/Actress and Producer

Multi-talented or efficient Multitasker?

Nanna Kristín is an Icelandic writer-director, producer and one of Iceland’s most well-known actresses (Heartstone, Paris of the North, XL). She is the founder and owner of CUBS Productions. Nanna Kristín graduated from the Vancouver FilmSchool in scriptwriting for film and television. In 2014 her debut short Playing with Balls premiered at TIFF. Cubs her second short film as a writer/director won Best Short Film at RIFF, the Icelandic Edda, Flickerfest, ÉCU and many more. Nanna Kristín has been nominated for The 2018 Nordisk Film and TV Fund Prize for outstanding writing for Stella Blómkvist.