La Gradiva wins RIFF’s Golden Puffin award

La Gradiva, directed by Marine Atlan, won the Golden Puffin at the 2026 RIFF festival, mbl.is reported. The awards were presented at Háskólabíó on Saturday, with prizes and commendations given in six categories.

The jury praised La Gradiva for its emotional sensitivity and its portrayal of unspoken tensions between people. It said the film explores childhood and awakening through layered characters, weaving grainy images from the past into a deeply human story. The jury also commended Atlan for avoiding sentimentality and drawing subtle connections between past and present.

Left Behind, a short film directed by Yannis Karpouzis, won the Golden Egg, an award for short films by emerging directors. The jury cited its sincere, sometimes painful emotions, measured pace, striking cinematography and poetic quality, as well as its depiction of contemporary social realities.

Orri Guðmundsson’s Congratulations, Asshole was named best Icelandic student short film. The jury said it balances humour with an unsettling undertone while examining friendship, envy, masculinity, success and luck.

Hold it Together, directed by Fan Sissoko, won best Icelandic short film. The jury praised its animation and visual metaphor for the struggle to hold oneself together, and said the film explores entering a new culture and being excluded from a group.