Discoveries from Latvia World Cinema

A free screen adaptation of Part 1 of Old Stender's "High Wisdom from the World and Nature". The outskirts of the Duchy of Courland-Nemesgal, second half of the 18th century, serfdom not yet abolished. The pastor, writer and scientist Gotthard Friedrich Stender lives among superstitious Latvians, passionately trying to understand them, enlighten them and bring them to their senses. To this end, he writes a book about the way the world is ordered.

A rap-style musical animation about the adventures of working-class children in Rīga at the beginning of the 20th century – about their first loves, troubles and joys.

The story of a film "Commission" starts in Georgia at some unknown point of time where a heroic, mythical female character has written a book which is being delivered by a courier (the artist herself) to three powerful women. The content of a book is hidden within an existing book – "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" written by Medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli who dedicated the book to 12th century Queen Tamar who at the time brought prosperity and many social changes in the country. Being used as a secret shell or a reference to female power from the past, the freshly embedded content of a book serves as manifesto to the women who haven’t been equally appreciated due to history books still being written from male perspective. The book offers alternative gaze to a world history which can exist only in utopian science-fiction film commissioned and executed by females only.

Lonely, 45 year-old worker Kasandra has just received a lethal diagnosis from her doctor. She goes to her high school reunion, confused, and is faced with phantasmagorical events that completely shatter her daily routine. Kasandra flees from the city. In the forest, she is engulfed by a river and brought to a secluded sea shore. Alone and over time Kasandra experiences an unusual healing and rebirth.

For people Father's Day is a celebration, but for one small bird - an ordinary working day. And concerns are the same old - to get food for his family.

The old forest-guard lives in a house in the middle of the woods surrounded by his friends, the animals. One day he hears that the hunters are planning a hunt. The situation seems hopeless, but there is someone who can help – the Rescue Team.

Jemma Skulme (1925-2019) experienced many different times during her long life, and the conversation revealed how time and events have influenced the life of this creative person. The conversation with the artist took place on February 12, 2016, in her studio in Mežaparks. Džemma's memories are permeated by enormous diversity, complexity, a considerable burden of responsibility, time, and many other factors that have undoubtedly left their mark on her life.

In the early 1920s, soon after the Latvian republic was established, about 2000 Baptists immigrated to Brazil to await the end of the world. It did not come, and Latvians created an island of Christianity in the middle of a rainforest. The Latvian language is still spoken in the Vārpa settlement, but the younger generations have left the area.

Andulis, a little bat, wakes up at the wrong time and discovers that he, unlike his fellow bats, loves sunlight and warmth. After making friends with Little Mouse, who looks almost like him, Andulis is surprised to find out that, unlike his own dwelling, Little Mouse’s house is not upside down.

The director of the film looks at his father, photographer and non-conformist, from a drone’s perspective, as he digs a grave humming his childhood song.

The documentary film Laidi tells the story of the last year of Laidi Primary school in Laidi Manor, southwestern Latvia. Ieva Epnere came to Laidi in autumn 2021 as part of a creative residency to learn about the history and stories of the parish and to find inspiration for a new artwork. During the residency, the idea of collaborating with the school's theatre group was born, and together with choreographer Elīna Gediņa the movement performance Laidu leģendas (eng. Tales of Laidi) was created. Parallel to the development of the idea, the artist learned about the decision of the Kuldīga County Council to close the school. The disturbing news prompted Epnere to document the situation. The result is a documentary film spanning all seasons and connecting the everyday life of the school with preparations for a reunion that will also be a farewell.

Alongside Munch, Lemmy, Green and other beasts and birds, there is also a lively and a little cheeky rodent. The rodent gnaws on everything in its path, often thwarting the good intentions of Munk and Lemmy...

Katrīna is a typical city dweller who has lived in Mangaļsala all her life, but she has a less than typical passion. On one hand, Katrīna is a rational, young and well-educated professional, but on the other – an irresponsible child of nature, who keeps a dog, two cats and two horses in her limited urban space.

Work with black, unreliable outlines and the whitest of spaces. The straight black line transforms into a humanised image and a cube. Now, the two test each other. “Attempts at destroying the obstacle turn into acceptance, when the character recognises the obstacle as part of itself,” is how the director describes the film’s plot laconically.

A short documentary portrait of Jurģis, an autistic boy.

The protagonist of the film, Viktors, after losing his eyesight not only gets over depression and sense of estrangement but goes on living a full-fledged life – he forms a relationship, finds strength and motivation for mental development. Aware of his difference from the ones who can see, Viktors does not feel unworthy and loses no hope. Instead, he perceives the inconveniences, caused by the elusive or illogical attitude of the society and lawmakers, with humor, as if they were curiosities.

Andris Dambis – car builder and living auto sport legend - talks about persistence, courage, and his desire to be the first. The first off-road vehicle, the first electric car taking part in the Dakar Rally, the first electric car built in Latvia.

An attempt to conjure up the legend of Jānis Tīdemans, a bright star of Latvian artistic bohemia of the 1930s, and his complicated family life. A theatrical journey through time and space. Paris. Riga. Poverty. Recognition and fame. The artistic detective answers the romantic longing of the viewer, who he "really" was...

A message brought by the wind urges a lonely man to go out to the city, but there is someone who does not want him to leave the room.

The last film of Juris Podnieks, it is dedicated to the memory of cameramen Andris Slapins and Gvido Zvaigzne, who died tragically during the shooting by OMON forces in the center of Riga in 1991.

The film portrays the political situation in occupied Latvia 37 years ago, when writer Imants Ziedonis formed a group of like-minded peers into ‘’Dižkoku atbrīvotāji’’ – DAGi. Film reels and photos of the time show Imants Ziedonis and the DAGi participants – Māra Zālīte, Anna Žīgure, Roze Stiebra, Andris Buiķis, Vitolds Kucins and others. Today, with their contemporary experiences, they reflect on a time when the dream of an independent Latvia seemed impossibly far away. We’re Still Here reminds the younger generations that it’s possible to do good in the name your nation and its future not matter the circumstances.

Toni, the former theology student from former Yugoslavia, lives in Germany now, he loves the Dutch and Amsterdam and he is a big fan of the mayor of Venice, "because he likes Nitsche." He is not gay but he supports homosexuals "because Wittgenstein was gay." Toni is waiting for a German passport in order to leave Germany and find work in Amsterdam.

"Kurzeme is in the voices—the voices of windmills and airplanes, fishing boats and ocean liners, land and sea, the elderly and children, victims and heroes… In our voices." A text by Jānis Peters, read by actor Juris Strenga, accompanies the story of Kurzeme—its history and present day. Turning the pages of a harsh history filled with wars and revolutionaries, the “price lists” of medieval executioners, and the tragedy of Zlēki during World War II, the film returns to the summer of 1969, bringing together various characters and events.

For 91-year-old Ruta acting is not just a career: it is her lifestyle. Once again, she starts working on a new role. This time the theme of the play provokes questions about her own life: how does one deal with ageing? And, most importantly, - is there a specific time when an actress should leave the stage?

The story of rural people in 2004 - at the time when Latvia joined the European Union. A thorough study of the situation in rural Latvia over the course of the last thirty years, where the conflict between the familiar and the new, and desire and opportunity has fostered creative thinking in farmers looking to be masters of their own land. In the film we see a German farmer who bought property in Latvia; the head of a large parish; a family of young former citizens; eco lifestyle supporters - soybean growers, including an organic farm and its owner who takes a loan from a bank for the first time.

Latvians have always fought under foreign flags, but have always wanted to return to their homeland.

It is a bit funny and a bit sad story about snowmen and…spring. Everyone has got their time and place in this world. Like that rabbit who managed to get fresh carrots in spring.

An ironic reportage about Shakespeare’s Juliet who has turned from a symbol of love into a victim of mass culture. The film was shot during a day in the backyard of the Cappelletti house in Verona.

Documentarian Ivars Zviedris began filming Faithful unto Death after meeting a woman who unknowingly carried a surgeon's tool in her abdomen for 27 years, following an appendectomy. This discovery led Zviedris to explore the resilience of pensioners in rural areas, who survive by forming cooperative living arrangements, sharing a single household. These arrangements, driven by financial necessity, reveal the struggles of individuals who must live together despite fractured relationships, pooling their pensions to cover basic expenses. Central to the story is Mara, a woman with a tragic history of lost husbands, who remained with her last partner, Ivars, for 24 years, bound by their mutual need to survive.

A brutal force interrupts the cowboy's journey to the city. In a state of unconsciousness, his consciousness is confronted with his subconscious, and the cowboy undergoes a painful ritual of self-purification.

Aivars becomes a witness to a murder. The killers capture him and take him to the forest to be shot. To stay alive, he figures out how to buy out the killers.

Artis Baranovskis is a "registrator". He helps his clients by setting up fake companies. An hour before leaving to his own wedding, Artis has to find Jana, who's a fake shareholder of a company with a million euros on its account. Once she's found and her looks changed to those of a rich lady, Jana realizes her power and starts to play her own game.

After falling out with his girlfriend, Pauls, an employee of an advertising firm, starts spying on Sandra, a woman who lives across the street. As Pauls’ obsession with Sandra deepens, he becomes a witness to her murder.

The true story about Latvian poet Austra Skujiņa, who spends her days dreaming and writing poems while working in the Ministry of Agriculture. Her accidental late night meeting with a policeman in a park triggers a series of unexpected events. The young poet is forced to face a choice between giving in to the policeman’s blackmail or informing on him to his superior. During these events Austra Skujiņa writes her last published poem.

Walking through the streets of Riga, you meet all kinds of people, some may support Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Depending on where and when you are, these people could be on every corner in the city center. But you also come across those who are ready to resist a possible invasion. Some are more hesitant, others more confident. Do we all - friends, acquaintances, strangers - share the same values? Or are we sometimes interacting with people driven by hatred or completely different beliefs to ours? A passionate defender of Ukraine might find love in Riga, but her thoughts are still consumed by the war she escaped. She’s caught between fighting the enemy and struggling with her own emotions. How can you love someone who might be your enemy?

A female ninja tries to break ties with her spiritual teacher. The seemingly unexpected and humiliating death of her teacher is only the beginning of this process; it is a decisive step in her life. The action takes place in a specific environment, and the characters, references, symbols, and movements are directly related to the history of cinema, more specifically, to Japanese ninja films made in the 1930s–1960s.

An emotional and stylistically consistent documentary musical depicting the staging of Bernstein’s West Side Story with deaf youths. The dramatic material is intertwined with life and the emotional scenes of the musical; it creates a distinctive choreography, which is a statement of the deaf people’s craving to love this world and to be open. Reciting to music, which is the way of singing of the deaf, is the strongest and most unexpected witness of the realities of their world.

“Today you will hear my most honest and truthful story about how I made a movie with Eisenstein and Pudovkin almost 90 years ago, how I shot from a bow in the movie Ivan the Terrible, about how I taught the Red Army to ski, how I built the Riga Film Studio, about Naval ships, about Stalin and life in the Universe."

A film-diary that jumps through time and space, and finds connections between various sceneries and situations, which ordinarily would not exist together.

An attempt to conjure up the legend of Jānis Tīdemans, a bright star of Latvian artistic bohemia of the 1930s, and his complicated family life. A theatrical journey through time and space. Paris. Riga. Poverty. Recognition and fame. The artistic detective answers the romantic longing of the viewer, who he "really" was...

A lyrical sketch about how dreams can lead to the land of dreams and fairy tales.

It takes half an hour to an hour to dive into a completely different scenery when taking the train. The time transformation between place and movement captures an overheard conversation between two people discussing family, religion and language. The viewer is brought into a haze and blur of time perception and easily overseen details of the National Belgian Railway.

Pēteris doesn’t get a chance to go pee before the start of the closing race of the semester’s swimming lessons, but he lacks the courage to back out of such a pressure-filled situation. It gets even worse when Pēteris learns that a red spot appears when pool water comes in contact with urine. In facing such a hardship, the boy must become a man.

When the last of her friends has been buried, an elderly lady is on her way home from the graveyard. Her own memories play out in front of her eyes all over the city. At the local coffin store, she has to face a choice – a coffin or an old sledge. She says her goodbyes and takes off towards the nearby forest. It isn’t easy to make death charming and almost jovial, but director Rene Turtledove accomplishes it in this animation short about an elderly woman who has buried one too many friends and decides there are better ways to spend her money and her time than on the local coffin shop.

A short fantasy film about a man who is meticulous in every action. The entire action takes place and ends during breakfast.

The To Be Continued documentary follows lives of five children throughout their first school year. Kārlis's family is firmly rooted in the Latvian countryside. Gleb's grandparents came to Latvia only in the Soviet period. Zane's family are first-generation urban-dwellers. Anastasija's family moved from the city to the countryside. Anete's mum lives and works in England. The film explores how these choices made by adults are reflected in a child's thinking.

A glimpse into the everyday life of contemporary Latvian car enthusiasts through the experiences of two young people. Maksis is determined to pass the technical inspection of the Jigig, which he has been trying to restore for years. Pauls has bought another BMW e36 and plans to use the legendary model to enjoy the lifestyle of a proper Bembist. The film places the viewer in real situations and interactions between similar young people, creating a collage of fragmented experiences and revealing the beauty, tension, love and fun of the automotive world.

Two men in post-communist Latvia go around preaching Gods word and get involved into all kind of encounters. Erik is a super-pious moralist. But Daniel is a super-consumerist who preaches the gospel of wealth. Their arguments and battles are laugh-out-loud funny as they attempt to convert the heathen (who smile and look on in pure amusement).

From midnight until early morning you can travel to any suburb of Riga on a streetcar named Help, whose interior becomes a stage for life’s dramas, human exhaustion and hope. The streetcar is a democratic place where anyone can spend some time.

Once upon a time a strange magician arrives during the festivities at the King’s palace. He is a Master of Ice, and his specialty is to freeze everything. The King does not like the icy magic, and the magician is impolitely sent away. Even the Princess laughs at him. But later the angry magician returns and freezes the Princess, stealing her away to his ice castle. When they try to rescue her, the Mater of Ice freezes the whole kingdom. Only young Page remains unfrozen, and he is only one who can try to rescue the Princess...

Direct and meticulous observation of interpersonal relations is a classic subject in documentary films. In this film the title of which alludes to “Hamlet”, we will observe the birth of compassion in people. Compassion is something that has to be dealt with in very rigorous terms, something that needs to be stripped of the layers of clichés that this word has amassed over the years. Is it always a true feeling or just an imitation? How does a deep compassion spring forth? Who are the true “masters of compassion” and what are they like?

Raising awareness about the issue of hazardous substances and motivating users to increase pressure on the manufacturers of these products.

An autobiographical work from Herz Frank. Images guide us through the countries in which he worked, interspersed with fragments from his earlier films: births, autopsies, circumcisions, prisoners awaiting execution and other shocking themes.

A documentary that looks back at the past year - at how Russia's war in Ukraine has evolved, changing and transforming the lives of Ukrainians.

According to an ancient folk tradition, Yuletide is celebrated after Christmas. It is difficult to understand who is circling in this motley dance – real animals, evil spirits or just funny mummers.

The first comedy special of Aleksandrs Guzenko.

The old forest-guard lives in a house in the middle of the woods surrounded by his friends, the animals. One day he hears that the hunters are planning a hunt. The situation seems hopeless, but there is someone who can help – the Rescue Team.