Discoveries from Latvia World Cinema

On April 6, 2025, Samanta Petakova finished her 300th marathon in Krakow, Poland. This medal earned the marathon runner the title of Latvian record holder, but the road to the record was not strewn with roses. Samanta's mother left her when she was six years old, and her father passed away two years ago. The marathon runner's life has been full of trials and tribulations, but at the same time, she is proof that a person who is seen at the top of the mountain did not fall there. Samanta's story confirms that challenges in life are not a stamp in your passport. This story is about big goals, high stakes, determination, perseverance, and the fulfillment of seemingly impossible dreams. It will inspire anyone who is faced with a choice—to do or not to do. It is a reminder to everyone that with faith in yourself, you can do great things.

Video version of Kopandrapants - ElektroŠorks in the Garden (2021).

Kujenieks, accodring to Rucava area traditions, is an invited or uninvated wedding guest, who comes to the wedding party in a mummer's costume as a trustee of the new couple's deseased relatives.

The film invites Latvian youth to join the auxiliary ranks of the fleet. The film uses documentary footage of devastated Riga. Helpful training was filmed in late July and early August 1944 in Riga, Torņakalns-Ziepniekkalns district (near Zennītis), and in Jūrmala, between Lielupe and Bulduri (near spotlights). Zigfrīds Pūders is also seen among the youthful helpers.

Adapted from an ancient Roman tale, "Mēnessbērns" tells a story of a girl Vita, who begs the moon to give her a family. The Moon Goddess makes her wish come true, but at a cost.

Ourelijs and Medards are two outwardly different individuals who have reached dead ends in life. Their reunion at former teacher's birthday party becomes a turning point, leading both characters through mysterious night towards confrontation with the abyss of their current existences.

A charity show by Latvian comedians and partners in support of Ukraine. The show featured performances by more than 30 artists, including Baiba Sipeniece-Gavare, Aleksandrs Guzenko, Četri Brāļi, Jānis Kreičmanis, Kalvis Troska, Rūdolfs Kugrēns, and others.

When kindergarten pupil Raita and her friends learn that their beloved horse Orlik is in danger, the children do everything they can to save him.

“Turpinājums” is Rūdolfs Kugrēns’ latest stand-up comedy show. The epicenter of Rūdolfs’s narrative and jokes is Āgenskalns ¬¬– the Riga district where he grew up and still lives. It is this part of Riga that serves as an inspiration for many of Rūdolfs’ jokes and as the beginning of his life roles - being a son to his parents, to whom he is a continuation, and being a father to his son, who is his continuation.

What happens when Latvia's best comedians and TV diva Baiba Sipeniece - Gavare meet on the same stage? A very hot roast is expected. Following the best traditions of "roasting", Baiba will have to sweat a lot, but she will not be left in debt for her answer.

It is a hot summer day and the Song Festival rehearsal is underway for the kokle ensemble. The exhausting rehearsal is enlivened by the arrival of percussionist Reinis. The ensemble's soloist Zane feels that this fateful encounter strikes not only the strings of the kokle, but also the strings of her heart. After the rehearsal, at the school where everyone is staying overnight, Zane realizes that her instrument is missing. It is the eve of the concert, and in the morning they must go to the final grand concert. She asks Reinis for help, as he is the last person to have seen the instrument. As the two wander through the school's dark corridors, it begins to seem that perhaps they will find more than just the lost kokle.

Jacob's desire for a voice break and self-affirmation becomes the main event in an adventure where the school choir, friendship, and mysterious aliens intersect in a pre-apocalyptic twist of fate.

Fascination with movement, fixation of time, the mystery of life, the birth and dance of a butterfly… Through the history of mankind and film, these things never left us, they always bothered us and always will…

An experimental photo film - an allegory about the course of human life, which continues from generation to generation - childhood is followed by youth, starting a family, years of maturity and old age.

Allegory of the birth of five billion people on the globe in 1987 and the threat of overcrowding on the planet.

Plasticine animation film, which has received honorary diplomas, diplomas and commemorative awards from the Jelgava City Culture Department at the 29th Kurzeme area amateur film screening in Jelgava. The film focuses on the importance of the environment and the quality of education in the learning process and children's personal development.

An avant-garde film made in the technique of spatial animation, in which the idea of the vertical of power and the struggle with dogmas is played out. According to the newspaper "Literatūra un Māksla", it is the best animated film with an impeccable plot in the 1986 Latvian SSR amateur film screening.

A collaborative film where each artist expresses their vision of one colour found in the visible spectrum of light.

In a coastal climate, surrounded by pine trees, a creature strives to return to its origins. A private house in Jūrmala is an Eden set in horror, where shadows and lights create a visual poem reminiscent of a bedtime fairy tale by Hoffmann – under direction by Pakalne, it offers hope while carrying a warning.

More than anything, I want to rise into the air with you and share an arena – this could describe the choreography of Latvian dancers Artūrs Nīgalis and Mārīte Supe, where nearly two lifetimes are danced out. In the Riga Circus building, opened in 1888 and now reconstructed, endless longing, tears, emotionally charged equilibristics, truth, and duality revolve. Have our relationships also reached a circus-like amplitude? Estonian director Pulk seems to have found the answer to that.

A news crew investigates a mysterious anomaly reported by residents of a small Latvian village, but the more questions are asked, the less clear it all gets…

This documentary is about singer Larisa Mondrus, whose musical career and life story are unique. In the 1960s, Larisa's voice was first heard in occupied Latvia, and then, when her family moved to Moscow, she became famous throughout the Soviet Union. In the 1970s, Larisa Mondrusa fell out of favor with Soviet cultural officials and managed to emigrate to the Federal Republic of Germany, where she surprisingly built a brilliant career on the German pop music scene. Larisa's songs in Latvian also gained enormous popularity in Latvia, behind the Iron Curtain. People listened to Larisa, as well as the Chicago Five, Ilmārs Dzenis, and others, on illegally imported records and widely distributed recordings. The filmmakers met with Larisa Mondrus, her partner Egīls Švarcs in Germany, and interviewed Larisa's contemporaries and stage colleagues.

Late 1950s, a scientific council brings together doctors, artists and Soviet functionaries to prepare the opening of a new museum. Discussions and disputes oscillate between the ideology of the exhibition and the difficulty of procuring flooring. The minutes of the meetings from the time of the museum's founding are reopened in 2023, played out and discussed by museum directors and actors.

The story of the national partisan struggle after World War II. For the majority of the Latvian people, the communist occupation was unacceptable.

A journey through time and space, accompanied by a 17th century guide, presenting a colorful array of unique material – the symbols of Riga, historical buildings, city administration issues – creating a detailed overview of Riga's history through the centuries. The film is a gift – a video book for the city's 800th anniversary celebrations, and it is an appendix to the joint work of the Riga History and Navigation Museum and SIA "Rīgas nami" – the book "Riga Administration in Eight Centuries."

The film is a typical auteur work with an observant but emotionally charged attitude. The film's action takes place while driving past the villages of Latgale. The houses are located right by the road, but few people manage to cross the threshold of this peculiar way of life. The people are welcoming and open if you manage to speak to them from the heart, but the peculiarity of this life remains an unfathomable mystery. The film crew visited more than 20 homes in Tiskādi, Poromonovka, Ružāni, and Silmale, listened to stories of life and death, sang along with the cheerful ones, and mourned with the sad ones. The result of these human encounters is a film about a world of isolation and immeasurable vitality – the Old Believer villages of Latgale.

Architect Edgars Šēnbergs – a man from the park bench – in the park between the University of Latvia and the Freedom Monument with his books "Sensōrum" and other materials. This film follows Edgars Šēnbergs' travels through the regions of Latvia, identifying hill forts, checking and comparing place names, thus confirming the validity of his hypothesis about the origins of the Latvian language. In the film, Edgar Šēnbergs' reflections and narration are visually complemented by expressive landscapes of Latvia, especially Sēlija.

Liene and Rihards find out that they have won 10 000 lats in the lottery, but they have 10 minutes to find the receipt of their successful purchase. As they rummage through their belongings and look for the receipt, they gradually discover things they have been hiding from each other. Not only are their belongings revealed, but also their relationship.

Cheerful, yet obedient Mareks is preparing to celebrate his bachelor party, which is not very pleasing to his dominating fiancée Ilze - in her opinion, everything must be perfect and tasteful. However, the event planned by Mareks and his friend Koļa turns out to be a complete disaster, resulting in Ilze breaking up with Mareks and calling off the wedding. Nevertheless, Mareks does not give up and, together with Koļa and the accidentally met Tīna, goes on a journey full of crazy situations to win back his bride.

It is a hot summer day, and the elf Tuncis is worried that the stream might dry up. Austras Koks reassures him that when it gets too dry, Varde always calls on Pērkonvīrus, and then rain falls over the forest. But this time things are different—the Underground Mother puts Vardi to sleep and orders her helpers to guard him. The time has come for Austra's tree spirits to save Tuncis and the other forest dwellers from drought.

The second stand-up comedy special of the comedian Kalvis Troska.

“Being a composer means sharing joy and love for the possibility of harmony, at least in music,” says Pēteris Vasks, who celebrates his 70th birthday in 2016. He lives two parallel lives: one with the music that is born in his head, and the other – an everyday life, like any of us. The film crew takes a look at the composer's life from the creation of a piece of music to its premiere. It tells of the inspiration that the composer draws from the wonderful nature of Latvia, his childhood in a pastor's family during the Soviet era, and his inexhaustible joy of life. "The world must remain in balance so that we do not all fall into the abyss. The evil, aggressive and brutal, and that which is created by the power of love, faith and conviction... The less time I have left, the more I have to focus on the main thing – the affirmation of love."

Notable Latvian underground musician Gatis Ziema goes on a non-stop alcoholic odyssey, which includes a spontaneous marriage.

A film about the grandfathers of Latvian graffiti – the TDV collective. Fragments, excerpts, and evidence of recklessness from more than 20 years of personal archive material, telling the story of the paint left on the walls of Riga and other countries – and its significance. A personal insight into the association members' attitude towards their hobby and their games with the law, prejudices and the dark side of the city.

The end of the 1970s. The Soviet Union is in a state of stagnation and apathy during the Brezhnev era. Ethnic and social tensions are simmering. An armed group of young people appears in Latvia, wanting to fight Soviet rule using guerrilla tactics. They blow up railways, carry out armed attacks, and intimidate KGB informants. The most daring plan of the young people is to track down and kidnap Augusts Voss, the leader of the Communist Party of the Latvian SSR at the time. The USSR State Security Committee called them the Zilberts gang. How should we evaluate the activities of a group whose actions, both then and now, can be considered criminal offenses? Bandits or partisans? This case goes beyond the bounds of conformity and nonviolent resistance, which is precisely why we decided to tell its story.

Life coach Victor, receiving criticism for his work, is looking for a new job. Applying for a job at the Internet Research Agency, Viktor becomes one of the Kremlin's Internet trolls, but going against his values, Viktor experiences yet another fiasco that leaves him disappointed in himself and others.

In a new ideal world everything is tested. Before giving birth, women must go through a test that reveals not only the health of the foetus, but also it’s psychological predispositions. The system makes the decision: does society need this human being? If not, the foetus is terminated in the womb. Mary and Eve, two women waiting for their first-born, have opposing views on motherhood.

From Berlin to Madrid, Venice to Paris, Warsaw to Zurich and Riga to Rome. Life stories, first heartbreaks, thoughts on immorality, conversations after twenty years of marriage, of people on the streets of Europe, shown through beloved places in their home cities, shot on a Super 8 camera.

Emergency crew men help the owner of a small café to get rid of racketeers.

The first task for the Emergency Brigade is to rescue the Monument, whose head has fallen off.

Three children play football near the fence of the national army barracks. A bad thing happens - the ball flies over the fence. To retrieve the ball, the children seek help from the men of the "Emergency Brigade". Soon their car is there. The children explain what happened. The guard thinks that the flagged "Emergency Brigade" car belongs to a diplomatic mission, but as Bembelat is about to enter through the barracks gate, the guard is startled and sounds the alarm. The underground passage is ready and the men of the "Emergency Brigade" disappear into it one by one. Things get crazy in the barracks training area...

A cat's "songs" late at night interrupt the retired man's sleep. The noise is getting intolerable and the old man calls The Rescue Team. They arrive immediately, without even finishing their supper.

When a rural entrepreneur hears stories of a German Tiger tank sunk in the border marshes, plans are hatched to find it and pull it out of the swamp with private machinery. The rhythms of the life of the tireless Ilūkštis and his relationship with his extended family are revealed as he chases the tank. But does the world need another tank when the fragility of human life is realised?

Raimonds, 21, is a construction student who has taken a gap year at university. He spends his everyday life at his parents' house, playing computer games and slowly drowning in the virtual world. But this idleness is interrupted when his aunt brings his cunning and at least inwardly energetic grandfather Gunārs to the family home, who has to attend a medical check-up in the city. Raimonds' mother and aunt have to leave for a few days, so Raimonds will have to look after Gunārs and take him to the hospital.

A personal portrait of director's hometown through his memories and subconsciously made postcards.

A documentary about the legendary personality at Latvian Radio - Gunārs Jākobsons.

When Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February, the world was shocked, but few could imagine the barbarity that the Kremlin regime would unleash against the Ukrainian nation. This documentary presents an insight and eyewitness accounts from the crimes.

The most difficult moment in parents’ lives is when their children leave home. Valentina and her long-awaited and selflessly raised son Ruslan, live in a small Latvian town. Ruslan is now a teenager and a talented young pianist. The town they live in is too small for him to develop his talent, so he should head to Riga to continue his studies. Through this film we follow along the experience and the feelings of the mother who should let her son go - and leave her.

Feature documentary on the antics of North American Latvian youth in the 1980s, during the last years of the Cold War – from chaining themselves to the Russian Embassy, to organizing an entire cruise ship treading the Soviet border in the Baltic Sea – generating headlines when few could even find Latvia on a map. The main hero is Juris Bļodnieks’ old Chrysler Valiant “Slant Six” that has been in storage for 25 years: painted with anti-Soviet slogans such as “Nyet, nyet Soviet!” and “Go(rbachev) to hell!”. A generation of US Latvians remembers the car appearing in demonstrations across North America. Day to day, while driving around his home state of New Jersey, Juris used the car to further the seemingly hopeless task – to free an illegally occupied Latvia.

My sister died several years before I was born. I only know her from old family photos and visits to her grave. Nevertheless, she was a present part of my life. I fantasized about her and was convinced I was her reincarnation. I thought a lot about whether I would meet the same fate as her - a death at a young age from a brain tumor. My film tells what my sister meant to me, my brothers and my parents, and what her death triggered in us.