Riga Welcomes Documentary Projects

… for the 19th time under the headline Baltic Sea Docs (previously Forum), a development workshop and pitching forum for 25 projects from 13 countries, organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia with the two women on the photo, Zanda Dudina and Lelda Ozola, as perfect hosts and organizers… I can say so as one of the tutors during all the years, and I will be there again September 2-6.

And that is also the reason, why I can say that the selection done has given a fine variety of experienced filmmakers and producers and newcomers, including names which have been on this site several times.

I refer to Estonian Aljona Surikova, who is there with a project on the city of Sotchi after the Winter Olympic Games . To Russian Askold Kurov who presents an investigation into the case of the in Crimea by Russians arrested Ukranian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, to Estonian Marianna Kaat who is there with a “fresh look at the 3rd generation of migrants and the newcomers who feel obsessed with languages and fucked by the politics but desire to secure their children’s future, to Georgian Ana Tsimintia and her “The Pioneers Palace”, to Davis Simanis (photo on the top of filmkommentaren.dk), who has picked up “4 terrifying historical photos, 4 places of war crimes, and the imprint of their past on nowadays.”

I could go on but loves to end on stressing the participation of two important Russian documentarians – Alina Rudnitskaya and Marina Razbezhkina. The latter as producer for Anna Moiseenko and Pavel Loparev on a film, “Returness”, that has the following interesting description: “2014 showed the record number of Russian people who left their homeland. This film is telling the story of those who instead decided to come back. Several young people spent their childhood and youth in the West and decided to come back to Russia to start a new life.”

And Rudnitskaya with the title “Fatel and the Sea” which is about: “When a man fights his dream, he risks more than his life. He puts his family at risk, too. On Rikord Island, off the south-east coast of Russia, Fatei battles the local authorities. In his efforts to help others, he finds himself on the wrong side of the law.”

The Baltic Sea Docs also includes a mini-documentary festival, programme will be announced later.

http://www.mediadesklatvia.eu/baltic-sea-docs-2015/selected-projects-2015/

Share your love
Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

Articles: 3925