5-11 April, 2024
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lv en

2ANNAS FORUM 2024: Information about the upcoming events

On Monday, April 8, the Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS Industry Days program, 2ANNAS FORUM: In the Maze of Consciousness, will commence. This year's events will centre on the themes of mind, memory, and the subconscious. All events are free of charge and open to all.

 

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

 

MONDAY, APRIL 8

18.00 Unveiling of the installation "AI Odyssey" | Kaņepes Kultūras centrs

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in film production has made it a significant topic of discussion within the global film community. To encourage festival visitors to actively participate and explore the extent of human involvement in the creative process of AI, as well as to investigate whether AI inhibits or promotes creativity, the new media artist Jurģis Peters has created an interactive installation "AI Odyssey." The installation will enable every festival attendee to collaborate with AI in creating their own short film script.

The interactive installation was created as a homage to the iconic black monolith featured in director Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the movie, a monolith placed on Earth by an ancient civilization serves as the catalyst of the evolutionary process. Similarly, today AI is often perceived as a catalyst for further human advancement, the direction of which remains uncertain.

Peter's installation, utilizing the sculptural likeness of the black monolith, symbolizes both unparalleled creative freedom and, simultaneously, evokes connotations of a tombstone. This juxtaposition prompts contemplation on authorship and human creativity, particularly as generative AI increasingly encroaches on various creative domains.

The installation will be available to all visitors of the Kaņepes Kultūras centrs until the end of the festival.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

17.00 Lecture "In the Maze of Consciousness: Film as a Dream" | Kaņepes Kultūras centrs

The concept of the dream serves as one of the metaphors through which we think about cinema. Where does this metaphor originate? What aspects of dreaming do films purportedly emulate? And do our dreams adopt a cinematic structure as well?

In this lecture, film theorist and professor Tereza Hadravová (Czech Republic) will delve into the ideas presented in "A Note on the Film" by Susanne K. Langer, in which Langer draws parallels between films and dreams.

Hadravová aims to explore Langer’s ideas regarding the nature of dreaming, examining whether and how our dreams have evolved over the past sixty years since her essay was written, and if these changes parallel the transformations witnessed in cinema. Additionally, she also aims to investigate the audience's own perspectives on the relationship between films and dreams, including their experience with film-like dreams and dream-like films.

The lecture will be conducted in English, and admission is free of charge for anyone interested.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10

16.00 Discussion "In the Maze of Consciousness: AI - Augmenting Creativity or Diminishing Originality?" | Kino Bize

Together with film industry professionals, we will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the filmmaking process. We will discuss whether AI is democratising the film industry, examine its potential as well as its limitations for practical implementation within this field, and address the ethical aspects associated with the integration of AI in the creative sphere. At the end of the session, the audience will have a chance to ask questions to the participants.

The discussion will be moderated by screenwriter and producer Nira Bozkurt (Germany). The participants will include: 

The discussion will be held in English, and admission is free of charge for anyone interested.

18.00 Short film screening "In the Maze of Consciousness: Algorithmic Visions" | Kino Bize

For this showcase, we wanted to test the limits of AI's capabilities by asking it to curate a selection of the most interesting European short films of the last decade. We invite you to evaluate how artificial intelligence has tackled the given task and whether it has developed preferences in film.

Featured shorts:

  • "The Kiosk" (Anete Melece, Latvia, 2013) | 7 min
    For years now, the kiosk has been Olga’s little home simply because her sweet tooth and monotonous life has made her bigger than the exit. To distract herself, she reads travel magazines and dreams of being far away. An absurd incident starts the beginning of her journey.
  • "Love" (Réka Bucsi, France, 2016) | 14 min
    A short film describing affection in 3 different chapters, through an impact on a distant solar system.
  • "Bath House" (Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden, 2014) | 15 min
    Six characters meet in a bath house. The pedant bath house manager, a couple with a strange way of communicating and a gang with shady intentions. Something goes wrong.
  • "The External World" (David OReilly, Germany, 2010) | 17 min
    A story of a young boy, who learns to play the piano in a universe of absurdity.
  • "Everything" (David OReilly, Ireland, 2017) | 10 min
    Everything invites us to inhabit the positions of other beings – whether a mushroom, an atom, a mountain, a butterfly, a rock, a bacterium, a blade of grass, or a galaxy. This exercise in perception celebrates the interconnectedness and subjectivity of all life. There is no narrative or story, only the universe as you see it, and the universe as it sees itself.
  • "Moon" (Ondrej Rudavsky, Slovakia, 2012) | 10 min
    A guardian left behind by his Atlantean race remains concealed beneath the Moon's surface with his androids, observing man's continued evolution. The new era of enlightenment between man and secrets of the universe will soon unfold, and his people will return from far galaxies for the archives of the old world.

The screening will feature films in English, and admission is free of charge for anyone interested (16+ only). 

THURSDAY, APRIL 11

14.30 Presentation "Navigating the Short Film Industry: Talent Building Opportunities" | National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture

How to find funding and collaborators to make your short film happen? How to stand out when distributors and sales agents receive hundreds of requests? How to be selected in film festivals, when festivals receive thousands of submissions? How to network and build relationships in the industry? 

We have invited the following industry professionals to share valuable resources and insights on navigating the short film industry:

The presentation will be held in both Latvian and English, and admission is free of charge for anyone interested. 

19.30 Discussion "In the Maze of Consciousness: Cinema, Memory and the 90s" | Kaņepes Kultūras centrs

In this discussion we will investigate how the films we consumed in childhood shaped our identity and consider how the themes and perspectives touched on in these films can be viewed in the context of modern society. Furthermore, we will unravel the reasons behind the enduring dominance of nineties nostalgia and explore whether a collective memory was forged during this era.

The discussion will be held in Latvian, and admission is free of charge for anyone interested. 

21.30 Disco "Tape Art 90s" | Kaņepes Kultūras centrs

Join us for a nostalgic journey back to the 90s at the "Tape Art 90s" disco with DJ Roberts Gobziņš. 

Admission to the event is free of charge for anyone interested. 

2ANNAS Industry Days are organised with the support of the National Film Centre and the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk in Latvia.