Latvian “Kolka Cool” scores top prize at St. Petersburg Film Fest

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Latvian movie Kolka Cool, directed by Juris Poskus, collected the main prize of the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, which drew to a close in Russia’s second main city on September 29, The Hollywood Reporter said.

This black and white drama, centered on the dull life led by several youths in a small Latvian fishermen’s village, comes as the second feature film made by Poskus, who started out as a documentary filmmaker.

Russian director Alexei Balabanov picked up the best director award for his movie Ya Tozhe Khochu (I Also Want It), which had its world premiere at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.

The jury, headed by Serbian actor/director Emir Kusturica, awarded the best actress’ prize to France’s Émilie Dequenne for her role in Joachim Lafosse’s À perdre la raison (Loving Without Reason). Georgia’s Merab Ninidze collected the best actor prize for his role in Invasion, a German/Austrian co-production, directed by Georgia-born Dito Tsintsadze.

This was the inaugural edition of the St Petersburg Film Festival, which replaced the primarily non-competition film forum, held in the city in 2010 and 2011. The event’s organizers said during the festival that they hope it will soon compete with the country’s main international film event, the Moscow International Film Festival, held in late June.