March is the time for Berimors…
March is the time for Berimors, a film festival for children – or more precisely, of films for children.The event also features an animation workshop for aspiring motion artists.Mid-March is also when the International Festival of Animation Films, Bimini, takes place in Riga. The festival is the only festival of animation in Latvia, and also the largest of its genre in the Baltics.
The Riga International Fantasy Film Festival takes place late April to early May and features the most recent full-length films in different fantasy genres: science fiction, thrillers, horror movies and other forms of productions in the fantasy genre. First and second prizes are awarded, as well as an audience pick.
In September Riga hosts its largest film festival, the International Film Festival “Arsenals.” The festival’s was born in Soviet times, when “Cinema Days ‘86” showed a variety of films otherwise not accessible to the public. The festival in its current incarnation includes the Forum International Competition Screening, the Baltic Film Competition (films from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia), the Retrospective Screenings, the World cinema Panorama, and special thematic programs.
In addition to Arsenals, there are several other film festivals that anually take place in Riga at different times of the year.
In mid-October one can see the “Nordic Film Days,” showcasing the most recent and interesting cinematic productions from Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark for one week. In addition to critics disecting the film, the audience’s voices will be heard as well in evaluating each film.
