The 13th Riga International Film Festival (15-25 October) is preparing to welcome audiences to Riga, Sigulda, Daugavpils and Cēsis with a programme of nearly 100 films, bringing together contemporary auteur cinema, emerging filmmakers, genre works, and new productions from the Baltic Sea region and beyond. The festival will also host the RIGA IFF FORUM (22-25 October), including the RIGA IFF SHOWCASE market (23-25 October), dedicated to feature-film and series projects from the Baltics and Eastern and Central Europe.

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The Feature Film Competition comprises nine titles from the Baltic Sea region and neighbouring countries. The selection opens with Cat on My Mind by Latvian filmmaker Laila Pakalniņa, having its national premiere, and the selection also features No Good Men by Shahrbanoo Sadat, Cute by Marlene Emilie Lyngstad, Nipster by Sunniva Eir Tangvik Kveum, Mo Papa by Eeva Mägi, The Patron by Julia Thelin, How to Divorce During the War by Andrius Blaževičius, I Rarely Wake up Dreaming by Isabelle Stever and Weeping Rocks, co-directed by Kārlis Bergs and Andrew Siedenburg, which will be having its national premiere.

Alongside its competition programmes, Riga IFF will present a selection of movies described by the festival as “hidden gems”, highlighting strong works that have not yet reached wider public attention. Other thematic strands explore love, coming of age, psychological drama and thrillers, while several titles will receive their first or only Latvian cinema screenings at the festival. The event will put a particular focus on Nordic cinema, German-speaking filmmakers, and European children’s and family films, while a selection devoted to Euro-thrillers will revisit works by Claude Chabrol, Michael Haneke and Nicolas Winding Refn. The programme also includes Latvian films and co-productions, alongside the festival’s international and Latvian short-film competitions and the Baltic Music Video Competition.

In parallel with the festival, the RIGA IFF FORUM will bring together filmmakers, producers, distributors, festival representatives and other industry professionals, with a focus on emerging auteurs and projects from countries with low audiovisual production capacity. The programme includes meetings with festival representatives, insights into the Baltic animation scene, closed location tours and networking events.

The RIGA IFF SHOWCASE is aimed at professionals involved in the creation, financing and distribution of feature films and series. Its programme will include a pitching session presenting projects from the Baltics and Eastern and Central Europe, with the aim of strengthening regional co-production opportunities, and connecting projects with buyers from Europe and North America.

The RIGA IFF SHOWCASE jury comprises Nadia Maria Oliva, senior programming manager at MUBI for the UK and Ireland; Hugo Rosák, head of Industry Programmes at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and co-founder of KVIFF Talents; Jana Semjonova, commissioning editor and head of the Programme Department at Latvian Public Service Media; Valeria Sochyvets, a Ukrainian producer, director and programme curator; and Roberts Vinovskis, a Latvian director, producer and entrepreneur, founder of Studio Locomotive and Vino Films.

The Riga IFF programme is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Creative Europe – MEDIA, Riga City Council, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia and the National Film Centre of Latvia. The RIGA IFF SHOWCASE is additionally supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia/Mission Latvia and BBRental/BBposthouse.

Here are the projects selected for the 2026 RIGA IFF SHOWCASE:

The Child of Another - Anna Andersson (Finland/Poland)
Producers: Mika Ritalahti (Silva Mysterium), Stanisław Dziedzic (Film Produkcja)

The Silent Shore - Iryna Asonova (Latvia/Ukraine/Canada/Brazil)
Producer: Rafael Tomaseto (Driven Equation)

In Storage - Tamta Gabrichidze (Georgia)
Producer: Mulberry Group

Marry Then Die - Elza Gauja (Latvia)
Producers: Līva Vernere, Uldis Cekulis (VFS Films)

The Others - Olga Gibelinda (Ukraine/Lithuania/France)
Producer: Olga Gibelinda (Malanka Studios)

Stormbird - Kadri Kõusaar (Estonia) – series
Producer: Aet Laigu (Meteoriit Film)

Tabita - Juris Kursietis (Latvia/Netherlands/Lithuania)
Producers: Alise Ģelze (White Picture), Ineke Kanters, Lisette Kelder (The Film Kitchen), Lukas Trimonis (In_script)

Happy New Year! - Montis Norvaišis (Lithuania) – series
Producer: Lineta Lasiauskaitė (Plopsas, BIG DRAMA)

My World Upside Down - Daniel Rihák (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
Producers: Martina Saková, Daniel Rihák (WHAT IF Films)

Magic Mountain - Mykola Zasieiev (Ukraine/France/Netherlands/Latvia)
Producer: Natalia Libet (2Brave Productions)

Roses Never Lie (Sweden/Latvia) – series
Producers: Uta Arning (UMA Pictures AB), Jānis Kalējs (Film Angels Studio)