2ANNAS CRITICS' WORKSHOP ANNOUNCES SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

During 2ANNAS FORUM three selected participants from the Baltic countries will participate in a four-day intensive workshop led by Michiel Philippaerts. In the workshop participants are going to engage deeply with the art of film criticism, enhance their skills in analysis, writing as well as conduct, write and publish interviews. With the support of the mentor, participants will also choose one winner of the Emerging Critics' Choice Award.

 

PARTICIPANTS

Saara Mildeberg, Estonia

Saara is a cultural researcher, photographer and cinephile with a history of odd jobs at film festivals. Highlights include coordinating film discussions at the international documentary film festival CinéDOC-Tbilisi in Georgia, the international competition OFFshorts at Filmfestival Rostock in Germany and photographer of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival .  

Dāvis Suharevskis, Latvia

Dāvis is a storyteller, actor, and multi-tasker. Experiencing cinema from behind the screen, he fell in love with its magic firsthand. Previously unrelated to arts, he is now increasingly drawn to them. Has received Latvian National Film Award for the best actor in the film "The Sign Painter" (dir. Viesturs Kairišs)  and works in the directing department on various film projects.

Aušra Umbrasaitė, Lithuania

Aušra has studied media art at Vilnius Academy of Arts. Since 2016, she has been working as a coordinator and programme curator in various film projects and festivals. In 2019 – 2023, she joined the team of short film program creators at the Vilnius International Film Festival Kino pavasaris. 

 

MENTOR

 

Michiel Philippaerts has been a programmer and short film coordinator for Film Fest Gent since 2019, following two years as a program assistant. He has curated and organized several local film festivals in Ghent and served as a jury member for the Dutch-Belgian Visser-Neerlandia Prize for Scenario in 2018, 2019, and 2021. As a film critic, he contributes to Kortfilm.be and Talking Shorts.

 

For the 50th edition of Film Fest Gent, Michiel coordinated and curated 2x25, an anniversary project pairing 25 renowned film composers –such as Howard Shore, Eiko Ishibashi, and Gustavo Santaolalla –with 25 directors, including Terence Davies, Radu Jude, and Ildikó Enyedi. He became a member of the short film committee of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) in 2021 and has served on several juries across the Benelux.

 

The Emerging Critics' Workshop is organised with the financial support of the National Film Centre of Latvia.