27/09/2006

Kaaren Kaer’s Estonian film Men at Arms, which was competing against 14 international films at the 20th Riga International Film Forum Arsenals (September 16-24), was just awarded the top prize of $10,000 as well as the Magic Crystal that is given to all competitors.

The critically acclaimed Norwegian film The Bothersome Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jens Lien
interview: Jørgen Storm Rosenberg
film profile] by Jens Lien, also in the running in the main competition programme, received the FIPRESCI Jury diploma.

The winners of the Baltic film competition, of 22 films, were Worm by Latvia’s Andris Miziss (Best Documentary), Institute of Dreams by Estonian filmmaker Mati Kutt (Best Animation Film), You Am I by Lithuania’s Kristijonas Vildziunas (already shown in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard last May and here named Best Feature Film of the Baltics), and Theodore, a 29-minute documentary by Laila Pakalnina (Best Baltic Film).

During the reception following the Baltic film competition opening ceremony last Friday, a special tribute was held for legendary Latvian filmmaker Janis Streic, the director of 40 films.

A total of 130 films screened in five cinemas in Latvia’s capital during the biannual film event. Special sections included American cinema from 1960s and 1970s, Korean cinema, and Arsenals Archaeology, which presented the greatest films in the festival’s history, such as Dutch filmmaker Jos Stelling’s 1986 film The Pointsman.

Stelling was among Arsenals’ special guests, along with Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose Offside was the opening film.

Arsenals is organised by Latvia’s Ministry of Culture, the City of Riga and Starptauiskais Kino Centrs (International Centre of Cinema), a public organisation involved in film production and organisation of film events.