Lithuania is especially well represented with three films in the competition, and Estonia sends two films. Films from Poland, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden round out the list.
The festival shines a spotlight on the growing strength of animated films coming from Latvia, with a selection of three Latvian films and one Estonian film screened in the section Home Made Animated, along with seven short animated films. The festival will host a two-day forum for Baltic animation filmmakers on 18 and 19 October, consisting of presentations, case studies, funding news and panel discussions.
Documentary film production has been a mainstay for Latvian film, keeping the industry alive during periods when financing was severely restricted. Riga IFF pays tribute to the genre with a documentary competition consisting of 21 films.
Seven films will screen in the international short film competition and another nine films have been selected for the Latvian Shorts section.
On the industry side, the Riga IFF Forum will host the European Film Academy board meeting as well as a two-day conference on film marketing and a locations tour.
Baltic Sea Region Competition:
Nova Lituania (Lithuania)
Directed by Karolis Kaupinis
Produced by M Films (Lithuania)
Animus Animalis (A story about people, animals and things) (Lithuania)
Directed by Aistė Žegulytė
Produced by Meno avilys
In Touch (Poland, Iceland)
Directed by Paweł Ziemilski
Produced by NUR (Poland)
Coproduced by Join Motion Pictures (Iceland), TVP
Supported by the Polish Film Instutute
Other Side of Silence (Lithuania)
Directed by Algimantas Puipa
Produced by LRT
Supported by Lithuanian Film Centre
Ridge (Sweden)
Directed by John Skoog
Scandinavian Silence (Estonia, France, Belgium)
Directed by Martti Helde
Produced by Three Brothers (Estonia)
Coproduced by ARP Selection (France), Media International (Belgium)
Spoon (Latvia, Lithuania, Norway)
Directed by Laila Pakalnina
Produced by Hargla Company (Latvia)
Coproduced by Just a moment (Lithuania), Mechanix Film (Norway)
The Last Autumn (Iceland)
Directed by Yrsa Roca Fannberg
The Orphanage (Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Afghanistan, Qatar)
Directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat
The Riddle of Jaan Niemand (Estonia)
Directed by Kaur Kokk
Produced by Homeless Bob Production
Supported by the Estonian Film Institute
