‘A Horrible Woman’ (En Frygtelig Kvinde) by Christian Tafdrup will open the film selection NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS of the Riga International Film Festival. Tickets to the screening on October 19 at 7 p. m. in ‘Splendid Palace’ are available already.

NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS of the RIGA IFF reveals the development of the unique style of filmmaking, storytelling, visual arts and music of the Nordic countries. The provocative dramedy ‘A Horrible Woman’ will open the programme this year. It is the second full length feature film of actor/director Christian Tafdrup, co-written with his brother Mads Trafdrup.

When bachelor Rasmus meets Marie, he is certain that she is the love of his life. But soon she destroys his life with her possessiveness and manipulations.

The director explains that this widely discussed film shows a man’s point of view on what a woman can do in modern relationship, ‘It’s a film about everyday terrorism that women commit to men. I made this film not because I hate women but only because I’ve spent the last 24 years of my life finding out how to survive in a relationship with them. When I think when I’ve been most unhappy in my life, it has been in a relationship with a woman. I hope this film will be recognizable for both sexes and that everyone can mirror their own experiences in the movie. ‘A Horrible Woman’ is a tragedy, but a fun one of the kind.’

Eager to prove the concept that a low-budget film can look big, the team put a number of creative restrictions on themselves, initially of a practical nature: they had to shoot the film in 16 days without rehearsals or lighting and with a crew of no more than six people.
‘A Horrible Woman’ was highly appreciated by the voting committees behind the two most prestigious Danish film prizes, the Danish film critics’ Bodil Award and the Film Academy’s Robert Award.

NORDIC HIGHLIGHTS is created in collaboration with the embassies of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, as well as the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia and the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

The Riga International Film Festival will take place from October 18 – 31. Its screening venues will be cinemas ‘Splendid Palace’, ‘KSuns’ and ‘Kino Bize’, as well as the National Library of Latvia and Kaņepes Culture Centre. The audience will be presented with more than 100 films in 12 programmes, diverse industry events, and a range of thought-provoking public discussions.