RIFF – REYKJAVÍK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Several locations Sep. 29 – Oct. 9
RIFF, Reykjavík International Film Festival, offers a wide selection of new and independent cinema. Screening around 200 films from over 40 countries over ten days with special guests and events for film lovers and filmmakers.
As ever, there’s an emphasis on highlighting the work of young and emerging filmmakers and focused programs. This year the spotlight turns to Spanish cinema and Inuit horror films.
THE LIGHTNING OF THE IMAGINE PEACE TOWER
October 9
Every year on John Lennon’s birthday, October 9, the Imagine Peace Tower is lit in his memory. It is located on Viðey island in Reykjavík. Originally unveiled in 2007, the tower is a brilliant beam of light that shines through the autumn until it is turned off on December 8, the day John Lennon was assassinated. The ceremony on October 9 usually involves music and food – as well as a free ferry ride to the island!
EXTREME CHILL FESTIVAL
October 6-9
For thirteen years now, Extreme Chill Festival has brought the world’s top experimental musicians for a multi-day event filled with unique sonic experiences. The aim of the festival is to connect foreign musicians with Icelandic artists, to conjoin different art forms, and to draw attention to the electronic music being produced in Reykjavík. This year’s festival features headliners like Austrian electronic composer Fennesz and Kenyan artist KMRU.
For more tickets, lineup, and more info, go to extremechill.org
VÖK RECORD RELEASE CONCERT
Gamla Bíó – October 21
Dream pop darlings Vök are releasing their long-anticipated third album, Vök, at the end of September. They have been teasing fans with singles since January of this year. Vök is the follow-up to their 2019 award-winning record, In the Dark. To celebrate the release of the new album, they are performing at Gamla Bíó on October 21. There is a limited number of tickets available, but if you miss out, they are playing the next day at Græni Hatturin in Akureyri! For more information, check out the band’s Facebook page.
SYCAMORE TREE / COLORS / RELEASE CONCERT
Fríkirkjan – October 7
Icelandic group Sycamore Tree celebrates the release of their latest album Colors with a grand concert in Fríkirkjan church. Accompanied by a big band and a string orchestra, they will play the record as a whole, as well as perform some of their best-known songs.
CHROMO SAPIENS at Höfuðstöðin
Ongoing
Höfuðstöðin is an art and culture destination centred on the monumental large-scale installation Chromo Sapiens, by Shoplifter. The work debuted at the Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and incorporates synthetic and natural hair. Sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations explore themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. For Shoplifter, hair is the ultimate thread that grows from our body. The super colourful work has been shown in MoMA all over Scandinavia and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
