Discoveries from Latvia World Cinema

This playful story of the mischievous dust fairies follows lively dust creatures as they dance around the nursery, travel up the chimney into the clouds, and soar through the sky with rainbows and raindrops.

When you are on the road you know that all will end soon.

A little boy pulls out one Martian toy from a vending machine and it turns into a real alien who takes him to his planet, where he is surronded by the toys from the vending machine, but much bigger.

A melancholic view facing a mirror of water. It deceives the film’s protagonist, who wallows in longing and memories of his lost lover. The water here takes on the shape of a tear, a trickle through fallen leaves, the volume of a drink left undrunk in a bar, and the beauty of an oasis. Perhaps the unfortunate creature should follow the water, so that his beloved can be reborn?

Latvians think through mud and view the world through a “muddy” filter. Where does the mud come from, and why does it invariably remain: in this country, this language, and in our souls? Mud doesn’t just appear from tears falling upon dry earth. Mud also comes from spillover, done out of joy. And the mud itself creates happiness and inspiration for new mud.

A documentary about farmers in Latvian countryside.

Imants is a security guard at a small town store. He is always nice, honest and truthful and would not let anything happen to the store and to the people that are working there, until one night when his honesty and truthfulness are set to a test. He has been given a choice – stay and be dishonest with himself or leave and open has hart to love. The choice seems easy, but it takes some courage to step out of a place where you have been for ages.

The film, dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the Popular Front of Latvia, shows the most important turning points in the history of the Latvian National Awakening and Singing Revolution, as well as the rebirth of Latvian national symbols and values. In The Path to Baltic Freedom the authors focus on lesser known pages of history – the influence of perestroika on the early national movements of the 1980s, the role and participation of the Secret Service and the Communist Party in the newly-forming mass movements and their wish to guide or at least control them. The history of the Popular Front is shown not only until their victory in the first free elections in the history of the USSR that resulted in the restoration of independence for the Baltic states; the film also includes the decline of the organization after it had reached the most crucial of its goals.

An Australian Latvian comes to Latvia, eager to participate in the national Song and Dance Festival. He is alone, without his own dance group - how far will he go to get accepted in a local dance group?

The guards of honour stand in front of the historical symbol of the state. No matter what season and weather is out there, they fulfil their duty. Is there a limit beyond which this honourable duty begins to look exaggerated?

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).

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the echoes of war reached Latvia as well, serving as a reminder of its long border with Russia and the grim memories of the Soviet occupation. The film follows those who decided not to wait. An artist, a sports journalist, an industrial climber, and a Catholic priest join the Latvian National Guard—civilians preparing for the unimaginable.

The first stand-up special of Kaspars Žilins.

The International Folklore Festival in Riga brought together groups from all over Latvia, neighbouring Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Belarus and the Baltic Sea Basin. The documentary covers the main events of the festival, concerts, parades and meetings.

Student film by Arvīds Krievs

Peter often unwittingly triggers a whole series of ridiculous and tragicomic actions. He finds a way to catch a bunch of burglars...

We played with words, we played all day, until Alphabet was made.

Aleksander Laime, romanticist and dreamer at heart, went deep into the jungle of Venezuela in search of Jimmy Angel’s famed ‘Diamond River’. While it was never publicized if he succeeded in his search, residents of Canaima still refer to him as their ancestors once named him – ‘The King of Diamonds’. Through gaining trust, Laime was to see something no other man had ever seen, but was forbidden from entering the place ever again.

A TV documentary about Latvian actor Uldis Pūcītis, featuring fragments from many of his films ("Swap Treader", "Four White Shirts" and others), as well as stories by people who knew him - actors and directors, former lovers and classmates.

A documentary film revealing the incredible and unique journey of the Latvia-born adventurer and Olympic biathlete Raimonds Dombrovskis back in 1988 as he roller-skis 4,200 miles (6,759 km) from Inuvik (The Arctic, Canada) to Baja (Mexico) in 90 days. He uses his rollerski trip as a way to protest against the Soviet regime and to explain to everyone he meets that somewhere on the map there is a small nation that has its own language and craves freedom.

The first of Ansis Epners’s films capturing his travels to different continents, including his climb to a 5000 m base camp of Everest and his visit to the Chitwan National Park on the Nepal-India border.

The film focuses on composer Ādolfs Skulte (1909-2000) and his life story as told through his own memories, archival materials, and music. In interviews filmed in the late 1990s, the maestro recounts his life and recalls his childhood, his studies with Professor Jāzeps Vītols, his work as a teacher, his move from Kiev to Latvia, and his most memorable students – Imants Kalniņš, Mārtiņš Brauns, Vilnis Šmīdbergs and others – the creation of the ballet Brīvības sakta (1946-1950) and other important events in his life, which culminated in the Grand Music Award for lifetime achievement in 1999. Ādolfs Skulte is filmed by his son, cinematographer Gvido Skulte, and the composer's wife Helēna and grandson, artist Kristaps Skulte, also play an important role in the film.

The film begins with closing of the oldest prison in Latvia – the Brasa Prison was built in 1905 and cannot ensure normal functioning. Inmates are leaving the place that has long been their only home. Our protagonists reside in Ward 207. They have really inhabited it – there is even a fish tank in the ward! They are not from a different planet. Humanity of the inmates may contrast with their records of committed crimes. All have their small pleasures and big plans. All are longing for changes and being afraid of them. Likewise, the term of imprisonment is running out for several of our protagonists. They are getting ready for life at large. They know how to survive in extreme circumstances but are unprepared for living a normal life. One’s return to the big world is one of the most accentuated marginal situations.

A family film about an adventure of kids discovering and safeguarding the mystery of an old garden.

As soon as I finished my first marathon, I wanted to become a tripod in order to make a film about it. That is because words are certainly not the right instruments to tell us what it’s like to run a marathon. I think we can try to show it through the characters, noises, texts, lights, the absolute physical understanding of shadows and of the sun, the water, the motions and the serenity. For those who do not practice running in marathons because they don’t want to or because they can’t, I wish to bring something from inside the marathon, out; for example, for my Mum, whose legs ache. I am acting like a spy sent into the marathon.

Waterfall and I, and – no, the other way around! This film is, of course, about nature – human nature. Or – what a human can do with the widest waterfall in Europe.

A chef named Ģirts from the countryside is encouraged to move to Rīga and open a new restaurant.

When there is nowhere left to hide, only the voice remains.

The girl is trying to find out who has the most beautiful moustache.

Frosty snowflakes turn into the flowers of sakura, when lonely old man's hands enfold a cup of hot tea. The last days of famous Japanese haiku master Kobayashi Issa.

A portrait film about Aija Kuģe, an intelligent, charming Latvian woman who is married to a Serb, has lived in Belgrade for 25 years, and is a special correspondent for the American radio station "Brīvība" in Yugoslavia. At the height of NATO air strikes on Belgrade, she continued to report on events in Belgrade, despite increased surveillance by the Yugoslav secret service and NATO bombs. Aija was and is at the very heart of the Yugoslav conflict, as she has gained the trust of all parties involved in the conflict. Aija believes that no conflict can be resolved through repressive methods, weapons or bloodshed. The result of any military action is tears, death, and destruction.

A two-part documentary story about Latvian theater prima donna actress Lilita Bērziņa and her century. An attempt to answer the question: how did time and people shape their idols? On the one hand, she was a darling of the public and a model citizen, whose political naivety is still the subject of backstage anecdotes. On the other hand, a tragic personality with an unsuccessful marriage and an unfulfilled personal life.

Jānis or Johann Steinhauer (1705-1779) was the first Latvian entrepreneur and politician who stood for Latvian rights in Riga, a spiritual leader of Herrnhuters and generous benefactor who started the national awakening of Latvians a hundred years before New Latvians’ movement. Architect Pēteris Blūms has researched Steinhauer’s amazing life for 40 years. German musician Jöran Steinhauer had lived in Riga for many years and fully blended in the local cultural environment. The two men meet to find out if Johann and Jöran are related.

The bank's working hours are over and its director closes the door, not noticing that thieves are hiding behind it. The thieves manage to break into the safe and have the money in their hands when the security grille falls down. The thieves call the emergency services and the operation to free them can begin.

Our heroes are from Latvia, but any country acquainted with drug addiction problem would recognize its youth in them. We do not condemn them, we listen. Their stories are laconic and clear. Illusory world and reality. A fleeting pleasure, price of which – life itself…

A guy decides to take a break from everyone and leaves for a country house together with his beloved dog. The dog disappears. As he keeps on hopelessly searching for it, he comes across his own fear of loneliness.

Rūdis is a middle-aged man with a rather monotonous life. One day, his wildest dream unexpectedly comes true: when he comes home, he is greeted by his ideal family: his wife and two children. Rudy's life is now filled with new events and unprecedented feelings, but they too quickly turn into routine. He is forced to ask himself: was this really his deepest desire?

This is the story of the USSR all-star basketball team – European, Olympic and world champions. What does it mean to be at the zenith of fame, at the high-point of their athletic careers, while representing the interests of a totalitarian state? And from today’s point of view, was there a sacrificing of conscience in the name of athletic glory?

There is an old saying attributed to Alexander the Great: he who will rule Afghanistan will rule the world. The film portrays “the roof of the Earth” and tracks the close links between this far-off country and Latvia.

The protogonist of this documentary is Victoria - a lady who's become a person who provides emotional support to a multitude of children in her neighbourhood.

A philosophical study and personal myth of creation of a woman and her two ways to encounter a man. Screened both at Woodstock and KROK, the film captivates viewers with the elusive and not wholly understandable inner world of a woman.

Workers are doing their work on construction site. But something unexpected calls them away... from the city... And that is only the begginging...

Drugs, relations, parties and people - a young fellow lives through a Day. And does that more than just once. Something is definitely not alright. But what? And is the next time going to be higher, further, stronger?

A short in time and significant in content segment of a child's mental experiences with no editing. The camera's attention is focused on the boy's face, watching a puppet theater performance invisible to the viewer.

The film is set in an isolated metalworking factory, where a metallurgist is doing only one job – endlessly casting himself from tin, to create the ideal cast from the same material he is made of. Metallurgist has an impulsive need to do this job because he is suffering from workaholism and the constant thoughts of not being perfect. The casting process happens over and over again, until one day a mouse shows up at the factory and distracts the metallurgist from his work which puts him at a halt. Can a moment of catching his breath become a part of his work process?

Latgale region of Latvia, 30 km from the border with Russia. Despite the Stalinist repressions, taking away property and lifes of innocent people, two families already in the 4-th generation have stayed in their own land and work on it day in and day out, making almost everything they need with their own hands. Making cheese and butter, brewing beer, shearing sheep, weaving ropes from linen, making split baskets – these and other traditional crafts are part of their everyda life. Just as the Latgalian language, which is broadly used in this region, although it is not included in the school programm and can‘t be used as an official language in state and local government institutions.

Alex is a perfectly ordinary young man whose life changes radically after receiving a strange message and meeting several strange characters who seem to have stepped out of the world of cinema. Under the influence of Zenon's paradox, Alex begins to see the world differently and discovers unusual abilities.

Five blonde women confirm and break stereotypes about blondes and their men. They love, wait, annoy, challenge, surprise – they live next to us – each one different and each with her own blonde story. Mind and emotions, flesh and blood determine the most unexpected actions.

30 years ago (in 1992), a radio sound a like that of the West began in Latvia with founding of “RadioDances” when Uģis Polis together with Jānis Krauklis and other like-minded people launched the first private dance radio station. During the first half of the 90s, “RadioDances” and its successor “Super FM” rapidly Europeanized the cultural sphere in Latvia through radio waves and became the pioneer of the Western music revolution in the independent state of Latvia. The nineties, adolescence, limitless opportunities, hopes, and striving toward democratic Europe encompasses this documentary about the birth of independent radio in Latvia.

A documentary about Miķelis Lisments - a controversial director of fishermen kolkhoz "Banga" in Roja, a village in North-West Latvia.

A comedy about a teacher's destiny, shot in the aesthetic of the beginning of the 20th century.

No one knows how it happened, but not long ago a Latvian bear arrived on the Estonian island of Ruhnu. The islanders were really afraid. At first they tried to catch the bear, but were only able to find his footprints. Later they invited a professional hunter from Finland with a special bear dog. Still no success...

In Paris it was Latvian dancer and publicist Aia Bertran who together with her husband – American artist, philosopher and dancer Raymond Duncan formed alternative education centre Akademia Paris on beginning of 20th century. The centre was know for its special reference to Ancient Greek philosophy, which promotes healthy living and hight ethics. Centre’s most known figure was Isidora Duncan - sister of Raymond which is known for her big influence on contemporary dance movements. Akademia was also known as a shelter for political and social refugees, as well as all sorts of imigrants like Aia herself.

The arrival of the German army in Riga. Registration of Latvian volunteers, parade in Dome square, parade in Riga streets. The first volunteers go to work in Germany, a farewell and a rally. Latvian girls go to work in Germany. Latvians hand over warm linen and skis to the army. The servants prepare the firewood. Townspeople help farmers to weed beets. Residents of Latvia hand over scrap metal to the army. Burial in the Brethren Cemetery. Captain Alexander Mateas and soldier Kiwi are awarded for the Iron Cross.

Educational film about salmon. From caviar to a trip to the sea and a return back to the native rivers. Dedicated to the protection of salmon.

One time on New Year's Eve, Tintin experiences something crazy: it seems that his whole family is involved in a massacre: New Year's Eve Massacre.

Children, sitting around the table, are engaged in "adult" conversations.

The film is a mirror image of the choir Kamēr... (While...), which the viewer sees through the white dresses of the girls in the choir, through the beads of sweat on the conductor's nose, through close-ups of the choir members at moments when the musical ecstasy reaches its climax.