LENGTH: 105 min
COUNTRY: Latvia
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Drama
LANGUAGE: Latvian w/English subtitles
FORMATS: DCP, Blu-ray & DVD
DIRECTOR: Renārs Vimba
CAST: Elīna Vaska, Andžejs Jānis Lilientāls, Edgars Samītis, Zane Jančevska, Ruta Birgere, Rēzija Kalniņa
CREW: SCREENWRITER: Renārs Vimba; CINEMATAGRAPHER: Arnar Thorisson; EDITOR: Georgios Mavropsaridis; MUSIC: Ēriks Ešenvalds; PRODUCER: Aija Bērziņa & Alise Ģelze
SYNOPSIS
Loneliness, disillusionment and the experience of first love reveal the character of Raya, a 17-year-old living in rural Latvia with her grandmother and her little brother Robis. A staggering turn of events shakes up their lives, and the young girl must come to decisions that even a grown woman would find difficult to make.
In his strong debut feature, director Renārs Vimba tackles the delicate theme of coming-of-age and accepts the challenge of telling the story through the eyes of a young girl.
TRAILER
REVIEWS
The Hollywood Reporter
By Stephen Dalton
“Talented young leads elevate this bittersweet Baltic tale of adolescent angst.”
Variety
By Alissa Simon
“Harsh circumstances force a resourceful and determined Latvian lass to mature beyond her years in “Mellow Mud,” a compelling, bittersweet coming-of-ager from first-time feature helmer-writer Renars Vimba. This evocatively shot realist tale benefits from a spare yet credible script and a knockout performance from big-screen debutant Elina Vaska, who conveys her character’s feelings of anger, abandonment, responsibility and first love with conviction and authenticity. “
FESTIVALS / AWARDS
- Berlinale Generation 2016; Titanic Budapest IFF, Hungary;
- Cyprus Film Days IFF, Cyprus – Best Director Award;
- Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival, Denmark;
- Ankara International Film Festival, Turkey;
- Cinema in Sneakers, Film Festival for Children & Youth, Poland;
- Festival International du Film – La Rochelle, France;
- Karlovy Vary IFF, Czech Republic – Variety Critics’ Choice;
- Guanajuato International Film Festival, Mexico;
- Sarajevo FF – Kinoscope, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Giffoni Film Festival, Italy;
- Der neue Heimat, Freistadt, Austria – Special mention;
- Baltic Debut Film Festival, Russia – Grand Prix for the Best Film;
- IFF “East & West”, Odenburg, Russia – Grand-Prix for the Best Film, Best Actress, Russian Film Critics Prize;
- Helsinki IFF – Love & Anarchy, Finland;
- Silk Road IFF, China;
- Reykjavik IFF, Island;
- CinEast, Luxembourg – GRAND PRIX;
- Filmfest Osnabrück, Germany – Audience Award;
- National Film Festival LIELAIS KRISTAPS, Latvia – Best Feature Film, Best Actress, Best Scriptwriter Award;
- Nordische Filmtage Lübeck, Germany – Children and Youth Jury Award,
- Noordelijk Film Festival, Holland;
- Arras Film Festival, France;
- Filmfest Braunschweig, Germany;
- Cork Film Festival, Irland;
- Bratislava IFF, Slovakia – Student Award;
- Athen IFF, Greece;
- International Film Festival of India, Goa, India – Best Actor (Female) Award;
- Beginning Film Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia;
- Olympia Int’l Film Festival for Children and Young People, Greece – Best Director, Best screenplay, Best young actress in feature film;
- Baltic film Days at the Cinemateque, Oslo;
- Day for Night FF, UK;
- Palm Springs IFF, USA – Special Mention (New Voices/New Visions section);
- Tromsø IFF, Norway;
- Trieste Film Festival, Italy;
- Bengaluru International Film Festival, India;
- Festival International du Film d’Aubagne, France – Best Directing, Best Actress;
- Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, USA;
- EU Film Festival in L.A., USA;
- Seattle IFF, USA;
- PriFest, Kosovo – Best European Film Award, Media Jury Award;
- European Union Film Festival, Singapore;
- Slemani IFF, Iraq;
- The European Union Film Festival, Canada;
- AFI European Union Film Showcase, USA
