The first prize went to Latvian Davis Somanis and his documentary Chronicles of the Last Temple. The film poetically observes and records the construction of the new Latvian National Library, the most controversial and long-discussed edifice in modern Latvian history. Excellent camerawork, a complex narrative, representation of various social groups and burning issues in the post-Soviet world determined the jury's decision to give the main award to this documentary.
Two Latvian directors Ivars Zviedris and Inese Klava came in second with their documentary Documentarian, a film exploring the camera's impact on relations between the author and the character. The jury believes that the heroine of the film, Inta, not only reflects certain social problems but also becomes the documentary's co-author.
The festival's third laureate is Marat Sargsyan with his documentary Father that has been awarded at several international festivals. The documentary tells the story of Vidas Zenonas Antonovas who has been recorded in the book of the most interesting criminals of the Soviet Union. It is a documentary about the values of an ex-con, about a man challenging time and destiny, about the drives of an insatiable lust for life. It is a love story of one family. There are neither romantic moments nor miraculous changes. But there is a strong potential to change our understanding of what a happy and loving family is or could be. The jury believes the attempt to change the wall of prejudices is a very brave step of the documentary filmmaker.
The cash prizes have been provided by the foundation of the Kazickas family.
The best 12 works by Baltic documentary filmmakers have been presented for the competition program of the Baltic documentary festival since 2008. This year, the program included five Lithuanian, three Latvian, and four Estonian documentaries.
