The Latvian-produced feature Monotonija (Monotony) has won the prize for best film in the “Perspectives” competition during the 29th Moscow International Film Festival. The award was announced June 30 at the conclusion of the nine-day festival, according to the festival’s Web site.

The 90-minute film is directed by Juris Poškus, who also wrote the screenplay. The cast includes Iveta Pole, Varis Piņķis, Artuss Kaimiņš and Andis Strods.

Pole portrays Ilze, a young woman who responds to advertisement in a newspaper and leaves her village to become an actress in Rīga. She fails, but cannot bring herself to return home. Her boyfriend comes to Rīga to bring her back, but then decides to leave for Ireland. The story unfolds as they lie to each other in an attempt to deal with their emotions.

The film saw its premiere in Rīga in January.

Poškus studied at the California Institute of the Arts, where he earned a master’s degree.

Minister of Culture Helēna Demakova congratulated Poškus on the film’s success, noting that it shows Latvian cinema is capable of being competitive. The film was financed largely from the state budget, according to a Ministry of Culture press release.