The ambitious, thought-provoking and multifaceted RIGA IFF competition of documentaries ARTDOCFEST/RIGA will open with a Latvian premiere of the tragicomic documentary School of Seduction on October 21. All ARTDOCFEST/RIGA screenings, including the opening film, will host Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.

In a society where for women there are no easy ways to get ahead, the shortest ride to the top is a wealthy man. Psychologist Vladimir Rakovsky has an easy solution. He is a tutor of his own “School of Seduction” and runs highly priced courses, simply titled: “How to seduce rich men”. In School of Seduction we witness Rakovsky teaching three young women how to seduce a man, and just as importantly – how to keep him. It’s not easy. Seven years of recordings by the filmmaker Alina Rudnitskaya paint a sometimes tragicomic picture of gender roles and femininity in Putin’s Russia.

ARTDOCFEST/RIGA is curated by Artdocfest, the largest documentary film festival in Russia that has cut the state support for this significant event.