Launched in 2005, the ZagrebDox world documentary film festival is held annually at the end of February and beginning of March to focus on the niche called the ‘creative documentary’ genre. One of the festival’s goals is to encourage development of documentary film arts in the near regional countries and showcase them to cinema professionals from elsewhere, while the contest itself culls films from all over the world – “young, brave and outside the mainstream”.
“Pelican in the desert”, already screened Monday and Tuesday, tells the story of Latgale, Latvia’s eastern region with its distinctive historical, cultural – and above all, spiritual character through its people and landscapes. Kairišs and cinematographer Gints Bērziņš won awards for their work on the film at the National Film Festival “Lielais Kristaps” in December.
Laila Pakalniņa’s “Hotel and a Ball”, a philosophical rumination on the profundity of oppositeness from a juxtaposed hotel and football field in Kuldīga, will be shown on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
