26-05-2021

Riga International Film Festival launches its visual identity and announces the first films

The eighth Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF) will take place on 14-24 October this year. The festival invites audiences and filmmakers to a carefully curated selection of exceptional and current films, and continues to enhance the northern European cultural space by developing an internationally recognised cinema event in Latvia.

This year’s festival slogan is "There is always time". Liene Treimane, Director of RIGA IFF, elaborates:

‘'I like to think that it's never too late or too early, and that everything happens in its time, for time is eternal. Time is a reason and a promise. Time flies, and time lasts forever – this is its intrinsic paradox. It's infinite, but there's always too little of it. However, time is always there.

Time for a conversation. Time to wonder. Time for a film. Time to reconsider. Time to start all over. Time to go. Time to let go.

Time can be empty, and it can be filled. Cinema can pause time, slow it down, it can reveal and explain time, but never waste it.’’

In an attempt to visualise time, the festival's designers have come up with the outline of an uneven circle - everything that happens inside it blends together, takes on the most vibrant shades, spills over the edges and is washed over with white.

As usual, the festival’s programme will include an impressive selection from the biggest international festivals, including director Dominik Graf's Berlinale darling Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde (Fabian – Going to the Dogs) and Természetes fény (Natural Light), which won Best Director at Berlinale and was co-produced by the Latvian company Mistrus Media.

In October, RIGA IFF audiences will have the chance to see award-winning actor Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round) play an unusual role in Riders of Justice, which opened this year's Rotterdam Film Festival, while living legend of French cinema and musician Charlotte Gainsbourg can be seen in a powerful role in Benoit Jacquot's Suzanne Andler.

The Rossellinis, which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, will open this year's festival retrospective programme that will look back at decades of cinematic works by the notable Rossellini clan. The film, which was co-produced by the Latvian company VFS Films, has boldly been called “the best documentary of the year” by Rolling Stone magazine.

The films that have been announced so far are only a fraction of the full festival programme and new high-quality films will continually be added until October. A limited number of 10-ticket packages will go on sale from 2 June! This year's RIGA IFF will continue the hybrid format that has already been tried and tested to great success – films will be available in cinemas in Riga, and online throughout Latvia.

The best way to receive reminders about the early bird campaign on 2 June and to get monthly updates about the film lineup is to sign up to the festival's newly launched mailing list. Subscribe by visiting mail.rigaiff.lv.

RIGA IFF receives support from the State Culture Capital Foundation, the National Film Centre and Riga City Council.