Due to the pandemic, the Cannes International Film Festival was changed for two years – the 2020 festival was not held at all, but in 2021 it was postponed to July. This year, one of the oldest festivals in Europe is taking place for the 75th time and returns to the traditional dates of the second half of May (May 17-28).
Latvia’s participation in the festival is now traditionally marked by the Latvian pavilion, which will feature representatives of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA), the National Film Center and the Latvian Film Producers’ Association. The NCC has prepared a catalog of the latest and upcoming Latvian films especially for the Cannes Film Market to work with film distributors and other international partners, while a publicity publication has been created in cooperation with the Latvian Animation Association, summarizing the latest Latvian animated films and projects.
Latvia’s participation in the Cannes Film Festival is often associated with neighboring Lithuania and Estonia, as the three leading film institutions in the Baltic States co-operate, following the principle that joining forces makes them more visible in the international industrial arena. That’s why the Cannes movie market Film Market platform Producers Network, which has been bringing together more than 500 producers from all over the world for 16 years and has become an internationally important platform for cooperation, (Producers under the Spotlight) used by all three countries together – by two producers from each country. Latvia will be represented in this selection of professional, active and promising producers this year by Marta Romanova-Jēkabsone and Matīss Kaža, the Baltic focus in Cannes is planned for May 22.
Another way of international competition on the Cannes platform Producers Network producer Inga Praņevska has arrived – a project she directed, an upcoming film by director Dzintars Dreibergs Bear and Chicken (with international designation Escape Net) won a ticket to the Cannes Film Market in December, at the Lesark Festival (Les Arcs Co-productions VillageFrance) in the international selection.
Within the Cannes Film Market 23-27. short film sections will take place in May Cannes Short Film industry forum The Short Film Corner, where a collection of Baltic short films will be presented to festival programmers and film distributors. In the selection of seven films, Latvia is represented by Anna Ansone with a short film of the game Can’t Help Myself and Indra Sproge with an animated film Kur ir atslēga? / Where Is the Key? The forum will address the program for the first time New Producers Room, for which 10 producers have been specially selected, including Alise Rogule from Latvia. The Short Film Corner Riga International Film Festival will take place (Riga IFF) representatives of the short film section Leo Soesanto and Lauma Kaudzīte, organizes events Baltic Shorts – a network of Lithuanian short film agencies Lithuanian Shorts, Tallinn Festival section POFF ShortsRiga International Film Festival (Riga IFF)Latvian Animation Association and Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS. The association’s participation in the Cannes Film Festival is supported by the National Film Center.
This year, a brand new, unique initiative has been launched at the Cannes Film Festival Cannes Classics cooperation with European film schools, and this opportunity is also used by the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture with the support of the National Film Center. The idea of the project is Cannes Classics The initiative of programmers to integrate the younger generation of cinematographers into the processes of world cinema classics, giving them the opportunity to watch a high-quality offer of cinema history and to expand their knowledge of cinematic contexts. Cannes Film Festival Accreditation Program Cannes Clasics This year, 11 students of the National Film School, who were selected through a creative competition, will receive.
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