RIGA IFF Showcase is a compact market that is easy to navigate. It is intended for those who work with creating, funding, or distributing feature films or series. The market includes a pitching session for diverse feature film and series projects, a programme of industry screenings of newly completed films, and networking events. RIGA IFF Showcase gives participants an insight into up-and-coming work from the Baltics as well as Eastern and Central Europe, with the aim to boost co-productions within the region and present projects to buyers from Europe and North America. The edition of 2023 will take place from 19 to 21 October.
Selection committee of RIGA IFF Showcase hand-picks 10 to 15 film and series’ projects that are pitched to an audience of international and local buyers as well as a jury. After the pitching session, one-to-one meetings take place, providing opportunity for project representatives to meet with potential partners, buyers and festival representatives.
Completed work submitted for industry screenings will also be evaluated by a selection committee.
A jury of Latvian and international professionals will determine the project, which will receive a cash prize of 5000 EUR, provided by Tet – main partner of the festival.
Tet will also grant a production prize to one of the projects, becoming its co-producer.
The deadline for applications is 15 August 2023, 23:59 (local time in Latvia, GMT+2).
If you have any questions, please contact us at showcase@rigaiff.lv.
Fanny Gavelle joined The Festival Agency in January 2020. Within 3 years in the company, she has quickly managed to understand the challenges of the film industry and the company’s special position. She was promoted to Executive Director in May 2023, and now oversees the day-to-day management of the team and the business operations. With a personal taste for genre films, Fanny handles the career of our elevated-genre clients and she also coordinates activities for one-off unique projects undertaken by the company. Fanny holds a PostGraduate degree from SciencePo Paris and a Bachelor in Dauphine London in the management of cultural industries.
After graduating from Barnard College of Columbia University with a degree in Film Studies and Art History, Melissa worked as a production assistant, trained as a script supervisor, and after a brief stint in publishing, was accepted to Endeavor’s highly selective inaugural Impact Fellowship program where she gained invaluable leadership training and worked in WME and IMG Media. Melissa joined Film Constellation in 2023, where she works across office management, festival comms, and acquisitions.
Dagmar Reinolt is communication manager and program consultant of the oldest art house cinema Cinema Sõprus in Estonia since 2015. She worked as a marketing and public relations specialist for several film production companies in Estonia. In 2023, he has done communication and marketing for the films: Rainer Sarnet's "Invisible Fight”, Triin Ruumet's “Dark Paradise”, Tanel Toom's “Last Sentinel” and documentaries like Liis Nimik's “Sundial”, Hardi Volmer's “Goodbye, Rock’n’ roll” etc. Founding member and marketing manager of the documentary film festival DocPoint Tallinn.
Lediona Kasapi is a film nerd, who was born and raised in Albania, currently based in Berlin, Germany. She studied Law in Tirana (2011) and was part of the NEXT WAVE program at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) (2020). Her previous experiences include Film Sales for North America, Entertainment Law, International Relations and Film Production. Presently handling Festivals and Acquisitions at TVCO Srl. Proudly scouting and representing crossovers between genre and arthouse cinema from all over the world. Simultaneously providing Festivals & Intl Distribution Consultancy for interested humans.
Edge Entertainment - All rights distributor acquiring director driven titles with a breakout potential for the Nordic and Baltic countries. Recent titles include "Rosalie", "Other People’s Children", "Saint Omer", "Prison 77", "Beasts", "Night of the 12th" and "The Eternal Memory".
A film critic, cinema historian, member of the Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 2012. The creator of the new wave of “Independent Azerkino”, together with the participants, authors and directors participated in the Cannes Film Festival (2018) and in the Rotterdam Film Festival (2019), took part in the competition “Film Criticism Week” of the Cannes Film Festival within the walls of the Paris Cinematheque (2020). Member of the Guild of Film Scholars and Film Critics of Russia from 2014 to 2021. Published in the Russian film magazine “The Art of Cinema”. One of the authors of a collective monograph (along with Inga Perkone) on the history of cinema in post-Soviet states under the leadership of Kirill Razlogov (2017).
“I started working in the media industry when I was just 18 years old and stayed true to the industry ever since. While working in acquisitions and sales for different companies, I really enjoy working with stories and content as closely as possible. In this way I already co-developed and acquired many major as well as minor productions. By personal preference, I could build a great expertise especially in genre movies but I'm constantly looking for any new and exciting stories to come across my way.”
Julietta Sichel is a Czech film producer, film theorist, film historian, journalist and former long-term Program Director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. She started producing films in 2010, after founding 8Heads Productions. The company focuses mainly on international co-productions. Films produced or co-produced by 8Heads Productions were presented at numerous festivals around the world and sold for several territories. Julietta Sichel is a member of EFA.
Justyna Koronkiewicz has worked as a sales agent for over 10 years now, having built a specialisation line up consisting mostly of genre films; horror, thriller/action/crime, war dramas, children/family films.
Armin Hack has been active in the streaming market for more than five years at Rushlake Media, a Cologne/Nairobi based Multi Platform Network and Sales Agency. After bringing Arthouse films to all major and many smaller VOD Platforms, he now specialises in planning and managing streaming solutions based on Rushlake Media's own proprietary streaming technology.
With background from Nordisk Film and Turner Broadcasting Nordic, Michael Werner is a seasoned International Sales Agent of feature films and TV series. Based in Stockholm, he has been running his own company, Eyewell, since 2013.
Jevgeni embarked on his journey in the entertainment industry in 1998, armed with a BA in Audiovisual Media. For over a decade, he lent his expertise to one of Estonia's oldest production houses, where he orchestrated the creation of thousands of hours of globally acclaimed formats such as Dancing With The Stars and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, alongside other shows. Establishing himself as an independent producer in 2013, Jevgeni’s work has spanned a wide spectrum, from broadcast content to feature films and stage plays. Noteworthy projects include, “Who Shot Otto Müller?”— the first Viaplay-commissioned original series in the Baltic region, and the drama thriller “12 Summers Later”, an adaptation of the UK-Finland series “Man in Room 301”. In recent years, Jevgeni is currently spearheading the development of a slate of projects in co-production with Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Finland. One of his most ambitious undertakings is Detective von Fock, a historical crime series scheduled for production in 2024, poised to become one of Estonia's most expensive drama series. Beyond his production endeavours, Jevgeni also helms the TV Beats Forum, a conference and co-financing market hosted by the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Acquisitions & Sales Executive at NonStop Entertainment. In charge of Acquisitions, Sublicensing, Theatrical releases, Film bookings, DVD and Institutional partners. Close to 20 years in the industry.
She is a director, screenwriter, publicist, cultural communications specialist, and, for a short time, also a film distributor. She has directed and been a screenwriter for several TV series, shows, and short films, as well as music videos. As a marketing and communications specialist, Una has collaborated with major Latvian film studios, working on films such as "Melānijas hronika", "Jēkabs, Mimmi un runājošie suņi", "Spogulī", "Mamma vēl smaida", "Ziemassvētki džungļos", "Janvāris" and many others.
Edvinas Pukšta is currently the curator of the Baltic Competition programme at Tallinn Black Nights Films Festival. He is also an expert in the Selection Committee of the European Film Awards. He used to be in charge of programming, coordinating, and scheduling for Vilnius IFF for 15 years. Previously has judged short and feature films as a Jury member in many festivals such as Cannes and Busan.
Kristi Porila is the acquisition manager at FILMSTOP and program manager at Thule Kino. Used to work as distribution manager at arthouse cinema Sõprus in Tallinn for 8 years and program secretary at PÖFF / Tallinn Black Nights Film for 5 years. She is one of the founders of Estonian Islands Film Fund (Saarte Filmifond) and a co-founder of Edukontor, a creative co-working space in the very heart of Kuressaare, island of Saaremaa.
Gytis Oganauskas has 30 years of media experience in radio, online and TV and is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Lithuania’s biggest news portal, DELFI, as well as head of its video department, DELFI TV. Since April 2018, he has been deputy Director-General of Lithuanian National Radio and Television, and is responsible for its content policy.
Laimonas Ubavičius is the director of the Lithuanian Film Centre. Prior to this role, he was the Chancellor of the Ministry of Culture in Lithuania for five years starting in 2015. He also held positions as Attaché for Cultural Policy, Audiovisual Issues, and Copyright at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU in Brussels and as the Chairman of the Audiovisual Affairs Working Party of the Council of the European Union.
Bruno is acquisitions manager and has joined Latvian Television team this year for its 70th season! Searching & finding, he focuses on family, romance and feature films for the audience. Usually to be found in the evening hours in dark cinema halls with a "dose" of good cinema. Always curious about content that could excite the Latvian audience while working on vivid content for television viewers. With the idea to educate, develop and inspire. So far building his career with the science of communication in the industry through cinema and being until recently in developing content in linear television.
Partnerships specialist and Film distribution manager. She is currently working as Film Distribution Manager at Kino Pavasaris Distribution, a company that recently started a partnership with A24. Ieva is responsible for the operational side of distribution and establishing distribution partnerships in Baltic countries. She joined Vilnius IFF Kino Pavasaris 3 years ago as a Partnerships manager, working with B2B clients (private film screenings) and operating B2C festival sales (theatrical bookings and ticket sales).
Ahbra is the Director of OTT Channels with Giant Pictures, overseeing linear channels, AVOD and SVOD, and VOD streaming apps. She heads theatrical acquisitions for Drafthouse Films, leading a small army to acquire and distribute provocative, visionary, and artfully unusual movies from around the world. Since its inception in 2010, Drafthouse Films has released 51 titles and garnered three Oscar nominations. Ahbra is passionate about all types of film and utilising new technology and strategies to support up-and-coming and lesser-known filmmakers. Previously, Ahbra launched and continues to program Burnt Ends, a showcase of eccentric independent cinema, for Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the US.
Inga Alika-Stroda is a seasoned executive with two decades of experience in technology, media, and entertainment. Her career spans various strategic and commercial roles in the TV and entertainment industry. Alika-Stroda played a pivotal role in launching Tet TV +, a local OTT streaming service. She oversees content strategy for the platform and has established valuable partnerships with global studios. In addition, her team leads the production of compelling local content originals for Tet TV +. Currently, as the head of Business of Entertainment and Media at Tet, Inga Alika-Stroda continues to contribute her expertise to the industry.
Lenka Tyrpáková is an Artistic Director of festival Finále in Pilsen, programmer and festival consultant. From 2005 till 2023 she was part of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as a member of the selection committee and a programmer in charge of the films from Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. At KVIFF she was also involved in the selection of the projects for the industry platform Eastern Promises. Since 2008 she has worked as a programmer for the Pragueshorts Film Festival. Recently she became the Artistic Director of Czech national festival Finále in Pilsen. She is a member of the European Film Academy.
Lukas Trimonis is a co-founder of the production company INSCRIPT, based in Lithuania. He is a graduate of BFM in Estonia and NFTS in the UK. Lukas has a diverse portfolio of produced films and the vast majority are international co-productions recognised nationally and internationally. Some of the highlights include “Miracle” (dir. Egle Vertelyte) which premiered at TIFF in 2017 and received 6 national awards and “Oleg” (dir. Juris Kursietis) which premiered at “Director’s Fortnight” in Cannes in 2019, or project „Borderline“ with over 40 International festivals and 8 awards including Hot Docs Emerging Filmmaker Award 2021. Lukas is a member of EAVE, EFP Producers on the Move and ACE producers.
Producer Katrin Kissa’s cooperation with Veiko Õunpuu started in 2006 with Empty and continued with the highly lauded Autumn Ball and The Temptation of St. Tony, produced by their joint company Homeless Bob Production. These were followed by The Idiot based on the Dostoyevsky classic, and Veiko Õunpuu’s Free Range / Ballad on Approving of the World, which was released internationally in 2014 at the Berlinale Forum. Homeless Bob Production produces author-driven films only and subtly, but persistently, furrows its way into the soil of film history. She has produced the latest feature film by Rainer Sarnet The Invisible Fight, which premiered in Locarno Film Festival and opens the 10th edition of the RIGA IFF. Katrin is an alumna of Inside Pictures, EAVE and ACE Producers.