Exiled comes out on top in Riga IFF’s international competition
- Latvia’s own feature has won the main prize, Trond Nilssen was recognised for his exceptional performance, and Russia’s Zoology went home with two awards
The third Riga International Film Festival announced its award winners at the weekend, with 13 prizes handed out across a variety of sections. The main award stayed in Latvia, as the five-member international jury chose Davis Simanis’ Exiled [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – a haunting story about a hospital for shell shock that unfolds at the end of World War I – as the winner of Best Feature Film from amongst a diverse selection of nine titles.
An actor was considered the best choice for the Honourable Mention, with Trond Nilssen getting the nod for his depiction of Dag, a disturbed ex-army recruit possibly responsible for a string of fires in a peaceful village, as portrayed in the Norwegian film Pyromaniac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Skjoldbjærg
film profile] by Erik Skjoldbærg.
Vitaly Mansky’s ArtDocFest has its own section at the Riga IFF, and the Best Film in the sidebar, decided on by an audience vote, went to Credit for Murder, an Israeli crime doc by Vladi Antonevicz, following the author’s investigation into a real-life neo-Nazi murder case in Russia.
An endearing nine-member children’s jury awarded Best Feature to the Dutch make-believe comedy Little Gangster [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Arne Toonen, while their short film of choice was Lili Brushes Her Teeth by Danish filmmaker Siri Melchior.
The youth jury picked Ivan I Tverdovsky’s Zoology [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile] from the international competition to be its winner. Plus, this Russian absurdist, black tragicomedy managed to snag another recognition in the form of the official festival centre’s Splendid Palace People’s Choice Award.
Smaller-scale titles were recognised on both the regional and international levels, with Best Baltic Student Film going to Everybody Misses Pranas Ivanauskas by Vygantas Bachmackij, while Best International Short Film went to Moms on Fire by Joanna Rytel from Sweden. On an even smaller scale, the Best Baltic Music Video Award was bestowed upon self-ironic Estonian rapper Tommy Cash for the second year in a row, for his Winaloto.
Here is the full list of the award winners at the 2016 Riga IFF:
Riga IFF Competition Award
Exiled [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Davis Simanis (Latvia/Lithuania)
Riga IFF Competition Honourable Mention
Trond Nilssen (actor) – Pyromaniac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Skjoldbjærg
film profile] (Norway)
ArtDocFest Award
Credit for Murder – Vladi Antonevicz (Israel)
Youth Jury Award
Zoology [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile] – Ivan I Tverdovsky (Russia)
Splendid Palace People’s Choice Award
Zoology – Ivan I Tverdovsky (Russia)
Kids Weekend Feature Film Award
Little Gangster [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Arne Toonen (Netherlands)
Kids Weekend Short Film Award
Lili Brushes Her Teeth – Siri Melchior (Denmark/UK)
Short Riga International Competition Award
Moms on Fire – Joanna Rytel (Sweden)
Special Mention
Ascension – Pedro Peralta (Portugal)
Short Riga Baltic Student Competition Award
Everybody Misses Pranas Ivanauskas – Vygantas Bachmackij (Lithuania)
Special Mention
Warm Silence – Rinalds Zelts (Latvia)
Short Riga Baltic Music Video Competition Award
Winaloto – Tommy Cash (Estonia)
Special Mention
Lietuvos Istorijos Repas – Sventinis Bankuchenas (Lithuania)
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