The film, the director's debut feature, was picked for the main award from 8 contestants selected from 60 movies of 18 countries.
This is the first time a Latvian movie has been awarded first place in the festival, which also saw screenings of Dāvis Sīmanis' Pelnu sanatorija and Laila Pakalniņa's Ausma.
Previously the film won the Crystal Bear award in the Generation/14plus competition at the International Berlin Film Festival. Further accolades in Russian and Austrian festivals followed soon after.
Es esmu šeit has been received very well with the critics. For example, the Hollywood Reporter praised the talented young leads and called the flick a "delicate drama about an often anguished time of life, all handled with sensitivity".
View the awards ceremony by clicking the above video.
