… is over. During two days 24 projects were presented in a good atmosphere on the top floor of Albert Hotel in Riga. Business as usual from an organisational point of view but with fresh projects at different levels of development. Some had just come back from first days of shooting, some lacked some shooting and some had a rough cut or were entering final stage of editing. That’s how it is, the decision makers and broadcasters know it, as do the filmmakers. They also know that positive remarks from the panelists do not necessarily mean that a pre-sale/distribution contract can be signed. It takes time and the most common remark in a pitching session like this still is: I want to see more. However my gut feeling is that many will profit from the forum, and that many good films will arrive.

The photo is taken today (by the forum photographer, Latvian Agnese Zeltina). The old man moderating is congratulating the filmmakers with a fine presentation of ”Journey to the End of the Night”, the last production at the forum, pitched by skilled and experienced Estionian Max Tuula and directed by Russian Ksenia Elyan, who has filmed nomadic families living above the Arctic Circle with a focus on the children and their teacher, who comes to stay in the darkest months of the year – to teach. And they are so bright these kids and ask clever questions that could challenge any grown-up, questions like: when does the universe stop or similar more existential questions.

I leave the workshop with quite an increase of knowledge of what

goes on in Russia now and what went on before. The ”Telebridge” documentary project, written by Rira Ruduša and Ivo Briedis, and to be produced by local strong production company Mistrus Media, is searching for an answer to whether ”Homo Sovjeticus” is still around, and where does he sit in your body? Head or Heart…

”Teacher’s Day” by Yulia Vishnevets is to tell the story of two young teachers, who arrive to a local, provincial school with the intention of changing the old Soviet-style way of pedagogics. The super-energetic director had filmed the first school day, September 1st, with all its rituals. The film crew will follow the teachers and the school for a year.

Space for mention of three more Russian stories: ”Provincial Town of E” directed by Dmitry Bogolyubov, I saw it already in Prague earlier this year and it is still a film that has a lot of potential with its alarming lot of Putinist propaganda that influences the town.

The favourite, however, at this year’s forum, was the Ukrainian ”Home Games” by Alisa Kovalenko, produced by French Stéphane Siohan. A social drama about a young female football player, who had to stop her carreer, when her mother died – to take care of her siblings. The couple has a rough cut and hopes for a premiere at the upcoming IDFA. Cross my fingers on their behalf. And the film, I was told, has a happy ending.

1968, 50 years ago, the invasion of Soviet troops into Prague. We remember it very well but I have never heard a story told from the occupier’s point of view, which is what offers by Latvian producer Sergei Serpuhov and Ukrainian director Anna Kryvenko – an archive based documentary that takes its start in the director’s family, where a great-uncle, who was in Prague as a soldier took his own life because of the traumas he experienced.

If there had been an award for the best trailer, and I was the juror, it could have gone to ”My Unknown Soldier” – or to the Danish team with producer Lise Lense-Møller and director Kristoffer Hegnsvad for their surprisingly strong ”The Bus Stop Hunter”. I think most of the panelists were sceptical when they read the text about Soviet bus stops, but changed their minds when they saw and listened to the energetic Canadian photographer Christopher Herwig hunting the fantastic bus stops you can find in the provinces of former USSR, built with a fine sense of aesthetics. Some of them are funny, some are also beautiful. What an interesting angle for a film about Soviet Union – and Russia today.

Panelists – We were quite lucky to have Kenan Aliyev from Current Time channel at the table. The Czech-based channel broadcasts to Russian language areas. He showed interest in acquiring many of the Russian stories as well as projects from Georgia and Latvia. Otherwise tv veterans from YLE (Sari Volanen) and Estonian TV (Marje Jurtshenko) were there as was, for the first time, SVT’s Lars Säfström. And many sales agents who have to find out when is the best moment to step in – when the film is unfinished or when it is finished?

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The+ goes for the extra events organised by Creative Europe’s Latvian representative – formerly it was called Media Desk – Lelda Ozola.

First element of a long and good friday afternoon was the presentation of documentary series produced by Danish television, the DR3, a relatively new channel (4 years old) targeting a young audience, as the presenter Erik Struve Hansen said between 15 and 40. So out of my reach age-wise… anyway I had nothing specifically against watching 26 minutes of ”I am the Ambassador” aka the American Rufus Gifford. It was one of 10 episodes and it was light and entertaining and can not do any harm… One tutor colleague found it a disgusting promotion for the USA. Promotion it is of course, Gifford is a media person, who knows what he is doing. He is now being substituted by a Trump-lover, Struve Hansen, a woman who used to play in ”Glamour”!

Second element was the showing of one episode of ”Petra Goes Dating”, in this case in Belgrade, for me interesting to be back in a city That I have been visiting the last 15 years. A daring program, Petra goes the whole way, 3 Serbian men, the last one she stayed with for the night.

Third element was the presentation of Pitch the Doc by Polish Adam Paplinski, that I have written about before: … A fine initiative

in development, go the website and learn more and read the EDN interview where the Polish matchmaker explains more about Pitch the Doc that has a team of evaluators that is strong: Steven Seidenberg, Pawel Lozinski and Marijke Rawie.

From there I hurried to attend the Riga IFF (International Film Festival) Pitch Session organised by Vitaly Manski and his Artdocfest: 7 Russian projects were presented with clips and a support by Manski himself, fatherly and professional. In the audience were, among others, Baltic producers, who could maybe go in to make some of the projects happen. Let me mention two of the projects: Elena Demidova, whose ”Cranberry Island” I saw and reviewed in 2010, presented ”The Third Life of Marina Kleshcheva” (photo), who has been in and out of prison, and has acted in theatre and in a film by Loznitsa, if I got it right from the simultaneous translation. The other one that made me curious was ”My Name is Shchukin” by Alaxsandra Lihacheva, a portrait of an artist-to-be with a hard family background. As is written in the catalogue of the Baltic Sea Docs: He creates mind-blowing paintings and art-objects from everything around him. 

www.pitchthedoc.com

http://balticseadocs.lv/

I am sitting here on the 11th floor of the Albert Hotel in Riga, where the Baltic Sea Docs, edition 21 is taking place. The filmmakers have been preparing their presentation since wednesday, many trailers and verbal texts have been changed, it is very intense and yet a relaxed, non-hysterical atmosphere. There is nothing better than helping each other… after quite many years this is my experience with the documentary community. They do so.Tomorrow and sunday it’s show time. 24 projects are to be pitched to a panel of so-called decision makers: 7 minutes of presentation and 7 minutes of feedback followed by individual meetings.

On the photo you see one of the pitching teams, Latvian Marta Bite, Ivars Zviedris and Haralds Ozols. Their project is called ”The Smugglers”, takes place at the border of Russia and Latvia, where Vietnamese people come to Latvia, with the help of local people, hoping to have a better life there or in another Western country. The filmmakers have been filming for one year, will continue for another year to make this film about a small community, where you survive through breaking the law. The material shown is very promising and for those who remember Ivars Zviedris brilliant ”The Documentarian”… you can only have high expectations.

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– and we bring the welcome catalogue text by the director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, Dita Rietuma entitled “With a Taste of Certainty”

I warmly welcome the Baltic Sea Docs participants and Forum team! Baltic Sea Docs continues on – now for the 21^st time, bringing together documentary filmmakers, popularizing documentary films and offering a special film programme Flavours of Conviction for a wider audience in Riga and several other Latvian cities.

This year’s festival poster features an eccentric, grey-haired woman with giant glasses – those in tune with the fashion industry may recognize fashion and lifestyle icon Iris Apfel, while in turn, those familiar with documentary film history will perhaps pause in reverence upon seeing the name of the film’s director – Albert Maysles. Yes, he is one of the legendary Maysles brothers who made documentary film history with their direct cinema style films of the 1970s.

Iris was Albert Maysles’ second last movie – a clear testament to both the direct cinema tradition and to the power of creativity, irony, style and vitality, which this inspiring lady named Iris undoubtedly possesses. For the most part, these qualities are also reflected in the 25 projects selected for Baltic Sea Docs.

In total, 25 creative teams will be presenting their projects – from the Baltic States, Belarus,

Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden and other countries. This year’s Baltic Sea Docs projects represent 20 countries including many co-productions, which is a testament to the fact that Baltic Sea Docs continues to carry out one of its most essential tasks – to further creative cooperation between documentary filmmakers of various countries, and to promote the documentary film circuit (film screenings) on various platforms in various European countries.

One of Baltic Sea Docs’ assignments is to also follow up on the path/fate of film projects presented in previous Forums. This year, audiences will get a chance to see the Danish-Russian-Ukrainian co-production, On the Edge of Freedom, which participated in last year’s BSF project presentation (under the name Russian Revolution).

The film distribution and screening scene in Europe is trying to adapt to the changes brought on by the digital era. We’re happy that among the Baltic Sea Docs panel of experts we have, not for the first time, documentary film specialists from the influential TV and film distribution companies – YLE, ERR, ARTE G.E.I.E, SVT, Taskovski Films, Rise and Shine, et al. We’re happy that there will also be new guests – representatives from Current Time TV, Slingshot Films, Influence Film Foundation, Syndicado Films, et al.

I hope that this Baltic Sea Docs too becomes a worthy experience! May it inspire new ideas, further cooperation between documentary filmmakers, presenters and distributors, and help powerful documentary films reach their audiences!

http://balticseadocs.lv/