The face of reading and literacy

Fanndís Friðriksdóttir and Friðrik Dór Jónsson were today, at the opening ceremony of the Hafnarfjörður Book and Film Festival, named Reading Ambassadors of Hafnarfjörður 2016.  This is the first time this title has been awarded in Hafnarfjörður and, as far as is known, in the country. They will hold the title for this year and be the face of reading and literacy for the children of Hafnarfjörður, serving as a role model and encouragement for them to make progress and achieve greater success in reading.

The 2016 Reading Ambassadors of Hafnarfjörður were introduced at a special opening ceremony for the Children's Book and Film Festival in Hafnarfjörður at the Bæjarbíó this morning. Over 100 children aged 4-7 attended the opening ceremony, along with other guests, where the Reading Ambassadors read pages from their favourite children's book, played a song and chatted with them about the importance of reading. Throughout this year, the Reading Ambassadors of Hafnarfjörður will be a role model and encouragement for the children and parents of Hafnarfjörður in the field of reading and literacy.

Plans to use their competitive spirit in their reading.

Fanndís Friðriksdóttir is a 26-year-old and one of the country's most experienced footballers, having played for the first team for over ten years and is currently a member of the national football team. Fanndís, who lives in Hafnarfjörður and attended Ásland School, is a competitive person through and through and plans to share her competitive spirit for reading with the children of Hafnarfjörður in the coming months.  She is a role model on the football pitch today, and now she also intends to become a strong and fantastic role model for reading and literacy. „When a workout is over, there's little better than having a healthy, good meal, jumping into the hot tub or a hot shower, and then settling down on the sofa with a good book. The book clears the mind and transports you to all sorts of fantasy worlds you would otherwise never get to experience.“ says Fanndís. Fanndís's favourite book when she was little is the book Dúrilúri – the curious cat.

Her daughter's role model in reading

Friðrik Dór is a 27-year-old, true Hafnfirðingur, born and raised in the Firði, and is currently moving back home to the Firði with his family, his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Friðrik Dór is best known for his musical talent, playful spirit and a stage presence that captivates young and old alike. He began his musical career with the Hafnarfjörður band Fendrix, while in the eighth grade at Setbergsskóli. It was at the same school that he learnt to read, write and do sums, and over the years has learnt the art of enjoying reading. Today, he is his daughter's role model when it comes to reading, and there is little he enjoys more than having a cosy time with her at home, reading a fun book with big, lovely pictures. Friðrik Dór is a great fan of Harry Potter and is still eagerly awaiting the next book. 

The Children's Book and Film Festival in Hafnarfjörður

This new cultural festival, which runs for one week, is now being held for the first time and the week's events reflect a focus on books and films, and creative and fun projects related to both. The festival's aim is to further encourage children's interest in reading and literacy in the broadest sense, and it will support the literacy projects in the city's nurseries and primary schools that have been running for the past few terms. The festival is held in close collaboration between the City of Hafnarfjörður and the Hafnarfjörður Public Library, its primary and nursery schools, Hafnarborg Museum, the Folk Museum, the City Cinema, the Fjörður Shopping Centre, and other partners.

An overview of the festival's events can be found. here or on Facebook page of the festival,