28/10/2024 - Olha Zhurba's documentary is amongst a number of victories for Ukraine throughout the gathering's closing ceremony

Olha Zhurba’s Songs of Slow Burning Earth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olha Zhurba
film profile] won Best Feature at the 11th edition of the Riga International Film Festival, which came to a close on Saturday night at a ceremony held in Splendid Palace, one of Latvia’s most recognisable film theatres. The documentary, which premiered at this year’s edition of the Venice Film Festival, examines life for those Ukrainians who are away from the frontline as the horror and shock of invasion morphs into numb acceptance of the situation. Amidst death and destruction, another tragedy becomes apparent: war becomes normalised. The jury said the film was "a moving film that depicts the harsh reality of war away from the frontline with resilience, honesty and dignity'.” On collecting the award, director Olha Zhurba gave a sobering speech on the irony of being lauded for a film which only exists because of suffering and urged us to continue supporting the filmmaking community and citizens of Ukraine.

The jury’s special mention went to the Locarno-winning film Drowning Dry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurynas Bareiša
film profile] by Lithuanian director Laurynas Bareiša, which they described as “an intriguing and suspenseful drama with credible characters and a subtle eye for contemporary society”.

The winner among the feature films and series presented in the film market co-production platform Riga IFF Showcase was Curtain, a feature film project by Ukrainian filmmaker Valeria Sochyvets about violinist Arina who tries to find the strength to escape her abusive boyfriend amidst a city in chaos. The project was described by the jury as "An urgent, raw relationship drama with two richly delineated main characters. The project promises a new strong female voice in contemporary European cinema, being the debut feature made by a young but prominent Ukrainian filmmaker.”

Meanwhile the market exchange finalist to be presented at New European Market Zagreb this December was Cold, a fiction series project by Domas Petronis and Tiago Guedes, described by the jury as "a solid, well-developed and gripping project with an obvious international appeal.” The Lithuania-Germany co-production is set in 1991 Lithuania as the Soviet Union crumbles and the disappearance of top-secret files starts a deadly and desperate chase across Eastern Europe, involving five individuals who are unknowingly interconnected through personal stories of love, betrayal, and revenge.

In the short film categories, the EFA Candidate for Nomination for Best Short at the 2025 EFA Awards went to Lithuanian film The Left-Handed Pen. The jury said of Adas Burkšaitis’ short, "with the suspense of a thriller and a precisely composed ensemble, this film doesn't lose a second to let us witness an intimate story of hope and despair – and the work of a European director from whom we hope to see more in the future".

The winner of the Short Film National Competition was North Pole directed by Roberts Vanags of which the jury said: "With an eye for striking compositions and flashes of poetry that can transform the familiar at rare moments of the day or night, an atmospheric world is created that signals a fresh new voice in Baltic cinema." The Short Film International Competition prize went to Ukrainian project Where Russia Ends by director Oleksiy Radynski described by the jury as "a significant work of archive retrieval and restoration of collective memory, assembled with precise care, to safeguard the visibility and history of Russia's indigenous peoples against imperialistic erasure and environmental ravages – matters of burning relevance in today's Europe". The jury's special mention was awarded to the short animation film Pubert Jimbob by Quirijn Dees. 

The winner of the SHORT RIGA Test Screenings and the recipient of the BBPosthouse prize – post-production services worth €5,000 – was the short film Where Does the Sun Sleep at Night? by Ildze Felsberga. The SHORT RIGA Test Screenings panel of experts described the Latvian film as "a film that makes folk music resonate in rooms without windows, where employees are seeking meaning through rituals and repetition surrounded by obsolete furniture and technology". 

The winner of the Baltic Music Video Competition was the music video Protection (for the German post-punk group SMILE) directed by Latvian director Anna Ansone. 

The full list of winners: 

RIGA IFF Feature Film Competition

Best Film
Songs of Slow Burning Earth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olha Zhurba
film profile] - Olha Zhurba (Ukraine)

Special Mention
Drowning Dry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurynas Bareiša
film profile] - Laurynas Bareiša (Lithuania)

Riga IFF Showcase Winner
Curtain - Valeria Sochyvets (Ukraine)

Riga IFF Showcase New European Market Zagreb Participant Rights
Cold - Domas Petronis and Tiago Guedes (Lithuania/Germany)

Riga IFF Short Film International Competition

Best Short Film
Where Russia Ends - Oleksiy Radynski (Ukraine) 

Special Mention
Pubert Jimbob - Quirijn Dees (Belgium)

EFA Candidate for Nomination for Best Short at the 2025 EFA Awards
The Left-Handed Pen - Adas Burkšaitis (Lithuania)

Riga IFF Short Film National Competition Winner
North Pole - Roberts Vanags (Latvia)

SHORT RIGA Test Screenings

Best Film
Where Does the Sun Sleep at Night?- Ildze Felsberga (Lativa) 

Special Mention
Slush - Jēkabs Okonovs and Aivars Šaicāns (Latvia)

Riga IFF Baltic Music Video Competition

Best Music Video
Protection (artist – German postpunk group SMILE) - Anna Ansone (Latvia)

Special Mention
In My Nostrils (artist – musical project Zvīņas) - Antons Georgs Grauds (Latvia)

Radio SWH Audience Award
Visai Baika (artist – Kedrostubùras) - Elzė Vozbinaitė (Lithuania)