Reykjavík Film Festival is an online film festival that brings indie short films to everyone’s screens. Our goal is to create a diverse streaming platform with screenings that run the gamut from documentary and fiction to music video and experimental. We strongly believe that short films are a powerful medium that can transfer strong messages and spark conversations and ideas.

Submit your creations in the different categories and share your story with us! Can’t wait to see the world through your eyes.

The Close:Up Reykjavík Film Festival is organised by HF Productions, a pioneer organisation that runs Film Festivals and other events showcasing and championing ideas of diversity. Through our global series of film Festivals that spread over 13 countries, we open the path to voices with a compelling story to share. Our main mission is to honour independent cinema and establish a network of artists eager to join forces and spread their work across all nations. HF runs 25 film Festivals worldwide.

Awards & Prizes

The festival programmers will carefully select the films to be nominated for the following awards, and will create a selection of nominated films to be screened in front of a live audience at the Bíó Paradís, Reykjavík. The winners will be announced at the event, on our website and on social media.

There are three stages to the process:
△ ​Nominations – Films nominated for each category will be contacted on the notification date, and listed on our website and social media pages. Nominated filmmakers are invited to join the event, although only the films in the Official Selection (below) will be screened.

△ Official Selection – Films selected for screening will be notified if they have been considered to be part of Close:Up Reykjavík Film Festival’s Official Selection on the notification date. Screening materials will be requested and more information about the event will be provided.

△ Winners – Award winners will be selected from the Nominations & Official Selection and announced at our festival, after the screenings, and online the following day.

Awards will include Certificates, Treats, and exclusive online Distribution deals, and will be given in the following categories:

Best Feature
Best Short
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
Best Animated Short
Best Comedy
Best Drama
Best Student Documentary
Best Experimental
Best Music Video
Best Icelandic Production (discounted entry for films made by local filmmakers)

Rules & Terms

✓ All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles (if in a different language).

✓ All films must have been made in or after 2021.

✓ Short films must not exceed 45 minutes.

✓ Filmmakers are responsible for sorting out the copyright on their own materials.

✓ By submitting to us, you give us consent and right to screen your film in front of a live audience, and, under special circumstances, online screening.

✓ Nominations: These are all the films that have been nominated for an award in a category. Not all nominated films will be screened.

Official Selection: These are all the nominated films selected for screening, which will be notified via email. If you received a Nomination email, but no Official Selection email, it means your film will not be screened, but is still a contender for an award in its category.

Award Winners: Chosen from the Nominations (which includes the Official Selection).

✓ We may promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.

✓ We retain the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through email and our online platforms.

✓ We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status or whether your work has been made available online.

✓ We do not accept partial screeners, trailers, or screener links that require access other than password protected links.

✓ Any technical issues with the submitted films are 100% the responsibility of the filmmakers. If, at the time of judging, your video file doesn’t work or doesn’t have English subtitles (if in a language other than English), it will be automatically rejected, without a refund. Please contact the festival team ASAP if there are any issues with the submission process, and a solution will be found.

✓ We cannot provide refunds.

✓ If you have submitted your project in the previous year, please do not resubmit the same project to the current edition.

✓ By submitting to us you agree to our terms and conditions and to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about film festivals in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.

✓ We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.
8 Reviews
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  • Patrick Chemali

    I was so thrilled to have my short film Clotheslined win in the Best Experimental Category. Great organization, timely notifications and clear communication. Here's hopefully to more entries and hopefully awards in the future!

    March 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Patrick, and massive congratulations for your win! We're really happy you were pleased with our festival, and we hope we will get the chance to watch more of your films in the future :)

  • Edoardo Mastantuoni

    A very fun experience! The festival has all the prerequisites to grow into something bigger.

    July 2021
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  • Katie Green

    I found the staff communicative and helpful. We were delighted that two of our student films were nominated for awards. We'll definitely be submitting next year!

    March 2021
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  • Geebran Warchausky

    Very nice festival. Thanks for all.

    March 2021
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  • Martin Sandin

    Great festival. Great City. I will come back.

    August 2019
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