Riga 2006

At the Arsenals festival held in the Latvian capital city, our jury prized a Norwegian subtle comedy looking like a Nordic drama: Jens Lien's The Bothersome Man (Den Brysomme Mannen), and a Lithuanian film shown in the Baltic section: You Am I (As esi tu) by Kristijonas Vildziunas.

The Bothersome Man	You Am I

Riga International Film Forum Arsenals: September 16-24, 2006.
Details of the FIPRESCI Prizes
The festival's website

Reports:

Don't Swallow the Button. Goran Gocic gives a detailed cultural overview of Riga and its many cultural spheres, including the Riga International Film Forum. To the uninitiated, this is a fascinating glimpse into a festival with truly "off the beaten track" traditions. Overview

What is the Future for Animated Films in Latvia? Shahla Nahid researches new trends in animated filmmaking in Latvia, writing: " Despite the obvious creativity in Latvia's animation industry, the country is lacking trainers and formal learning opportunities in this field." Nahid concludes with two probing interviews with regional experts. Report

A True Man Show. "This is not supposed to be a very joyful movie, but it manages to be a very enjoyable experience," writes Miguel Somsen about FIPRESCI prize-winning The Bothersome Man. "[The film] looks like a sad Nordic drama, but it feels like a bittersweet comedy, like spiced-up popcorn with a twist of lemon." Review

A Would-Be Typical Baltic Film. In You Am I, writes Inga Perkone-Redovica, "We can see how the archetypal environment [of the Lithuanian landscape] starts to fill with strange young people never seen before in the Baltic cinema." Perkone-Redovica is encouraged to note that, "It is perfectly possible to watch the film without any special interpretation…" Review

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