On your bike! Get to the cinema and see Audrey Hepburn, shown here in the 1950s classic "Roman Holiday."

RIGA — The true classics of world cinema will be showcased as part of international film festival Baltic Pearl to be held in Riga.

Some 50 films, shot between 1929 and 2009, will screen throughout the festival, which runs from Sept. 10-20. The selected films have received a combined 59 Oscar awards, as well as numerous international prizes.

This year’s festival incorporates several specially themed film programs, with the highlight being the Audrey Hepburn Film Retrospective, in tribute to the late film icon who would have turned 80 in May.

The program also includes internationally acclaimed films which recently impressed audiences at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals.

Baltic Pearl will open today with the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s tribute to the classic motion pictures from the 1930s and 1940s.

In keeping with tradition a special late night cinema, screening will get underway from midnight on Sept. 11 with the premiere of Peter Greenaway’s “Nightwatching” at the Great Hall of the Riga Congress Centre, followed by “The Beautiful Person” by Christophe Honore and “Zift” by Bulgarian film director Javor Gardev.

The festival is a wonderful opportunity for city film buffs to experience rare taste of limited release arthouse cinema, which would never normally be screened in Riga’s mainstream movie theaters.

As well as revisiting beloved golden oldies, the festival will also present the latest works from some of contemporary cinema’s more left field, including directors Atom Egoyan (“The Sweet Hereafter”), Gus Van Sant (“My Own Private Idaho”), François Ozon (“8 Femmes”), Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Wim Wenders (“Buena Vista Social Club”) and Michael Haneke (“The Piano Teacher”), among others.

In addition to the “Audrey Hepburn Film Retrospective”, the program includes Hollywood Legends, Great Depression time movies, gangster movies, Pearls of the European Crown and Cine-Gourmet – presenting the best in European cinema in recent years.

The “Intrigue Movie” and “Special Feature Movie” sections feature works specially selected by festival organizers.

The festival is among Latvia’s most high profile cinema events, which includes the recent Baltic Sea Documentaries Forum and the upcoming national film festival Lielais Kristaps.

Films will be screened at the Riga Congress Center and at the cinema Riga.

Prior to several film screenings cinema experts will make introductory addresses (check program for details).

All movies are presented in their original language with simultaneous interpretation in Latvian and Russian. Headphones should be brought with you.

For further information, please, visit www.balticpearl.lv (partly available in English).

Tickets are available at www.bilesuserviss.lv and its’ booking-offices.