RIGA IFF FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
A feature length (over 50 minutes) cinematic experience with a majority production credit in the Baltic sea region (Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden). That’s it. No more restrictions. Other than that you may be making a documentary, fiction, animation or anything in between and beyond.
RIGA IFF looks for innovative cinematic language within the confounds of the region, a strong sense of individuality, yet the festival also praises the team effort behind film-making. Thus the RIGA IFF Award is an 8-piece sculpture that is presented to the director who in turn is able to literally share it amongst the team. The award designed in collaboration with the artist Ervins Broks is annually produced in bronze.
The winner also receives a monetary reward of 2000 eur. The award is presented at the Awards ceremony which takes place on the second Saturday of the festival.
The submissions to the competition are evaluated to select up to 10 titles by the festival’s team of curators. The programme is then being presented during the festival to an international jury of experts, theoreticians, filmmakers and members of the festival circle.
The submitted films should be completed after July 2017 and they should not be premiered in Latvia prior the festival (with the exception of Latvian films – for these a national premiere in the festival is welcomed, but not mandatory).
Submissions open in March 8, 2018 and close on June 8, 2018. The results will be announced on our website in August, 2018.
SHORT RIGA INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Animation, fiction, documentary or an experiment – SHORT RIGA searches for the auteur and for individuality in short format cinema.
Only approximately 30 most interesting submissions from around the world are selected for the competition by the festival’s curators and presented to the panel of international jury that each year is carefully composed in order to create a space for clashes of opinions and to give a chance to the selected filmmakers to be noticed by the important players of the short film circuit.
The awards are presented at the Awards ceremony which takes place on the second Saturday of the festival. The Short Riga jury presents one award – a “Silver Grass Snake” pin to the work that sparks the most intense discussions and excitement about the very fabric of cinema. The winner also receives a monetary reward of 1000 eur.
We welcome Latvian premieres of short films from all the world – about 25 minutes in length, completed not earlier than January 1 of 2017. We especially encourage Baltic filmmakers and artists – both professionals and students – to apply for the International Competition as we do believe that our regions’ films can look great within the international context.
As an alternative to a competition for Baltic filmmakers with just finished or unfinished shorts of all kinds and genres we provide a chance to hear the feedback of international experts. For more information look into our Industry Events programme SHORT RIGA Test Screenings. You will find the submission form under the Baltic Film Talent Lab section.
Submissions open in March 8, 2018, and close on June 8, 2018. The results will be announced on our website in August, 2018.
SHORT RIGA BALTIC MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION
Baltic music video competition or, as we usually call it, #BMV strives to prove that the music video is a powerful short format all on its own. We strongly believe it can be a piece of art in addition or even independently from serving as a “TV commercial” for the music. The curators look for videos that challenge the audience and push the borders of the format, content and art direction while striving for increased harmony between the audio and the video aspects of the piece.
The curated programme is presented during a screening on the last Friday of the RIGA IFF that is designed as a meeting platform of the video-makers, music-makers, curators, the international jury of the competition and the audience. We invite both musicians and video makers to attend the festival and tell us about their work, as we believe that quite often important works are born in collaboration.
The submitted video must be produced within the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania), and by the end of the open call deadline it has to be no older than a year. The festival welcomes premiering of a music video within the competition.
The award – the Silver Grass Snake that is the symbol of Short Riga – goes to the winner of the competition during the RIGA IFF Award ceremony.
Submissions open in March 8, 2018, and close on June 8, 2018. The results will be announced on our website in August, 2018.