RIGA: Oskars Rupenheits’ debut feature comedy The Foundation of Criminal Excellence is third in the Latvian box office with 30,000 admissions in three weeks and more than 183,000 EUR gross. The movie about a scriptwriter and his friend who are getting involved in criminal business is partly crowd funded with more than 10,000 EUR.

RIGA: Ahead of Latvia's Centennial, which will be celebrated throughout 2018, the support for local film production steadily increased to 9,109,016 EUR in 2017, with more than 2 m EUR increase compared to 2016. Film production has taken a more robust path due to the Latvian Films for Latvian Centenary special programme, consisting of 16 feature films.

RIGA: Director Aigars Grauba is currently in postproduction with English language historical drama The Pagan King, starring British actor James Blurr and Swedish actor Edvin Erre. Made with a budget of 3 m EUR, the film produced by Platforma Filma and supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia is one of the most expensive Latvian films to date.

RIGA: The comedy Swingers by Andrejs Ekis will have remakes in Lithuania, Norway and Finland. Latvia’s 2016 box office hit was already adapted by Platforma Filma in Estonia and the Ukraine in 2017. Andrejs Ekis, who directed the Estonian and Ukrainian remakes, will be directing the Norwegian remake.

RIGA: Latvian/Czech/Finnish coproduction Chronicles of Melanie directed by Viesturs Kairišs won the Best Feature Film award at the Latvian national film festival Lielais Kristaps, which concluded on 14 November 2017.

RIGA: Varis Brasla's family film Grandpa Is More Dangerous than the Computer has become the most successful domestic family film in the opening week with over 13,000 admissions. The film, produced by Studio F.O.R.M.A., is also second in the Latvian admissions chart.

RIGA: Ten long films were selected for the main competition of the Riga International Film Festival, set to take place from 7 to 17 September 2017.

RIGA: In his new documentary Telebridge Ivo Briedis is deconstructing the concept of the Soviet man through the eyes of the last Soviet and first post-Soviet generation. The project was selected for the Ex Oriente Film workshop in 2017 and the Baltic Sea Docs (2-10 September 2017).

RIGA: Young Latvian film directors Liene Linde and Armands Začs are currently in production with 36 Months, a documentary following four young women throughout their pregnancy. The project was selected for the Baltic Sea Docs (2-10 Septembre 2017).

RIGA: The National Film Center of Latvia, the Estonian Film Institue and the Lithuanian Film Centre are launching Baltic Film Days (22-24 August 2017), an event that will celebrate the 100th birthday of the Baltic Countries, and also for Estonia the beginning of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.