– Oskars Rupenheits’ drama has taken the top honours, including Best Film and Best Director, while Dzintars Dreibergs’ basketball epic triumphed across major feature categories
The winners of this year’s Lielais Kristaps Awards (© Gint Ivushkan)
The 2026 edition of Latvia’s National Film Awards, Lielais Kristaps, has taken place at the Riga Congress Centre, celebrating the finest achievements in Latvian cinema and honouring outstanding film professionals across 25 categories, as well as handing out special prizes and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The night belonged to Red Code Blue, directed by Oskars Rupenheits, which emerged as the ceremony’s biggest winner. Produced by Sintija Andersone for KEF Studija, with co-producers Roberts Vinovskis (Vino Films) and Antra Cilinska (Jura Podnieka Studija), the film clinched Best Film and earned Rupenheits the Best Director Award. The drama further consolidated its dominance through acting and craft accolades, with Raitis Stūrmanis winning Best Leading Actor, Toms Jansons awarded Best Production Design and Elīna Gaugere taking home Best Make-up Artist.
Close behind was Dzintars Dreibergs’ historical sports drama Escape Net, which was named Best Fiction Film. The movie also garnered Best Leading Actress for Agnese Budovska, Best Costume Design for Sandra Sila and Best Sound for Aleksandrs Vaicahovskis. In addition, it received the LSM Audience Award, confirming its strong resonance with cinemagoers across the country. Furthermore, Alise Zariņa’s sophomore feature, the tender dramedy Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart, received three trophies: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Leonarda Ķestere, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Gatis Maliks and Best Editing for Armands Začs.
In the documentary field, the Jury Prize for Best Feature-length Documentary, the Jura Podnieks Award, supported by Hannu Pro, went to All Birds Sing Beautifully, directed by Krista Burāne, and produced by Ilze Celmiņa and Paula Jansone for VFS Films. The Award for Best Documentary Director was presented to Elizabete Gricmane and Ramune Rakauskaite for Art Born in Agony, while Māris Maskalāns received Best Documentary Cinematography for Scarecrows [+see also:
film review
film profile], and the film also earned the Best Composer Award for Pauļus Kilbausks and Vigints Kisevičs.
Animation was led by the horror-comedy Dog of God [+see also:
film review
interview: Lauris and Raitis Ābele
film profile], directed by Raitis Ābele and Lauris Ābele, who won Best Animated Film Director, while Harijs Grundmanis was honoured for Best Animated Film Artist/Designer. The trio of Ivo Briedis, Raitis Ābele, Lauris Ābele and Grundmanis also took home Best Screenwriter for the same film. Meanwhile, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Latvia awarded its prize to Andrejs Brīvulis for the animated short Cleanliness.
Among the other highlights, The Collective (season 2), directed by Juris Kursietis, Rūdolfs Gediņš, Ance Strazda, Artūrs Zeps, Roberts Kuļenko and Jānis Ābele, was named Best TV Series. The Best Debut Film Award went to The Horseman’s Voice, directed by Iveta Auniņa, while Slush, helmed by Aivars Šaicāns and Jēkabs Okonovs, triumphed as Best Short Film. The Best Student Film gong was awarded to My First Funeral, directed by Līva Klepere.
The Award for Best Minority Co-production was presented to Solomamma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Janicke Askevold
interview: Janicke Askevold
film profile], directed by Janicke Askevold, a co-production between Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland. Finally, this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon stunt professional Uldis Jānis Veispals, in recognition of his more than five decades of work, and his pioneering contribution to the development of the stunt profession in Latvia and the wider Baltic region.
Here is the full list of winners at the 2026 Lielais Kristaps Awards:
Best Film
Red Code Blue – Oskars Rupenheits (Latvia)
Best Fiction Film
Escape Net – Dzintars Dreibergs (Latvia)
Best Short Film
Slush – Aivars Šaicāns, Jēkabs Okonovs (Latvia)
Jura Podnieks Award for Best Feature-length Documentary
All Birds Sing Beautifully – Krista Burāne (Latvia)
Best TV Series
The Collective (season 2) – Juris Kursietis, Rūdolfs Gediņš, Ance Strazda, Artūrs Zeps, Roberts Kuļenko, Jānis Ābele (Latvia)
Best Minority Co-production
Solomamma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Janicke Askevold
interview: Janicke Askevold
film profile] – Janicke Askevold (Norway/Latvia/Lithuania/Finland)
Best Debut Film
The Horseman’s Voice – Iveta Auniņa (Latvia)
Best Student Film
My First Funeral – Līva Klepere (Latvia)
Best Director
Oskars Rupenheits – Red Code Blue
Best Screenwriter
Ivo Briedis, Raitis Ābele, Lauris Ābele, Harijs Grundmanis – Dog of God [+see also:
film review
interview: Lauris and Raitis Ābele
film profile] (Latvia/USA)
Best Cinematography
Mārtiņš Jurevics – Lotus [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Latvia/Lithuania)
Best Leading Actress
Agnese Budovska – Escape Net
Best Leading Actor
Raitis Stūrmanis – Red Code Blue
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Leonarda Ķestere – Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart (Latvia)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Gatis Maliks – Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart
Best Production Design
Toms Jansons – Red Code Blue
Best Costume Design
Sandra Sila – Escape Net
Best Make-up Artist
Elīna Gaugere – Red Code Blue
Best Documentary Director
Elizabete Gricmane, Ramune Rakauskaite – Art Born in Agony (Latvia)
Best Documentary Cinematography
Māris Maskalāns – Scarecrows [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Latvia/Lithuania)
Best Animated Film Director
Raitis Ābele, Lauris Ābele – Dog of God
Best Animated Film Artist/Designer
Harijs Grundmanis – Dog of God
Best Composer
Pauļus Kilbausks, Vigints Kisevičs – Scarecrows
Best Sound
Aleksandrs Vaicahovskis – Red Code Blue
Best Editing
Armands Začs – Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart
LSM Audience Award
Red Code Blue – Oskars Rupenheits
“LMT grupas” Export Special Award
Lotus – Signe Birkova
FIPRESCI Prize
Andrejs Brīvulis – Cleanliness (Latvia, short animated film)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Uldis Jānis Veispals
