2ANNAS CRITICS' WORKSHOP ANNOUNCES SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

For the third year, during the 2ANNAS FORUM, three selected young critics from each Baltic state will participate in the Emerging Critics' Workshop led by Michiel Philippaerts. Participants will engage deeply with the art of film criticism, enhancing their skills in analysis, writing, conducting, and publishing interviews. With the mentor's support, participants will also select one winner of the Emerging Critics' Choice Award.

PARTICIPANTS

Emel-Elizabeth Tuulik, Estonia

Emel-Elizabeth Tuulik is an Estonian-Kurdish writer with a thematic focus on SWANA female narratives, mythology and hybrid belonging. She has been published on Cineuropa, Talking Shorts, Zippy Frames, Film New Europe, and others. Tuulik has participated in international programs such as the Baltic Women in Film and Television, 27 Times Cinema (Giornate degli Autori at the Venice Film Festival), the European Workshop for Film Criticism, the Media Inclusion Initiative at the Toronto International Film Festival, GoCritic! (Cineuropa), and Sunday in the Country (European Film Academy). She is a member of the European Film Academy, FIPRESCI and the Estonian Filmmakers’ Union.  

Elizabete Didža, Latvia

Elizabete Didža is in her final year of multimedia communications studies at Rīga Stradiņš University. In her daily life, she writes a lot - poetry, and for the university media - in the form of film reviews and other articles. Elizabete loves photography and never leaves the house without her camera. She believes that stories can be found in any ordinary moment. Since childhood, she has been passionate about capturing moments in photographs and short films.

Livia Maria Sîrbu, Lithuania, Romania

Livia Maria Sîrbu is an emerging film director and producer. She has directed over nine short films, produced more than 60, and co-produced two feature-length documentaries. Her films were nominated for the Gopo Awards in 2024 and 2025. She received an award at TIFF last year and recently obtained Romanian national funding for her upcoming film. She is also active in the festival circuit, working as a programmer for a documentary film festival, and collaborates as a film critic with various international publications.

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.