The competition programme showcases films from the Baltic Sea region and the Nordic countries that are characterised by their use of innovative cinematic language and distinct artistic expression. There are no genre or style restrictions to the films in this programme; they can be documentaries, narratives, animated films, or any hybrid genre.
The geographical scope of this competition covers a surprising variety of different schools, traditions, and visions. The selected works embody RIGA IFF’s reflections on the cinema of tomorrow, today.
RIGA IFF is looking for distinct voices and auteurs from the Baltic Sea region and the Nordic countries that use an innovative cinematic language. The RIGA IFF Feature Film Competition reflects transitions and contemporary trends in cinema; by establishing a specific geographic frame, these trends become even more intriguing as the cinematic works made on different sides of the same sea represent distinctly different schools, traditions, languages, and visions. The 10 films that are ultimately selected for the competition form a present-day contemplation on the cinema of tomorrow.
The competition programme is comprised of up to 10 feature films with a minimum running time of 60 minutes for which the majority of production financing has been sourced in the Baltic Sea region (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden) and/or in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, including the autonomous territories Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands). There are no genre restrictions – documentaries, narratives, animated films, or any hybrid genre will be considered.
All submitted films must have been completed after 1 July 2024, and they can not have been screened in Latvia before the RIGA IFF 2025 dates. There is one exception to this rule – although it is preferable that Latvian films premiere at RIGA IFF 2025, this is not a requirement.
The 10 selected titles will be judged by an international jury consisting of industry experts, filmmakers, and representatives from the international film festival community.
The winning director will receive the Golden Rooster, designed in collaboration with artist Ervins Broks. The winner also receives a monetary prize of EUR 5,000. The Award Ceremony takes place on the second Saturday of the festival.
The call for submissions opens on 12 March 2025 and closes on 30 June 2025. All submissions are free of charge until 1 April 2025. From 2 April to 18 May, the submission fee is EUR 10 per entry, but from 19 May – EUR 15. The results will be announced by 10 September 2025.
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