The Riga International Film Festival (Riga IFF) features national premieres of Latvian feature-length films, shorts, and international co-productions, showcasing domestic talent alongside works recognized at Venice and Amsterdam. Festival programmers highlight diverse genres spanning historical drama, poetic documentary, detective fiction, and animation.
Feature-Length Competition Premieres: Pakalniņa and Berga
Two Latvian films debut nationally in the Riga IFF Feature-Length Film Competition. On Oct. 20, director Laila Pakalniņa presents “Es domāju par kaķi” (I’m Thinking of a Cat), a half-century-old Latvian historical discovery. The screening pairs with a photo exhibition titled “Fotogrāfijas no sērijas Nr. 179” by cinematographer Gints Bērziņš in the first-floor foyer of the Splendid Palace cinema in Riga.
On Oct. 23, director Kārlis Bergs debuts “Raudošie akmeņi” (Weeping Rocks). The documentary essay follows a California entomologist studying beetles while analyzing global changes and survival strategies. The film previously screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where it earned a nomination for best debut film.
Documentary Portraits and Detective Fiction: Krilovs and Kalviņš
Documentary filmmaker Pēteris Krilovs releases “Sarkanais šķūnis” (The Red Barn) on Oct. 18. The film chronicles the life of Raimonds Staprāns (1926–2026), a Latvian exile artist and realist expressionist. Released during Staprāns’s centennial year, the documentary examines his dual roles as painter and playwright while addressing the artist’s responsibility to history.
Director Reinis Kalviņš premieres his detective drama “Klajumā aiz meža” (The Clearing Beyond the Forest). Produced by Mistrus Media and starring Kaspars Zvīgulis, Armands Berģis, Edgars Ozoliņš, and Lauris Dzelzītis, the film is set in Latvian peat bogs. A decades-old discovery triggers an investigation that disrupts a small-town community.
Did you know? The festival’s “Kids’ Reel” section opens on the morning of Oct. 17 with two world premieres: Kristīne Zvirbule’s “Skapsēdis un kaija” (The Cupboard Monster and the Seagull) and Edmunds Jansons’s “Lapsa un Feneks. Snow Day).”
Short Film National Competition and Co-Productions
Five shorts debut in the Short Film National Competition on Oct. 22. The lineup includes animation works “Rīgas līnijas” (Riga Lines) by Andrejs Brīvulis and “Uz saulrietiem skatoties” (Watching Sunsets) by Kalvis Rudzītis. Documentaries “Ziņotājs” (The Informant) by Arnis Kalniņš and “yolo” by Tīna Zariņa share the bill with Justīne Silakaktiņa’s fiction film “Mājas adrese – dzemde” (Home Address – Womb). The competition also includes Ieva Ozoliņa’s analog portrait “Omamma” (Grandma) and Aivars Šaicāns and Jēkabs Okonovs’s youth symphony “Žļurga” (Sludge).
Riga IFF also programs four co-productions, starting with Maja el Touhī’s historical drama “Nezināmā sieviete” (Kvinde ukendt). The Danish-Swedish-Latvian co-production from Nafta Films depicts postwar Copenhagen. It marks the first Latvian co-production selected for the main competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion and best actress honors.
Co-production premieres on Oct. 24 include “Misija: atrast vecākus” (Glavonja), directed by Marina Andre Škopa and Vanda Raimanova with Latvian studio Air Productions; Jaak Kilmi’s dramedy “Ar seju dubļos” (Musta pori näkku), focusing on Baltic resistance through 1980s rock music; and the family memoir “Roberto Rosellīni: Dzīve bez scenārija” (Roberto Rossellini, più di una vita), produced by Ilaria De Laurentiis, Andrea Paolo Massara, Raffaele Brunetti, and Latvian studio VFS Films.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Riga International Film Festival feature its opening Latvian film premieres?
Feature-length national premieres run in competition on Oct. 20 and Oct. 23, with additional documentary and co-production screenings starting Oct. 15.
Where are the Riga IFF film screenings and exhibitions hosted?
Events take place across festival venues in Riga, including the Splendid Palace cinema, which hosts Gints Bērziņš’s photography exhibition in its first-floor foyer.
Which Latvian co-production won awards at the Venice Film Festival?
Maja el Touhī’s historical drama “Nezināmā sieviete” (Kvinde ukendt), co-produced by Latvia’s Nafta Films, won the Golden Lion and best actress award at Venice.
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