ArtDoc & ProArt

07.03. – 09.03.2025

The Artdoc&Proart program at IDFF Artdocfest/Riga is a unique platform that brings together the worlds of documentary cinema and contemporary art, creating a space for experimentation, bold explorations, and new forms of expression. The films in this program challenge traditional documentary formats and seek innovative ways to depict reality, transcending the boundaries between cinema, performance, visual art, and philosophy.

This program invites viewers to reconsider their perspectives on identity, the environment, and the significance of art, offering captivating and thought-provoking cinematic experiences.

🎥 Find more about Artdocfest here.

Film screenings

9 March, 18.00
Free with prior registration.

“Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story”, 2024, directed by Kateřina Mikulcova & Petr Smelik
Movie language – English.

The film Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story is part of the extensive Identity project, which pays tribute to Czech graphic design and has already brought viewers a successful television series. In terms of content and format, however, these are two completely different audiovisual works. World-renowned auctioneer and Czech-American Nicholas Lowry flies from New York to Prague as a passionate collector to map out what has shaped and defines the Czech national identity. His travels around the Czech Republic take him to iconic locations of graphic design, including the cities of Zlín, Litomyšl, Brno, and Pilsen, where he explores the work of Tomáš Baťa, Josef Váchal, Alfons Mucha, and Ladislav Sutnar, as well as trying out the famous Pilsner beer. The journeys the quirky guide takes in his tartan suit also lead him to South Moravia in search of the aesthetics of wine labels. He goes on a hiking trip along routes marked by the Czech Tourist Club with their innovative trail marking system, and he meets the current generation of artists such as Petr Babák, Martin Pecina, and Aleš Najbrt. Nicho gets closer to his own roots through uncovering the Czech identity – his great-uncle founded the Primeros factory in Prague, which also spoke to the history of Czech graphic identity.

Find more about the film here.

9 March, 20.00
Free with prior registration.

“Cleaning & Cleansing”, 2024, directed by Thomas Fürhapter
Movie language – English, German and Slovak, subtitles in English.

Cleaning & Cleansing spans an associative range of images from cleaning and hygiene work of the human body and psyche to objects and rooms to cleaning that creates associations to ethnic cleansing and racial hygiene. The film addresses the medical, aesthetic, spiritual and (bio)political dimensions and links areas that are often perceived as separate from one another. It raises, in a minimalist and sensual way, a topic that remains central to society: the optimization and improvement of life, which, if pursued with too much commitment and carelessness – can quickly turn against itself.

Fid more about the film here.

“How Great is Your Darkness?”, 2024, directed by Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen
The movie is without spoken dialogue.

This is a collage of humorous wordless performances, where the use of power is visualized by playing with bodies and mobility aids. The work talks about the hate speech towards people with disabilities in social and health care.

Find more about the film here.