08-05-2020

Latvian Film Marathon Viewed in 63 Countries

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    RIGA: The 16th annual Latvian Film Marathon organised by the National Film Centre of Latvia on 4 May 2020 drew 8,600 viewers in 63 countries. The event, which celebrates the reinstitution of the independence of Latvia in 1990, traditionally takes place in a cinema in Riga, but due to the COVID-19 crisis, it was held online on the platform filmas.lv in partnership with the Culture Information Systems Centre (KISC).

    Viewers from countries that included the USA, Australia, Russia, Poland, and Italy, saw a programme composed of recent films, classical works, and several premieres, including the premiere of the full-length documentary film We Wanted to Change the World / Mēs gribējām izmainīt pasauli dedicated to the punk rock band “Inokentijs Mārpls” and directed by Aija Bley.

    The films were available at specified screening times, adjusted to different time zones, so that the Marathon lasted for around 40 hours across the world.

    “This was a truly unique event, when the films were screened at the same screening times in so many different countries. We are very glad to see that the availability of Latvian films was appreciated by the viewers across the globe. This was an important and successful partnership between the Film Centre and the Culture Information Systems Centre,” Dita Rietuma, the director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, told FNE.