The film event „Crazy Night 7” will take place on the Walpurgis night, April 30 this year at the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture (17 Elijas Street, 3rd Floor) starting from 9pm until dawn the next day. The film event is organized by the Latvian Academy of Culture and is completely free of charge for everyone. During the night visitors will also be able to visit the chill zone, enjoy drinks from cafe „Leningrad” and listen to music all night long. All films will be screened in the original language with simultaneous translation into Latvian.

At the „Crazy Night 7” film event visitors will have the chance to see world renowned films from Germany, Canada, Switzerland and France. Traditionally the Crazy Night repertoire features films from countries whose culture and languages are taught at the Latvian Academy of Culture in the BA programme „Intercultural Communication”. Since in summer 2018 students will be enrolled in such specialties of the programme as „Latvia – Germany” and „Latvia - France/ Canada”, this year's event focuses on films specifically from these countries. “Crazy Night 7” will feature Sebastian Schipper's “Victoria” (Germany, 2015), Peter Mettler's "Gambling, Gods and LSD" (Canada, Switzerland, 2002), Leos Carax "Mauvais Sang" (France, 1986) and Carl-Theodor Dreyer's "Vampyr" (Germany / France, 1932).

Alongside masterpieces of world cinema, viewers will be able to get acquainted with the latest audiovisual works of the students of the Latvian Academy of Culture, that have already been noticed and appreciated in the Latvian cinema industry. The repertoire includes films from Tina Zarina (Dauga Spirit, 2017), Marcis Miljons (Tētis Snauž/Dad is Drowsing, 2017), Elizabete Mežule-Gricmane (Tu es tout, 2017) and Antons Barons (Bezmiega Piezīmes/The Notes of Insomnia, 2017).

This year’s “Crazy Night” takes place on a night when one of the best-known pagan festivals – the Walpurgis Night - is celebrated in many places around the world. The legend has it that it was the night when the gathering of witches took place for the Witches’ Sabbath. Inspired by the legend “Crazy Night” repertoire includes several films matching the theme. The film by Tina Zarina "Dauga Spirit" is a story from the viewpoint of a suspicious alien at the beginnings of the psytrance movement in Latvia, while the masterpiece of Carl-Theodor Dreyer "Vampyr" is without doubt one of the greatest cinema interpretations of the image of a vampire.

“Crazy Night 7” will also feature the film by Canadian director Peter Mettler “Gambling, Gods and LSD” (2002) which is the first time it is screened in Latvia. The film is created as a "travel diary" that loosely documents Peter Mettler's own "introspective journey" through four countries: Canada, the United States, Switzerland and India. The film consists of four segments, each showing what people do to discover themselves and find happiness.

This year “Crazy Night” will celebrate its 7th anniversary. With great success, the film event has been organized 6 times before, dating back to 2006 and attracting great interest from viewers each time. The aim of the organizers is to restore this cinematic event, which has already taken on an important place in the cultural life of Riga, bringing together around 700 film enthusiasts annually.

“Crazy Night 7” is organized with the support of the Latvian Academy of Culture, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Goethe-Institut in Riga, the Danish Cultural Institute, the French Institute in Latvia and the Embassy of Canada to Latvia.

PROGRAMME

Quelle: Latvian Cultural Academy