The 2024 edition of the Reykjavik-based Stockfish Film Festival will unspool from 4-14 April. Over the years, the Icelandic gathering’s Industry Days have emerged as a hub “fostering impactful dialogues and cultivating a professional, open-source platform” as well as “a space for networking, collaborative creation and enhanced opportunities, all sustained by a diverse approach to innovation”.

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This year’s programme will include three master classes. The first, titled “Crafting a Compelling Dox”, will be hosted by documentary film consultant Helle Hansen. “With the use of a case study, a Nordic-backed film project, this master class provides an analysis where the challenges of navigating diverse perspectives among decision makers are depicted, highlighting the filmmakers’ struggle to balance the satisfaction of all stakeholders while staying true to the original story,” reads the official description of the event, set to take place on 10 April at Bíó Paradís.

On 11 April, Chicago International Film Festival artistic director Mimi Plauché will host “Encapsulating the Essence”. “At this event, Plauché and Stockfish artistic director and producer Hrönn Kristinsdóttir will encapsulate the essence of what is most relevant for film-festival programmers and cover all aspects of artistic production,” explains the master class’s description.

The third master class, titled “The Art & Craft of Casting”, will see the participation of award-winning casting director and producer Alexa L Fogel, who “will share her insights in conversation with Icelandic-US actor, producer and screenwriter Olafur Darri Ólafsson”.

Meanwhile, the Industry Days will host three panel discussions. The first is titled “Expanding the Auditions for TV and Film”. It will take place after Fogel’s master class, and it will see her in conversation with Thorunn Lárusdóttir.

The second talk, moderated by Anna María Karlsdóttir and titled “The Road to Sustainable Film Production”, will focus on the efforts being undertaken by the Icelandic film industry to address environmental challenges. The 9 April event will be hosted in collaboration with the Icelandic Film Centre, the Green Producers Club and the first batch of Icelandic green-certified consultants. The presentation will be followed by a “curatorial visit” guided by Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, who will accompany the attendees to the Wasteland Iceland exhibition, “an ambitious and thought-provoking display of solutions and future concepts for how we can work with Icelandic materials with respect for planetary boundaries”.

Finally, the 10 April panel “Film Education in the Nordic-Baltic Region” will see the participation of reps from 11 different schools.

On 11 April, Stockfish will also host the Work in Progress presentations. The showcase, moderated by Wendy Mitchell, will introduce the industry reps in attendance to the latest Icelandic film and TV productions and co-productions. The session will be live-streamed and recorded for those who aren’t able to attend it in person at the Nordic House. Other parallel industry events include the Writers’ Lab (5-7 April) and the Women in Film and Television reception (9 April).

Finally, on 12 April, the festival will host a special event for registered professionals that will take stock of the first three years of the Icelandic Film Policy 2020-2030. This will be followed by presentations courtesy of Film in Iceland and Record in Iceland, and by the launch of Massif, an innovative location-scouting platform designed for film producers, photographers and creative professionals.

Massif founders Steinarr Logi and Kidda Rokk Thorisdottir have created an all-in-one platform to help clients find the perfect shooting location and provide them with all of the essential information. The team has meticulously curated an extensive directory of over 200 extraordinary locations in Iceland, which features not only stunning photo and drone footage, but also unparalleled details crucial for scouting, including thorough information about the sun position, climate conditions, accessibility insights and potential risks. The Massif Network’s mission is to create a platform and marketplace with easy access to vetted service providers and empower the client to be as well informed as possible. The platform is expanding globally and adding new collaboration capabilities later this year.