21-10-2019

FNE at Riga IFF 2019: Riga IFF Goes VR

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    RIGA: The 6th Riga International Film Festival, running through 27 October 2019, launched a new innovative workshop Riga IFF Goes VR as part of this year’s expanded industry section, handing out three awards at the end of the workshop.

    The three-day event, which took place 18 – 20 October, consisted of a cluster of events dedicated to the growing technology of virtual reality. With VR still an emerging technology in the Baltic region, the project was set up as a collaboration between Riga IFF and the interactive production house Story Hub (based in Riga), along with the involvement of the National Film Centre of Latvia. The workshop brought together filmmakers, graphic artists, game developers, and sound and media experts, to develop educational projects for kids and youth.

    The workshop included presentations by experts from Lithuania, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Serbia, followed by a 24 hour period in which teams of young VR creators and filmmakers worked together to prepare and pitch projects. The workshop concluded with a pitching session to experts and the general public, followed by the awarding of three prizes.

    The awards went to:

    1st place: CQR with a project designed for autistic children. The prize includes an invitation to attend and pitch the project at the Digital Freedom Festival.
    2nd place: Delfi Campus with the project The Living Room with a WWII themed topic. The prize included 1,000 EUR for the marketing of any project created by the team.
    3rd place: The Magnetic Latvia prize went to the VR FilmSchool with a project on understanding filmmaking and appreciating film history.