Dates Announced for Spring Film and Lecture Series Cinema Lab

Film fans are welcome to attend the film lecture series Cinema Lab that will take place on four Mondays in March and April. The films in the series will illuminate American politics, the behind the scenes of the fashion industry and the media environment. The first four Cinema Lab screenings and lectures were held in Autumn 2019 with the support of the US Embassy in Latvia and the Kinoskola foundation. They were open to students and academic staff from various universities, as well as the wider public.

Cinema Lab is a great opportunity to end your working day with a good film supplemented with a lecture delivered by a professional in the field. Dita Rietuma, who is the initiator of the series and a film critic and lecturer at the RSU Faculty of Communication Studies, will be joined by foreign policy researcher Mārtiņš Daugulis, former editor of Pastaiga magazine Inese Saulīte-Zandere, playwright Lauris Gundars and Dean of the RSU Faculty of Communication Professor Anda Rožukalne. The theme of the series is "The Media in Film".

• 2 March, 17:30 - Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

The world-renowned, scandalous documentary film director Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 is one of the most significant films of the 21st century. The film reveals the controversial actions of top representatives of the media and the government in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001. The film won the important Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. Mārtiņš Daugulis, political scientist, foreign policy researcher and lecturer from the RU Department of Political Science, will give a talk before the film together with film critic Dita Rietuma from the Department of Communication Studies.

• 23 March, 17:30 - The September Issue (2009)

With this film (dir: R.J. Cutler) we will continue to learn about the language of US documentary cinema and how it portrays the media. This time the focus will be on the fashion industry by taking a closer look at Vogue Magazine and its long-time editor Anna Wintour, whose influence goes well beyond the editorial board. Before the screening, RSU lecturer and film critic Dita Rietuma will interview fashion historian, journalist, and former editor of Pastaiga magazine, Inita Saulīte-Zandere.

• 30 March, 17:30 Nightcrawler (2014)

The protagonist of this American feature film (dir: Dan Gilroy) is a young man, Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhall), who begins to work as a freelance journalist reporting on tragedy - crimes, murders and car accidents. His career develops unexpectedly quickly when he goes from a beginner to a cynical and influential player in the media business, manipulating and constantly crossing the line. This time the accompanying conversation will take place after the screening. Playwright and RSU lecturer Lauris Gundars (Department of Communication Studies) will discuss the structure of this Hollywood movie and how it conveys its message. The film will be preceded by a commentary by film theorist and RSU lecturer Dita Rietuma (Department of Communication Studies) and its use of neo-noir aesthetics.

• 20 April, 17:30 Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

This film is one of George Clooney's best works as a director and was nominated for six Academy Awards. This historical drama about media responsibility takes place in a media company in the 1950s. The film's protagonist is the legendary American journalist Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), whose loyalty to truth and journalistic ethics leads him to clash with US Senator Joseph McCarthy and his policies. The screening will be preceded a short lecture by RSU professor Anda Rožukalne and film critic Dita Rietuma.