This year’s slogan of RIGA IFF, “Time is always”, reflects both the reflections of the festival creators and the game characteristic of the film format itself, with the seemingly most difficult constant to define.
“Time is the cause and time is the promise – time that does not wait and time that does not pass. Time is endless and time is always too short. Such a paradoxical law of timelessness.
Time for cinema. Time for conversation. Time to wake up. Time is running out. Time goes. Time goes.
Time may be empty and may be full. Cinema can stop, slow down, delay time, it can tell and explain time, but never empty it, ”says Liene Treimane, the head of RIGA IFF.
Within eleven days, film lovers and professionals will be offered an extensive program of films and events – the FESTIVAL SELECTION, FOUND IN BERLINALE and NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS sections will feature works already evaluated at European and world festivals, the latest films by renowned directors, as well as vivid samples of author’s films. These films will have their Latvian premiere during RIGA IFF – including the latest film by the cult director Ves Anderson “French Journal, supplement to the newspaper” Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun “”, the return of the French film legend Leos Karaks to the big screen with the psychedelic musical “Anete”, as well the search for the self-identity of a young person, Joahim Trier, well known to the festival’s favorite and domestic viewer, in the film “The Worst Man in the World”.
This year, five competitions will take place within the festival – the works included in the FEATURE FILM COMPETITION will compete for the main prize and cash prize of the festival, A special task has been entrusted to the KIDS ‘REEL children’s jury – their chosen film will be shown by Latvian Television after the end of the festival!
The Rosellini cinema dynasty is not only associated with the opening session – this year the festival’s retrospective program THE ROSSELLINIS AND THE CENTURY will look at the screen of the creative family for almost a century, combining form experiments with an open view of the modern world.
RIGA IFF industry section FORUM will also take place on a wide scale, during which everyone is invited to get acquainted with various aspects of cinema – visitors will have the opportunity to ask their questions to filmmakers, experience augmented reality works and gain insight into behind-the-scenes panel discussions.
During the festival, national premieres of works by several Latvian authors are also expected – viewers will have the opportunity to watch Laila Pakalniņa’s satirized cross-fit Snow White story in the film “Mirror”, follow the creative course of the theater troupe “Kvadrifrons” “Baņuta” to see the form in which the first Latvian opera was reborn.
Enjoying the cinema in the current conditions must be as safe as possible – taking care of the safety of all festival visitors, RIGA IFF face-to-face screenings and events take place at the green security level set by the Cabinet of Ministers. They can be visited only with:
– an interoperable EU digital certificate for COVID-19 vaccination or disease (with QR code)
– a valid identity card (passport or eID).
Document inspection will be performed at the entrance to the event venues.
See you at the cinema!
The full festival program, tickets, festival subscription and more detailed information about the upcoming can be found on the website: rigaiff.lv.
