The main prize of the short film festival 2Anns is awarded to the film from the Philippines Human Voice / Day

This year, more than 100 films from 30 countries were screened in the festival competition, and the competition works were evaluated in four categories – international short film competition, Baltic competition, medium -length film competition and children’s and youth competition. Prizes for the best animation, documentary and experimental film were also presented.

”2Annas There has always been a place for freedom, but to be possible – mutual trust is needed. This year, watching the winners’ films is the opportunity to see fragile, existential and also witty stories that ask the question – what it means to be man and a living being, what it means to exist in a world of complex patriarchal systems, ”emphasizes Laima Grazdanovich, Riga International Short Film Festival 2Annas Program Director.

This year’s Grand Prix winner – movie Man’s voice (Dir. Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Philippines) – is an allegorical and multi -layered story in which a mysterious man is found in a small mountain city forest after an earthquake. The film deals with the presence of guilt, myths and the presence of the forces of nature. And the best Baltic short film, documentary Bad animals (Dir. Ildze Felsberg, Latvia), in a sensitive but at the same time witty language focuses on people’s attitudes towards reptiles, illuminating society’s stereotypes of what is considered acceptable or « beautiful » in the world of animals.

Tina Zarina: « This year’s film selection was brilliant and bold. Several films chose challenging shapes and themes from visual experiments to politically sensitive stories. I was particularly touched by the authors’ desire to discover vulnerable, to be honest with the viewer and to themselves.

29th winners of the Riga International Short Film Festival “2Annas”:

Best contest movie, Grand Prix and Gold Anna winner – Man’s voice (Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Philippines, 2024, Feature Film, 22 min) The allegorical story of responsibility, nature and myth staged after earthquake events in a small mountain town.

Best Baltic Short Film, Gypsum winner and new critics award – Bad animals (Ildze Felsberg, Latvia, 2024, documentary, 13 min) film, which is sensitive to stereotypes of people and reptile relations in the community. At the same time, the filmmakers also received the possibility of film post -production from BBRental and BBPOSTHOUSE for € 3,000.

Best animated movie, Gypsum winner – Fish anthology (Vera Lamminpää, Finland, 2024, animation, 10 min.) Poetic and existential insight into the last minutes at the fish counter – waiting, thinking, singing.

Best documentary short film, Gypsum winner – Movement (Elahe Esmaili, Iran, 2024, Documentary, 27 min.) Personal Portrait of Changes in Women’s Life and Iran’s Society during Movement Woman – Life – Freedom.

Best drama/game cinema short film, Gypsum winner – Sauna day (Anna Hints, Tushar Prakash, Estonia, 2024, Feature Film, 13 min.) Intimate insight into the male relationship in the quiet world through the sauna ritual – the tenderness behind the harsh facades.

Best experimental movie, plaster Anna winner – Wound (Nathan Ghali, France, 2024, Animation, 25 min.) Surreal and symbolic story of a mysterious animal community living in the life of its rituals in the cellars of the church.

The best middle -length movie, Gypsum winner – Internal (Misja Pekel, Netherlands, 2024, experimental, 50 min.) A poetic mixture with archive materials – the story of friendship, alienation and European border experiences.

The winner of the children’s competition, Glass diploma winner – Daum (Kristina Parvatkina, Latvia, 2024, Animation, 3 min.) The searcher of the infertile desert finds a flower – the allegory of beauty and hope in the most inserted place.

The winner of the youth competition, Glass diploma winner – the little ancestor (Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur, Canada, 2024, Animation, 11 min.) The poetic story of the revival of the ancestors’ house-time and the inevitable change.

Jury recognition –

A man’s gaze recipe (Joey Arand, Alma Weber, Germany, 2024, Animation, 3 min.) Bright and ironic animation of dream to shoot a 16mm masturbation movie – with a grandmother’s recipe in your pocket.

Made of sugar (Clempia Cedó, Spain, 2024, feature film, 25 min.) A powerful and touching story of an intellectual challenge and the collision of the mother’s instinct with the system.

Heavenly Diary (Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Lebanon, 2024, documentary, 44 min) Atmospheric sound symphony of violence in Beiruta – the convergence of sound and politics in one audiovisual work.

Golf Club Viesturi Promotion Prize – The wandering dots and the empty square leaf universe (Ieva Lība Ratniece, Latvia/Belgium, 2024, Animation, 5 min.) Poetic reflection on the creative process and fear of the empty page – the power of the first point over the universe.

Prize winners received the opportunity to use this year Failiem.lv Advantages of professional file storage and exchange, which will be an essential resource for their future creative activity.

This year 2Annas The competition programs were evaluated by an international jury consisting of industry professionals with extensive experience in the distribution and creation of films. John Kanchan is one of the most experienced short film curators in Europe. He is Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur Creative Director, Festival Cinema Cameo Winterthur Film curator, as well as European Film Academies and Short Film Conference Member of the Board. John is known for his ability to see innovative cinematic language solutions and support film authors who choose to go their way outside the usual frames. Oleksandra (Sasha) Prokopenko, a film curator from Ukraine, which is currently creating a program of the Kijiv International Short Film Festival. She also works with LGBTQIA+ Film Festival Sunny Bunny And is an active dealer in Ukraine. Tīna Zariņa – Latvian filmmaker with experience in analogue photography and documentary cinema. After studying at the Latvian National Film School, Tina has directed several short films, videos and series. Her works have been shown at European Film Festivals with international recognition.