The opening film at Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF) 2015 will be Tale of Tales by Italian director Matteo Garrone, starring Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly, as recently announced. RIFF opens on September 24 and runs through October 4.
The film features three adventures which are interwoven: In one tale, Hayek plays a jealous queen who forfeits her husband’s life, played by Reilly. The second adventure is about a king (Toby Jones), his daughter (Bebe Cave) and a magic flea. In the third segment, Vincent Cassel plays a king whose passion is stoked by two mysterious sisters.
Garrone won Best Director at the European Film Awards for Gomorrah (2008). His film Reality won the Grand Prix at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and Tale of Tales was nominated for the Palme d’Or in May.
Eight new Danish films will be screened at the festival, including Susanne Bier’s and Bille August’s latest films. Discussions about the huge growth in both Danish cinema and TV production for the last decade or so will take place at RIFF.
The festival also includes a special Baron of Blood Marathon as part of the Midnight Madness section on September 25 in collaboration with Nexus bookstore, during which three of David Cronenberg’s horror films will be screened.
