Latvian Films Lead Two German Festivals
Latvia has taken center stage at two major German film festivals this November, serving as the focus country in Cottbus with approximately 20 films while launching the Lübeck festival with a high-profile German premiere. lvportals.lv reported that Cottbus International Film Festival opened on November 3 with Dzintars Dreibergs’ feature film Escape Net
(Tīklā. TTT leģendas dzimšana
), while the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck opened on November 4 with Viesturs Kairišs’ feature Uļa
.
Cottbus Focus Program Showcases Diversity
Founded in 1991, the Cottbus International Film Festival has included 147 films from 43 countries in its current lineup, highlighting contemporary Central and Eastern European cinema. Under the dedicated focus program Close-Up: Latvia
, the festival features eight full-length features and six short films. liepajniekiem.lv noted that the selections span diverse genres, including Laila Pakalniņa’s I’m Thinking of Cats
(Es domāju par kaķi
), Reinis Kalviņš’ The Clearing Behind the Forest
(Klajumā aiz meža
), Alise Zariņa’s Imprints
(Nospiedumi
), Oskars Rupenheits’ The Dark Blue Gospel
(Tumšzilais evaņģēlijs
), Dāvis Sīmanis’ Maria’s Silence
(Marijas klusums
), and Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow
(Straume
).
Industry Panels and Historic Screenings at Cottbus
Beyond the feature selections, the Cottbus lineup incorporates short films produced in cooperation with the Latvian Short Film Agency, alongside minority co-productions like the Lithuanian documentary Baltic UXO
and the five-nation feature Mission: Find Parents
(Misija: atrast vecākus
), both involving the Latvian studio Air Productions. Mistrus Media co-produced Šarūnas Bartas’ feature Back to the Family
(Atgriešanās
), which was selected for the Cottbus Masters program. The historical program features Juris Podnieks’ 1986 documentary Is It Easy to Be Young?
(Vai viegli būt jaunam?
). Meanwhile, the connecting Cottbus industry platform features Tina Zariņa’s developing feature Tongues
(Mēles
) in the cocoPITCH project selection, alongside producer Līva Vernere in the cocoLAB young professionals section and an industry roundtable discussion scheduled for November 6.
Lübeck Festival and Baltic Jury Decisions
In Lübeck, the 68th edition of the Nordic Film Days opened its German premiere screenings with Viesturs Kairišs’ Uļa
, which holds four scheduled screenings alongside Linda Olte’s film Child
. The Young Audience competition features animated works by Edmunds Jansons and Dace Rīdūze, as well as Līva Klepere’s short My First Funeral
. Representatives of Baltic film institutions will determine the recipient of the traditional Baltic Jury Prize during the event, which runs through November 8.
Questions Surrounding the German Festival Showcase
- Which specific Latvian short films are showing in Cottbus? The short program features Ildze Felsberga’s
Where Does the Sun Sleep at Night?
, Līva Klepere’sMy First Funeral
, Alvīna Jansenas’Dust Doomsday
, Aivars Šaicāns and Jēkabs Okonovs’Sludge
, alongside animation works by Ieva Lība Ratniece and Artūrs Vobļikovs. - Who is participating in the Cottbus industry panel? The November 6 roundtable includes director and producer Dzintars Dreibergs, directors Alise Zariņa, Oskars Rupenheits, and Dāvis Sīmanis, National Film Centre representative Inga Blese, Polish co-producer Małgorzata Staron and cinematographer Wojciech Staron, and Martins Pabsts from the German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe.
- What other festival events involve Latvian filmmakers in Germany? Edmunds Jansons serves on the international animation competition jury at the DOK Leipzig festival, which runs from October 26 to November 1.
Worth a look