On 24 October, the main venue of the Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF, 17–27 October), cinema Splendid Palace, will host one of the most unique festival events – RIGA IFF Baltic Music Video Competition screening. 12 of the most striking past year’s Baltic music videos, embodying the wild spirit of the mix between image and music, will compete for the title of the winner and a cash prize of EUR 1,000.

For 10 years, RIGA IFF Baltic Music Video Competition, attended by audiences and music video creators, has been a singular programme in the Baltic region, presenting the highlights of the music video genre from the past year. The 12 videos, selected from 60 submissions, will be judged, and the winner awarded a EUR 1,000 cash prize by internationally acclaimed representatives of music and film industries. Among them – producer Kris Mathur (USA), Kaspar Koppel, Head of Universal Music Estonia and member of the band Bedwetters (Estonia), Radio Vilnius co-founder Manfredas (Lithuania), cinematographer Jurģis Kmins (Latvia), and set and production designer Viktoria Martjanova (Estonia).

The videos will stun with a wide variety of music genres and a bold visual language, as well as a keen desire to seek new fusions of audiovisual expression, thus breaking away from traditional constraints of the medium. The multi-faceted selection as described by its curator, Žanete Skarule:

“This year’s RIGA IFF Baltic Music Video Competition is marked by a plethora of international collaborations, but at the same time, the creators are more assertive in their awareness and emphasis of their Baltic identities. The programme includes unexpected and ingenious visual and storytelling takes, and, despite the genre’s insane diversity, creates a unified, exciting, and rather enjoyable journey.”

Among the contestants are the visual worlds of the musical pieces created by Latvian bands Carnival Youth, Bel Tempo, STABS, and other local musicians. The selection also features several international collaborations by Latvian video creators, such as the joint effort of multimedia artist Klāvs Liepiņš and Danish and German musical duo Vil and a video directed by Anna Ansone, accompanying the composition by the German post-punk band Smile, as well as exciting and innovative works from Estonian and Lithuanian music video creators. The full selection of the RIGA IFF Baltic Music Video Competition can be viewed on the festival website, rigaiff.lv/bmvc.

Tickets to the RIGA IFF Baltic Music Video Competition screening, on 24 October at 21:00 at cinema Splendid Palace, Large Hall, are available on the festival website (rigaiff.lv), and at Biļešu Serviss sales points.

From 17 to 27 October, RIGA IFF will delight the senses of filmgoers with more than 100 screenings of bold and fresh filmmaker visions, selected from the world’s most prestigious film festival programmes, as well as from the kindred Baltic Sea region cinema. Until the full festival programme announcement on 17 September, RIGA IFF will continue to reveal other highly artistic works of this year’s programme – films awarded at Rotterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and other film festivals, as well as bold hidden gems of contemporary cinema. Follow festival updates on rigaiff.lv and festival social media accounts, as well as by subscribing to RIGA IFF newsletter.

RIGA IFF’s main partner is the media and technology company Tet. The festival is made possible with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation, EU programme “Creative Europe –- MEDIA”, Riga City Council, and the National Film Centre of Latvia.