For twelve years now, the Latvian capital has had its own international film festival. The heir to the best traditions of the film forum "Arsenal," it will take place this year from October 16 to 26.
"God's Dog"
Do you remember the magnificent "Arsenal"? The cream of the world's intellectual cinema and films that are unlikely to be seen in wide release. The RIGA IFF is built on this principle, with many team members coming from "Arsenal".
The festival will open on the evening of October 16 at the Splendid Palace cinema, which will be the main venue for the film showcase. Although some screenings will also take place at Forum Cinemas, K. Suns, the Latvian National Library, and in other cities (for example, at the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils). The first screening will be the animated film "God's Dog" by directors Lauris and Raitis Abele, which this year is nominated from Latvia for the Oscar in the category of Best International Feature Film. What if it’s not worse than "The Flow"?
This is a more than one-and-a-half-hour film about life in a Livonian village over three hundred years ago, where it rains continuously, a church family is drunk, and the air is filled with paranoia about witchcraft. In Zaube, the road runs between the church and the tavern. The priest accuses the girls from the tavern of witchcraft! The lives of the villagers are not made easier by the witch trial, the eternal drizzling rain, or the fact that there is a gray werewolf among them, the self-proclaimed "God's Dog". In general, a western with elements of gothic and humor.
"A Simple Accident"
One of the highlights of the program will be the film "A Simple Accident" by Iranian classic Jafar Panahi, which this year won the "Palme d'Or" at Cannes. Interestingly, Jafar was a guest at the Riga "Arsenal" in 1998. Who would have thought that years later he would become the holder of three major European awards — the "Golden Lion" in Venice (2000), the "Golden Bear" in Berlin (2015), and the "Palme d'Or" in Cannes (2025).
The fate of the classic is phenomenal. At home, he was constantly detained and arrested for anti-government activities and participation in protests. Panahi was banned from filmmaking and giving interviews for 20 years. But under house arrest, Jafar filmed "This Is Not a Film" (2011), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The material was smuggled out of Iran on a flash drive hidden in a cake.
In 2013, his film "Closed Curtain" premiered in Berlin, filmed at the director's summer house (the film won the "Silver Bear"). In early February 2023, Panahi was released on bail. In July 2024, Panahi was allowed to travel abroad for the first time in a long time to the "Golden Apricot" festival in Yerevan. He now lives in Europe.
In "A Simple Accident," the story begins with an accident that triggers a series of surreal comedic and heartbreaking events. Late at night, Ekbal, driving with his wife and daughter, accidentally hits a dog and damages the car's engine. In search of help, the family encounters former political prisoner Wahid, who recognizes Ekbal by the sound of his prosthesis and identifies him as his former tormentor. Upon returning home, the family has no idea that the accident with the poor dog will change their entire lives...
In his latest work, the director combines the personal with the political, historical memory with the present, and a dark anthem to absurdity with the best techniques of Hitchcock. The film is based on Panahi's prison experience, and after receiving the award following a 22-year absence from the Cannes Film Festival, he stated: "The most important thing now is our country and its freedom."
The Road is for the Young
As part of the main competition of the festival, the world premieres of two works by Latvian authors will take place. These are the documentary detective "Testaments" by Janis Abele, aimed at fulfilling the last will of poet Anatolijs Imermanis, and the musical performance "All Birds Sing Beautifully" by Krista Burane, which will draw attention to the sharp changes in bird populations in Latvia.
There will also be the feature debut of Vitautas Katkus, "The Guest," which recently won the directing award in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The competition program also features Scandinavia. Janike Askevold's film "Solomamma" offers a detailed analysis of the anatomy of the 21st-century family. In the creation of "Solomamma," alongside professionals from Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, and Finland, the company Mistrus Media participated, and composer Karlis Auzans wrote the music. The competition also includes the debut film "Weightlessness" by Danish director Emilia Talunda (about teenage experiences and first feelings) and the black-and-white film "The Keeper" by Swedish director Jon Skugga. The world premieres of both films took place at the prestigious San Sebastián Film Festival.
Who are the Judges?
The jury, composed of recognized professionals from the film industry, will evaluate the films selected for the competition and award the main prize of the festival — a bronze statuette and a cash prize of 5,000 euros.
The jury includes French curator and creator of film programs at festivals in Marrakech, Cannes, Locarno, and other cities Thibaut Brac (France), director Anna Hintsa (Estonia), producer and founder of White Picture studio Alise Gelze (Latvia), producer Gudna Hummelvoll (Norway), and head of the film department at the Cannes Film Festival Christian Jeune (France).
Screenings of feature films in the competition program will take place throughout the festival, and the winning film will be presented at the closing ceremony of RIGA IFF on October 25.
In Memory of Juris Podnieks
At the cinema museum located next to the Latvian Academy of Culture on Miera Street, from October 18 to December 5, there will be an exhibition in honor of the 75th anniversary of the birth of documentary filmmaker Juris Podnieks (1950–1992). By the way, admission is free. The creative team of the exhibition creators offers an exposition that includes a number of photo, film, and video materials. It will introduce visitors to Podnieks' collection of negatives, testimonies of the formation of his cinematic vision, collaboration with colleagues, and bright personalities who influenced his work.
