Short fiction film with documentary elements, Slush is a drama about friendship that adds colour to life, even when February weather turns Riga grey. Two emotional worlds, two inner rhythms, two guys who meet by chance and search for understanding of the world and friendship in the noises and sounds of the city. Their sonic collaboration makes the overall structure of the film akin to a musical composition and introduces Riga from a perspective never seen before.
Genre: Fiction
Stage of production: Post-production
Contact: elza.silinja@gmail.com
Jury statement: The jury would like to highlight a project picturing the mood of a city with a very personal ambition, that turns into an ecstatic journey. The unexpected, the happy accidents and the many shades of a new-born friendship intertwine in this story crafted by a power trio of creators sharing a strong bond and a lovely aura.
Jēkabs Okonovs is a short film director and editor. He graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture and has furthered his education in masterclasses in Lithuania and Sweden. Jēkabs has created music videos (Indigo, Simone Drescher) and short films, and has been involved in editing feature films, TV programmes, and a fashion film. He was the editor and sound operator for the documentary short Ksenija (dir. Renāte Saulīte, White Pictures, LKA), which was nominated for a national film award and screened at several international film festivals, as well as the short film Experts of Youth (dir. Betija Zvejniece, Tritone Studio, LKA).
Aivars Šaicāns is the director and cinematographer of this short film. He was nominated for the national film award for Best Cinematography for his work on Ksenija by director Renāte Saulīte (White Pictures, LKA). He has been the cinematographer for several documentaries and feature films made at the Latvian Academy of Culture, as well as a music video (Indigo, Valts Pūce, and Dainis Tenis). Aivars graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture and has also been educated in Lithuania and Norway. He is a music producer for the artist Indigo and a member of the band Fivesome.
Elza Siliņa is the producer of this short film and a graduate of the Latvian Academy of Culture. She has worked in the production department for several short films made at the Latvian Academy of Culture, as well as in TV programmes and feature films for Latvian production studios, and been the executive producer for Ieva Norvele’s short film Mirū Falls in Love and the fashion film for the Art Academy of Latvia fashion show 2023. Elza has produced performances for the Valmiera Summer Theatre Festival, the Drawing Theatre, and the Latvian Academy of Culture. She has also been involved in organising the festivals 2ANNAS and Optižūns.