Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS is an independent film and moving image event, held annually in Riga, Latvia, and is dedicated to seeking out and presenting innovative modes of visual communication. 2ANNAS is a platform that, in addition to the traditional means of filmmaking, promotes new forms of content and expression. Our main objective is to promote the works of professional filmmakers outside of and as an alternative to mainstream cinema products, both locally and internationally. We especially want to see the development of the Baltic films and their trends within the context of the world and to advertise them by creating appropriate environment for developing new ideas and cooperation projects.
Every year 2ANNAS offers a range of short film collections – International and Baltic Competition programmes, guest programmes, retrospectives and others. We strive to present films of all genres to our audience - fiction, animation, documentary, as well as experimental film and video art along with everything else in between. In our programmes we seek the innovative, experimental, unseen or long since forgotten in the film world. An idea or an event cannot last without an inner drive or a wish to express something. Therefore, when selecting films for 2ANNAS competition programmes, we search for works with an individual and unique signature, creativity, aesthetic and technical performance. The festival hosts lectures and exhibitions, theater and music performances, “out-of-the-box” events as well as other activities within the rich city environment. The festival invites film directors, VJs, lecturers, jury members and collaboration partners from a number of different countries to take part in the event. 2ANNAS draws large crowds of visitors, most of which are filmmakers, artists and students from the Baltic States and many other European countries.
2ANNAS exists in a context in which short film is not merely a step towards the first feature but can be viewed as an authentic and standalone work of art.
