Easy to be young? Film Festival Program Announced: From Harsh Realism to Youth Rebellion
The international student short film festival Easy to be young?, taking place in Riga from March 12 to 14, has announced its full program. The festival lineup includes professional masterclasses at the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) National Film School, three grand competition screenings at the Splendid Palace cinema featuring award-winning works by Baltic and Nordic students, and a unique retrospective dedicated to the art of cinematography.
On March 12 at 18:00, the competition program at Splendid Palace will open with the screening This Big, Weird World. The highlight of the evening will be the Latvian premiere of Reinis Ūbelis’ film No No Place Hotel, which recently had its world premiere at the prestigious PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival). The screening will also feature two other films nominated for the Latvian National Film Award Lielais Kristaps – Bardo and My First Funeral – alongside works from Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. This selection is the most diverse in the festival, bringing together the tragic, the comic, and the eerie – the fundamental elements of life.
Alongside the competition, a special screening titled The Cinematographer Has Arrived: A Retrospective will take place at 20:30 at Splendid Palace. Dedicated to the process of filmmaking and the craft of cinematography, the program opens archives usually hidden within the academy walls. These works, created as student exercises and early explorations (1976–1985), offer a unique testimony to the crystallization of visual language and professional habits before a filmmaker's public debut. The focus remains on the cinematographer's tools – light, composition, and movement. The evening will conclude with a discussion featuring Kristaps Opincāns and LAC Honorary Professor Valdis Eglītis, providing an insider’s look into the study environment and resources of that era.
On March 13 at 18:00 at Splendid Palace, the second competition screening, The Senses of Rebellion, will showcase the untamed spirit of young filmmakers. These stories journey from the urban streets of Norway to the rural landscapes of Latvia and Estonia. Balancing between documentary and fiction, the films explore the fragile threshold where youthful mischief transforms into the need for self-expression and maturity.
The competition cycle will conclude on March 14 at 20:30 at Splendid Palace with the final screening, Darkness, Walk With Me. In this program, authors delve into the shadow zones of human existence, posing existential questions. The centerpiece is the Norwegian investigative documentary Pedo Hunters about a vigilante group, followed by explorations of Icelandic superstitions, the fate of mermaids in Latvia, and the Estonian futuristic work Memory Merchant.
In addition to the screenings, the festival will offer a masterclass program open to all interested participants. These masterclasses will be held in English and are designed for festival participants, film industry professionals, and the general public. Participants will have the opportunity to receive a professional development certificate from the LAC Continuing Education Center. Further details regarding the masterclass schedule and registration will follow shortly.
Tickets for the screenings are available at splendidpalace.lv, and registration for masterclasses is available via the application form on the LAC website. The full program can be found at lka.edu.lv. Follow the latest updates on Instagram: @filmu_skola.
Festival Supporters: Splendid Palace cinema, Go3 television, SIA BBRental, SIA BBPostHouse, Valmiermuiža Brewery.
Photo: Still from movie “Anarhija pirms rudens“
Media Contact:
Karīna Kolendo,
Festival Producer
karina.kolendo@lka.edu.lv