The organizers of the festival make sure that local interested and international industry professionals see cinema in the Baltic Sea region and the Nordic countries, as well as get acquainted with world classics and the latest news. Every year 100-180 films are shown at the festival, during these years Riga IFF has offered 897 films to the audience.
Without foreign films
This year, Riga IFF will take place from October 15 to 25, offering 129 films to viewers, which are divided into nine thematic programs and four competition screenings. There will also be short films, premieres of individual films, as well as a special program for children and young people. The event is attended by spectators of all ages and interest groups; interest in Riga IFF is growing every year: in 2014, the festival was attended by 6,000, last year – already 25,000 spectators. It is customary for the festival to gather many representatives of the foreign film industry, and after screenings there are often meetings with film directors, filmmakers and actors.
This time, taking into account the epidemiological situation in the world, foreign guests will not be invited to Riga, but online meetings will be provided with them. Also, following the restrictions of the gathering, the festival will offer an unprecedented opportunity – to watch part of the film online from anywhere in Latvia. This means that Riga IFF films will be available to everyone in Latvia, regardless of their location.
How to get to the festival online?
To get to the festival online, you will have to visit the Riga IFF website rigaiff.lv, you need to choose the movie you want to see and buy a ticket. Some movies will only be shown in person or online, but most will be available both. Note that movies purchased online will be shown during a specific show! In case of confusion or technical difficulties, a technical support phone and chat program will be available on the website. A movie ticket will cost 6–7.50 euros (discounts will be for pupils, students, seniors), an online ticket will cost cheaper – 5–6.50 euros.
Pauls Bērziņa recommends
Paula Bērziņa is the head of the Riga IFF film distribution department, she also creates and coordinates the festival’s educational and industry events. At the same time, Paula manages the small charming cinema Kino Bize in Riga, which is located in a ground floor apartment in the Quiet Center of Riga. The program and offer of the festival is quite wide, so Paula points out what to pay attention to.
● A special adventure is the opening session of the festival, which this year will be available for everyone to watch online. It will feature the oldest feature films made in Latvia. Where is the truth ?! refurbished version. Composers Artūrs Liepiņš and Jēkabs Nīmanis have created music especially for this film, which will be played in person. It will be a great opportunity to return to the beginnings of silent cinema, when the film could be enjoyed in the cinema accompanied by live music.
● Festival selection Festival selection offers a selection of the world’s most outstanding films. The program of this festival shows films that have won or have the potential to win jury awards at prestigious festivals. Paula recommends watching the film Charlotte by the Polish director Agneska Holland.
● The festival includes a special program for children, Kids Weekend, where the latest series of many of the favorite animated films Lupatiņi will premiere.
● In the program In cinema veritas, which will focus on the new wave of Czechoslovakia this year, Paula especially recommends Milos Forman’s hilarious comedy Firefighters’ Ball, made in 1967.
● From the festival’s Nordic highlights program, which seeks to introduce viewers to Nordic art, Paula highlights the Danish film Before the Frost Comes.
5 Paul’s tips for enjoying a movie
Paula believes that everyone needs to look for the most suitable way to watch movies.
1. Attend a film festival to gain new impressions and enrich your film experience. On a daily basis, the repertoire of cinemas is relatively uniform, with rarely seen Hitchcock’s most famous works or Czechoslovakian comedies of the 1960s. But the festival offers a variety of films in terms of both genres and eras. The festival also brings together many representatives of the film industry, often before or after the screening can meet with filmmakers, actors and directors. Great way to learn more!
2. Go to the cinema! A movie in a dark room with a particularly suitable sound system together with others will definitely leave a much bigger impression and create a stronger experience than if you did it at home.
3. Get rid of distractions! The film should be perceived equally at home or in the cinema, all smart devices should be set aside during the screening, do not eat crunchy and crunchy snacks, but focus on what is happening on the screen.
4. Follow the movie! When watching a movie, whether it is a peaceful family movie or a thriller, you have to follow the course of events. Even if you realize that it was a bad movie, don’t go through it, because such movies can enrich your experience.
5. Evaluate and learn more! Cinema is a great opportunity to look into other people’s lives, problems, to see other cultures or periods in history from the sidelines. Each film can change something in the viewer’s life, others more, others less, but you can think and evaluate what you see on the screen after each. Therefore, after watching it, it is valuable to reflect or discuss what you have seen with friends, relatives, colleagues. It is also useful to read the reviews of film critics, learn more about the making of the film or the director’s intentions.
