Dita Rietuma

Director, National Film Centre of Latvia(NFC)

Dita Rietuma has been Director of the National Film Centre of Latvia (NFC) since 2014, leading Latvia’s national film institution and shaping the country’s film policy, public funding, international cooperation and industry development.

Under her leadership, Latvian cinema has gained unprecedented international visibility, most notably through Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow (Straume), which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, alongside a Golden Globe, European Film Award and numerous other international distinctions. The film became a landmark achievement for Latvian cinema and the country’s most successful film at the domestic box office.

A former film critic for Diena, Rietuma has been closely involved in Latvian cinema for more than three decades, combining expertise in film culture, industry development and public policy. She is a member of the European Film Academy and actively represents Latvia in European and international film networks.

Rietuma is also an Associate Professor and researcher at the Latvian Academy of Culture, where she teaches film history, theory and contemporary audiovisual culture. She holds a PhD in Art Sciences from the University of Latvia.