RSU commences film lecture series Cinema Lab

The long-cherished project of RSU lecturer, film critic and director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, Dita Rietuma, has come to life with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Latvia. The lecture series was opened by Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995) starring Nicole Kidman.

Each event in the Cinema Lab series will start with a lecture delivered by an expert on the topics covered in the film. To Die For was preceded by a lecture from the Dean of the RSU Faculty of Communication Professor Anda Rožukalne together with Dita Rietuma. The film is about naïve journalist Suzanne Stone who has aspirations to fame. ‘The film highlights the phenomenon of social media influences and a “one-click” approach to business that is so prevalent today. The film starts as a mundane reflection on daily routines that eventually turns into drama, and whose participants do not notice that their destinies break down in their chase of fame,’ explains Rietuma.

Cinema is one of the most powerful means of mass communication. However, as it has developed, filmmakers have also paid a lot of attention to other media, like the press, TV and social networks. Media coverage of cinema and the potential of media to influence society, including history, is the subject of this year's series.

The screenings and lectures are made possible thanks to the support of the US Embassy in Latvia in cooperation with the Kinoskola foundation. Eight screenings of US films coupled with expert lectures on related subjects are planned for 2019 and 2020. All films will be screened in their original language.