26/10/2020 - The festival, which took place in hybrid form from 15-25 October, saw the triumph of Ivan I Tverdovskiy’s drama Conference

Riga IFF festival director Liene Treimane (left) and artistic director Sonora Broka during the awards ceremony

It’s a wrap for the seventh edition of the Riga International Film Festival (15-25 October), which took place in hybrid form owing to the coronavirus crisis. Films were available for viewing in person as well as online all across Latvia. This year’s programme included 129 titles (including shorts) and ten strands, alongside 66 live and 50 online screenings.

Ivan I Tverdovskiy’s drama Conference [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile], a movie about overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder, won the Feature Film Competition’s main prize. The section included eight titles, including Yevgeni Pashkevich’s surreal tragicomedy What Silent Gerda Knows [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. The jury consisted of director Laila Pakalniņa, head of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Marge Liiske, Film Forum Scanorama programmer Dmitrij Gluscevskij, Cinémathèque Française programmer Eva Markovits, and Theo Tsappos from the Swedish Film Institute.

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The main prize at the Riga IFF consists of the festival’s symbol – a bronze cast of the Rooster of Riga created by artist Ervins Broks – along with a cash prize of €2,000. The jury’s Special Mention went to Illum Jacobi’s reflection on philosopher Edmund Burke, The Trouble with Nature [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a subtle satire in the guise of a costume drama, focusing on human relationships with flora and fauna in the wilds of nature.

Speaking about the peculiarities of this year’s edition, festival director Liene Treimane said: “This year has proven that a festival can be different. Cinephiles can still come together despite having to watch films on screens in their homes, and having to distance themselves and observe the multiple restrictions that have been imposed on cinemas. This year, we created a festival like none of us had ever experienced before: it was made up of 129 films and countless online meetings with film professionals from around the world. I would like to extend a special thank you to the festival’s daring team, including the over 100 tireless volunteers, as well as to all of our viewers.”

Here is the complete list of award winners at the 2020 Riga IFF:

Feature Film Competition

Riga IFF Award
Conference [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile] – Ivan I Tverdovskiy (Russia/Estonia/UK/Italy)
Special Mention
The Trouble with Nature [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Illum Jacobi (Denmark/France)

Splendid Palace People’s Choice Award
Andrey Tarkovsky. A Cinema Prayer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei A Tarkovsky
film profile] – Andrey A Tarkovsky Jr (Italy/Russia/Sweden)

Short Riga International Competition – Best Short Film
Symbiosis – Nadja Andrasev (France)

Short Riga National Competition – Best Short Film
II Lines - Alise Zariņa (Latvia)

Short Riga Baltic Music Video Competition

Best Music Video
Puuluup – Kapapuu – Zbanski Kino (Estonia)
Special Mention
Kabloonak – Bruises on Her Legs - Igne Narbutaite and Kabloonak (Lithuania)

Kids Weekend Feature Film Competition – Best Film
Romy’s Salon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Mischa Kamp (Netherlands/Germany)