Showcasing the particularly dynamic nature of Latvia’s short film scene and its distinctive forms of expression, we seek works that make one ask: what is cinema?

It doesn’t matter whether it’s animation, audiovisual experiment, fiction, or documentary. The festival selects up to 10 films from Latvia that stand out for their bold auteur vision.

An internationally renowned jury will present the winner with the Bronze Rooster award along with a monetary prize of EUR 1,000.

RIGA IFF is also one of 31 film festivals whose jury nominates a candidate for the European Film Academy award European Short Film – Prix Vimeo 2028.

Entries

The competition programme includes up to 10 short films from Latvia completed no earlier than 1 January 2025.

There are no genre restrictions  – documentary, fiction, animation, or hybrid works will be considered.

Maximum running time: 30 minutes.

This competition is open to works by audiovisual professionals and emerging filmmakers who are Latvian citizens, were born in Latvia, or have been long-term residents (for at least two years). The festival also considers films produced in Latvia, created with the involvement of Latvian directors, or works that position Latvia as one of the production countries.

​​Films produced or co-produced in the Russian Federation and Belarus will not be accepted.

Prize

The selected short films are judged by an international jury consisting of industry experts, filmmakers, and representatives of international film festivals.

An internationally renowned jury will present the winner with the Bronze Rooster award along with a monetary prize of EUR 1,000.

The RIGA IFF award ceremony will take place on 24 October, the second Saturday of the festival.

Candidacy for the European Short Film – Prix Vimeo 2028 Award

The jury selects a single candidate for the European Short Film – Prix Vimeo 2028 Award from the films selected for the RIGA IFF Short Film Competition.

A film is eligible if its director was born in Europe or holds a passport from a European country (the European Film Academy defines Europe as including both EU and non-EU countries). The film must have been completed in 2026, and its running time must not exceed 30 minutes.

European Film Academy award regulations can be found HERE.

Deadline

Submissions for the open call are accepted from 24 March to 30 June 2026.

No submission fee applies until 31 March 2026. From 1 April to 17 May, the submission fee is EUR 10 per entry; from 18 May, EUR 15.

The results will be announced by 10 September 2026.

Submit on