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SHORT RIGA
TEST SCREENINGS SHORT RIGA
A section for talents eager to learn, practice, get inspired, and expand their creative horizons. Each year, 8–10 filmmakers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are invited to present their short films to a panel of international experts who offer in-depth analyses of their work. These screenings should serve as a potential springboard for getting the selected films onto the festival circuit. Further communication on the projects takes place at the evening networking event.
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THURSDAY, 24 OCT.
SHORT RIGA: TEST SCREENINGS I Baltic short film presentations for experts 13:00–17:00 National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture For registered participants and RIGA IFF badge holders (See www.rigaiff.lv)
FRIDAY, 25 OCT.
SHORT RIGA: TEST SCREENINGS II Baltic short film presentations for experts 10:30–14:30 National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture For registered participants and RIGA IFF badge holders (See www.rigaiff.lv)
Lars Henrik Gass Director of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany
Author of several books on cinema. Author of numerous articles, essays, reviews, and lectures on film, photography, and cultural policy. Has taught on film and cultural management. Board Member of the Federal Association of Municipal Film Work.
Armands Začs Editor, director, Latvia
Has worked on numerous feature films, documentaries, and short films that have been selected for A-class festivals, such as Karlovy Vary, Sheffield Doc/Fest and Tallinn Black Nights. Currently working on his first feature-length documentary.
Candice Costa Distributor at Miyu Distribution, France
Even though she has always loved cinema, she turned to this passion professionally only after the years of law studies. She joined the Miyu Distribution’s team – promotes animated shorts and enjoys the experiences of international film festivals.
Natalia Dąbrowska Representative of New Europe Film Sales, Poland
Works with sales and festivals at a Warsaw-based boutique sales company. Founded by Jan Naszewski, New Europe Film Sales focuses both on shorts and feature films. The catalogue includes a number of festival hits and even Palme d’Or winners.
Laila Pakalniņa Film director, Latvia
Her films have been screened in official programmes at Cannes, Venice, Berlinale, and many other international festivals, where they have won numerous awards. She leads master classes and works as a jury member at various film forums.
Director, writer, animator: Kārlis Vītols Genre: Animation Country: Latvia Runtime: 15 min Producer: Līga Gaisa, AIR PRODUCTION, liga.gaisa@gmail.com Premiere: 2020 Stage of Production: Post-production
A movie about a woman who chooses to be a loving mother and wife. Sometimes it comes with a heavy price and she must fight everyday life to keep love alive.
Kārlis Vītols Director, writer, animator
Kārlis Vītols dares to reflect on the current issues and social processes in his works, trying to narrow the gap between everyday life and “unworldly art”. He believes that popular culture and mankind’s mythical worldview deserve constant attention. Being a full-blooded member of society, the artist is engaged in recognising mythological characters and their transformation.
Director: Elizabete Mežule-Gricmane Genre: Fiction, Drama, Comedy Country: Latvia Runtime: 28 min Producers: Gunda Bergmane, Daiga Livčāne, NATIONAL FILM SCHOOL OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF CULTURE, liene.linde@lka.edu.lv Premiere: 2020 Stage of production: Accomplished
A couple that does not fit into society’s accepted norms regarding women and men. Routine problems of everyday life that tend to take on immeasurable amplitudes push the film’s leads into a most intimate confinement, one in which thoughts and the answers to problems lead to dreams.
Director: Diāna Daukste Genre: Documentary Country: Latvia Runtime: 25 min Producers: Elīna Maslovska, Daiga Livčāne, NATIONAL FILM SCHOOL OF THE LATVIAN ACADEMY OF CULTURE, liene.linde@lka.edu.lv Premiere: 2020 Stage of production: Accomplished
Rojs, a drag queen, and Māris, a trolleybus driver, have nothing in common except the fact that they are both gay. Māris struggles with low self-esteem and the feeling that he has no place in the Latvian LGBT+ community. Rojs deliberately goes to extremes: he is always loudly putting himself on exhibit.
Elizabete Mežule-Gricmane Director
Elizabete Mežule-Gricmane has graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture with a bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Art (specialization – film directing). She works as an editing director at VFS Films. As a part of her studies, she has produced the short films I am ambiguous (Esmu divdomīgs, 2018) and Tu es tout (2017), as well as the documentary short film Anything perfect (Ideāls jebkas, 2017). Diāna Daukste Director
Diāna Daukste has graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture with a bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Art (specialization – film production). As a part of her studies, she directed the documentary short film VOVAS (2017).
Director: Ieva Balode Genre: Fiction Country: Latvia Runtime: 6 min Producer: Ieva Balode, LATVIAN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, ievabalode06@gmail.com Premiere: 2019 Stage of production: Accomplished
Some unknown point of time in Georgia. A book by a mythical author is being delivered to three powerful women. Its content is hidden within another book – The Knight in the Panther’s Skin written by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli and dedicated to the XII century Queen Tamar.
Director: Ülo Pikkov Genre: Anidoc Country: Estonia Runtime: 10 min Producer: Ülo Pikkov, SILMVIBURLANE, ylo@silmviburlane.ee Premiere: 2020 Stage of production: Post-production
A story of a mother and son and a race against a turtle where you always lose.
Ieva Balode Director
Ieva Balode is an artist and film curator working with analog image. She takes part in international exhibitions and festivals presenting her work in installation, cinema and performance. As a curator, she is a founding member of Baltic Analog Lab – an artists collective providing space and platform for analog film production, research and education. Director of the experimental film festival Process. Ülo Pikkov Director
Ülo Pikkov is an internationally renowned filmmaker, producer and film scholar. He studied animation at the Turku Arts Academy in Finland. Has directed several award-winning animation films. Author of “Animasophy, Theoretical Writings on the Animated Film” (2010). Got his doctoral degree at the Estonian Academy of Arts with thesis “Anti-Animation: Textures of Eastern European Animated Film”.
Director: Robertas Nevecka Genre: Animation Country: Lithuania Runtime: 16 min Producer: Giedrė Burukaite, MENO AVILYS, burokaite.giedre@gmail.com Premiere: 2019 Stage of production: Post-production
Freezing winter in war-devastated nowaday city. Several years passed after destruction, the city slowly rebuilds. The short story follows a man who pursues better living in this reviving society.
Robertas Nevecka Director
Robertas Nevecka is a self-taught animator. He has worked with a number of local and international animation projects for brands such as MTV, Warner Music, Lionsgate, Deviantart, etc. Recently finished his debut animated short film Snow Shelter. Currently he is working on a VR experience.
Director: Kersti Uibo Genre: Experimental documentary Country: Estonia Runtime: 17 min Producer: Ülo Pikkov, SILMVIBURLANE, ylo@silmviburlane.ee Premiere: 2019 Stage of production: Accomplished
A child opens its eyes for the first time and asks where do I fit into this landscape. Am I a giant or a tiny insect?
Kersti Uibo Director
Kersti Uibo’s work experience ranges from being a music producer to cleaning streets in Tallinn when blacklisted by the Soviet regime. Used to be a one-woman-band filmmaker. Her documentary films have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at numerous international film festivals. She has been teaching documentary film-making and creative documentary, as well as leading practical workshops.
Director: Anna Hints Genre: Documentary Country: Estonia Runtime: 20 min Producer: Ülo Pikkov, SILMVIBURLANE, ylo@silmviburlane.ee Premiere: 2019 Stage of production: Accomplished
A mother and daughter with a painful past go to a monastery in Thailand together. Will the 26 days of silence filled with strict meditation help them to make peace with their past?
Director: Ignas Meilūnas Genre: Animation Country: Lithuania Runtime: 12 min Producers: Marija Razgutė, Ignas Meilūnas, M-FILMS, marija@m-films.lt Premiere: 2020 Stage of production: Post-production
A girl wants to be the smartest girl in the world. When all the things she had learned could no longer fit in one head, her mother bought her a backup one. Two heads are better than one, right? But which head should she wear at what time? Shortly the second one is lost...
Anna Hints Director
Anna Hints is an Estonian director, screenwriter and musician. She has graduated from Tartu Art College in photography. Has had personal and group exhibitions in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Portugal and Mexico. Currently studying at the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn. The main focus of her work is on personal and cultural memory, the (im)possibility of communication. Ignas Meilūnas Director
Ignas Meilūnas worked as 3D and stop-motion animator for films, games and TV commercials. His debut short animation/fiction film Woods (Miškas, 2015) won the Lithuanian Film Academy award for best animated film of the year 2015. Since then, he works in films as a freelance animation director or animator.
SHORT RIGA: WHAT’S UP? is an informal event for SHORT RIGA guests and Baltic artists and producers who are working in short moving image format. With no protocol and only one rule – 5 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for questions, the participants are invited to share what they have been up to lately. The event is open for all RIGA IFF badge holders and other registered participants.
THURSDAY, 24 OCT. FRIDAY, 25 OCT.
SHORT RIGA: WHAT’S UP? Short film related project presentations 15:00–16:00 Kino Bize For registered participants and RIGA IFF badge holders (See www.rigaiff.lv)
SHORT RIGA: WHAT’S UP? Short film related project presentations 15:00–16:00 Kino Bize For registered participants and RIGA IFF badge holders (See www.rigaiff.lv)
MAGNETIC LATVIA FILM CONFERENCE
