RIGA โคIFFโข showcases Diverse International and โBaltic Cinema
The RIGA International Film Festival (RIFF) is currently underway, featuringโ a competitive program of nineโ films from Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Ukraine, and Sweden. These films vie for a main prize of a โฃbronze statuette and 5,000 euros, selected by a juryโ comprised of โคFrench curator thibaut Brak, Estonian โฃdirector Anna Hintsa, Latvian producer Alise โคฤขelze, Norwegian producer Gudnija Hummelvoll, and Kristiฤns โลฝฤns, โhead of the Film Department โฃat the Cannes Film Festival.
Festival Creative Director Sonora Brock highlights the films’ focus on โฃuniversal themes like identity, the meaning of life, and the afterlife, noting they “breatheโ with the world” irrespective of thier setting.โ the festival will screenโข a range of genres, including emotionally intense โdocumentaries โขand action films, representing diverse cinematic styles.โ Screenings will be held at the “Splendid Palace” cinema.
Latvia is well-represented at the festival, with three films inโค competition. The ฤbeli brothers’ animated film “God’s Dog,” a 92-minute co-productionโ with the USA, is joined by theโ documentaries “Testament” by Jฤnis ฤbeles, which follows a journey through Westernโ Europe fulfilling a poet’s final wish, and “All birds sing beautifully” by Krista Burฤne, a cinematic recording of Latvian folk songs and a study of bird population changes.Additionally,”Solomamma,” a co-production between Latvia’s Mistrus Media studio and Norway,will participate in the competition.
The festival also features strong representation from the Baltic Sea region.The Ukrainian-Lithuanian co-production “Special Operation” by Oleksiy Radinsky utilizes surveillance footage from Chernobyl to document the Russian military’s entryโค into the zone. Lithuania is further represented by Vytas Katkus’ debut feature โ”The Guest,” a Karlovy vary Film festival award winner, and ล arลซns Bartas’ “The โฃReturn.” from the Nordic countries, the festival will showcase “Solomamma” by Janike Askevolla, “Weightless” by Danish director Emilija Talunda, and “Guardian” by Swedish director Jon Skoog.
