Programmers, curators, festival directors and representatives are gathered from all over Europe to introduce themselves to the filmmakers who are visiting RIGA IFF.
Have you ever wondered if your film is a good fit for Tampere or Vienna? Is it worth applying to Fantoche if you don’t have an animation film? What does it take to be accepted at PÖFF or Odense? What if your film had already had a national premiere, should you submit your work to Semaine de la Critique or Rotterdam? What kind of films are accepted at Curtas Vila do Conde, Motovun Film festival, IndieLisboa? What’s the difference between Vilnius ISFF and 2ANNAS? Is there anything you can do to stand out?
These and all the other questions you might have, will be answered during the MEET THE FESTIVALS. Gain the knowledge of what different festivals are looking for and find what’s the best fit for your film.
We strongly believe that the conversation should be an open and honest dialogue between festivals and film directors and producers. We expect that myths and misunderstandings will be cleared up and that the session will end with some newfound clarity for the filmmakers.
If you want to meet the festivals, prepare your questions and apply by clicking here.
For additional information, please contact Short Film Programme Manager Lauma Kaudzīte – lauma@rigaiff.lv.
MEET THE FESTIVALS is presented by Creative Europe MEDIA desk Latvia.
Laurence Boyce is UK-born cultural journalist, film critic, and programmer, but has been based in Estonia since 2010 where he has worked as a curator at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the festival’s short film section, PÖFF Shorts. He regularly contributes to the Baltic Sea Region film publications Screen International and Cineuropa, and is a member of FIPRESCI, the London Critics Association, the European Film Academy, and BAFTA.
Rimantė Daugėlaitė has been the head of the Vilnius International Short Film Festival since 2009 and the managing director of the Lithuanian Short Film Agency, “Lithuanian Shorts,” since 2012. In her role, Rimantė is responsible for the company’s strategy and its development. She also oversees the theatrical distribution and acquisitions of short films. She is an alumna of “Berlinale Talents,” “MAIA Workshops,” “Audiovisual Women Leadership,” and is a member of the “EWA Network.”
In 1993 he founded Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival, where is currently director and programmer. Director of Agência – Portuguese Short Film Agency, for the promotion, sales and international distribution of Portuguese short films. Producer of several short films. Curator of short films and Portuguese contemporary cinema retrospectives and film events. Programmer for the Short Film Day in Portugal. Producer in the film department of Porto 2001 – European Capital of Culture, including production of films and the launching of the international documentary and new media festival Odisseia Nas Imagens.
Laima Grazdanovica (Latvia) divides her work between theory and practice. Since 2019 she is programme director at Riga International Short Film festival 2ANNAS and has been a curator of short films since 2015. She has graduated from theatre and film theory studies in Latvian Academy of Culture, and has an MA in Visual Communication at Latvian Academy of Arts. Lately she is working as a guest lecturer teaching about short film history and video art. Her own work focus is researching personal and collective histories through interconnectivity.
Inja Korać studied Political Science and Journalism in Zagreb and Audiovisual Content Production in Spain. She works as a feature film and shorts curator at the Motovun and Beldocs film festivals, and is the Director of Industry at the Zagreb International Film Festival. She has worked as a documentary film producer and curator for nearly ten years. Korać has experience in film distribution and did an internship at Dogwoof Sales in the United Kingdom. She has also worked in the festival department at Taskovski Films and coordinated film distribution in Croatia.
Ivana Kvesić is a versatile art and film curator, cultural project manager, and director of the Fantoche International Animation Film Festival in Baden, Switzerland. The animation festival, which has been running for almost 30 years, has grown over the years to become both the largest in Switzerland and one of the most important forums for animation in Europe. She is currently the President of the Executive Committee of Cinema Club Xenix in Zürich and a member of the Board of the Swiss film magazine “Filmbulletin”, as well as representing SWAN (Swiss Women’s Audiovisual Network). Kvesić has worked as a co-director of the Swiss Youth Film Day festival and part of the selection committee of the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and Rote Fabrik.
Jukka-Pekka Laakso is the festival director of Tampere Film Festival since 2002. As a festival director he shares the responsibility to strategic planning and programming with a co-director. He has been a member of more than 60 juries in film festivals including Edinburg FF, Locarno FF, Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal, Canada, Hanoi FF and Morelia FF in Mexico. Jukka-Pekka Laakso acts also as the executive director for Pirkanmaa Film Centre, a local film centre in Tampere. For 10 years Jukka-Pekka Laakso was a member of the Council of Cinema of Finland and the chairman for 6 years. Jukka-Pekka Laakso is a member of the European Film Academy.
Stavros Markoulakis is a writer/director and film programmer. He is a Locarno Industry Academy (2021) and Sarajevo Talents Alumnus (2023). His films, balancing between the real and the imaginary, aim to research the state of belonging, the different ways of perceiving time and reality, as well as the human relationships and non-human connections in our universe. His latest film, “Pigeons are dying, when the city is on fire”, a poetic tale of urban love and cosmic fire, premiered at Sarajevo Film Festival (2023). In recent years he has worked in the Programme Department of several film festivals, and continues as Q&A Coordinator at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), as Head of Programming at the Aegean Film Festival and as Film Programmer at Leiden Shorts and Anafi International Film Festival.
Marie-Pauline Mollaret is the head of the short film selection committee for La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes. She also works as a film critic for different French magazines, and as a programmer for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and the PIAFF – the Paris International Animation Film Festival.
Jéssica Pestana is a programmer at the IndieJunior International Children’s and Youth Film Festival and part of the short films committee of IndieLisboa – International Film Festival. She also collaborates with Portugal Film, dedicated to the international promotion of Portuguese film production. She has worked in the commercial distribution of Portuguese films such as A Toca do Lobo by Catarina Mourão (2016), Colo by Teresa Villaverde (2018) and A Metamorfose dos Pássaros by Catarina Vasconcelos (2021).
Clara Schermer is a programmer and film educator at Vienna Shorts. Has been working in the field of cultural production for ten years. She has finished her film studies with a master’s degree in Media and Cultural Analysis. From curating and film programming, festival and exhibition work to podcast and book publishing, she picks her projects.
Birgitte Weinberger is the administrative and artistic director at OFF – Odense International Film Festival, the only Oscar- and EFA-qualifying short film festival in Denmark. Throughout her career she has watched and evaluated thousands of short films as a jury member at several international film festivals. Birgitte has a strong passion for condensed and focused films with short running time and a long-lasting impact. During her time at OFF, the festival has grown from a local event to an international brand with more than 30.000 visitors in 2023. She is a member of several boards, serves as a censor at Southern University of Denmark and is a requested keynote speaker.
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