The International Documentary Film Festival Artdocfest/Riga is expanding its offerings with the Tunisian documentary film Four Daughters, launching a new inter-festival film program, Artdocfest/Riga Recommends. This initiative will provide audiences with the opportunity to enjoy high-quality documentary films throughout the year.
Festival producer Vaiva Bauze explains: “Over the past years, Artdocfest/Riga has cultivated a loyal audience that deeply appreciates documentary films. This new initiative will allow viewers to enjoy world-class documentaries beyond the main festival, which takes place in March.”
The first film in the program is Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania's renowned work, Four Daughters (2023). The film won the award for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar. Four Daughters sensitively delves into the complex relationships of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, addressing timely topics such as the radicalization processes in Islamic society and the spread of extremist ideas within seemingly ordinary families. Following its success in Cannes, critics praised the film as powerful, bold, confrontational, provocative, touching, unexpected, and, at times, even humorous.
The program will open on November 4 at 18:00 at the Splendid Palace cinema as part of “Documentary Monday.” Following the screening, a discussion will explore the theme of radicalization and its effects on individuals and families in various societies, including Latvia. The discussion will be moderated by documentary filmmaker Kristine Briede, featuring insights from NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence expert and director Elina Lange-Ionatamishvili, and Latvian playwright and screenwriter Matis Gricmanis.
Additional screenings of Four Daughters will be held at other locations in Latvia, where audiences can not only view the film but also participate in introductory events:
- November 12 at 18:00 - Cesis Concert Hall;
- November 16 at 14:30 - KSuns cinema;
- November 17 at 18:30 - Kino Bize cinema, with an introduction by documentary filmmaker Kristine Briede on “Documentary Techniques That Make Four Daughters a Masterpiece”;
- November 20 at 19:00 - Smiltene Cultural Centre cinema hall.
We warmly invite all who wish to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary world issues through the emotional and nuanced lens of documentary film to attend these special screenings.
Tickets are available via the link >> . The film is in Arabic with Latvian subtitles.
Interview with the director of the film "Four Daughters" Kaouther Ben Hania.