Uldis Jancis

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

This film is a story about that time in the Baltics, Latvia, and Riga. Young rebels of 1960s – nonconformists, hippies and beatniks – have turned into a generation of well-known writers, poets, musicians, directors, as well as politicians of the new independent Latvia. The ones who were 18, 20, or 25 in 1960s are half a century older today. The protagonists of the film are united by the bohemian gathering place of their youth, a small nameless cafe in the Old Town of Riga, commonly referred to as “Kaza” (The Goat). This place is surrounded by legends, myths and humorous stories.

A film about Alexei Avechkin – a talented, creative dancer who opened up a new page in Latvian ballet history but was taken from life unforgivably early. A story about searching, striving and inspiration.

When Lyudmila Ivanova made her infamous claim during a US-Soviet TV programme in 1986 that ‘There is no sex in the USSR!’, her comment – although roundly mocked at the time – revealed a certain truth about Soviet attitudes towards sex and the ways in which it was controlled by the regime, rendering it largely invisible. With this documentary, the director takes us through 70 years of Soviet history to highlight the interplay between sex, politics and society and the changing meanings attached to sex and sexuality under different General Secretaries.

During the soviet time choosing the fate of a rock musician was similar to being a dissident.

Eight-year-old Oskar’s holidays start miserably; his parents “swap” the computer for his granddad to protect the child from the dangerous influence of the Internet.

While the two great powers of Europe were fighting during WWII, the strong family of the legendary Prometheus of Latgale, Andrīvs Jurdžs, was brutally shattered. Fleeing from the Communists, a few of the younger generation managed to escape to the West. The older generation remained in Latvia, but Stalin’s repression deported many to Siberia as “enemies of the state”. The family is scattered over the world, and the post-war genera-tion have never met. While in America, Peter accidentally discovers the documentary film “Perpetual Calendar”, and instantly recognizes his Latvian relatives. Brother and sister, Peter and Helena, follow their parents’ footsteps back to Latgale (Eastern Latvia) to learn more of their legendary ancestor and to finally meet relatives. The family’s search leads to Tomsk, Siberia..

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.

“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."

Prayer for a Home shows how everyone needs shelter and a home – people in Latvia, Europe and troubled regions throughout the world. The film relates the story of the distinguished Latgalian poet Anna Rancāne and her family – her daughter Terēze, her grandson Daniel, and Daniel’s father, Dara Muhammad Ali – who are trying to stick together despite unfortunate circumstances. Even though Terēze and Anna are Catholic, while Dara is a Muslim from Kurdistan, their love transcends religious, national and cultural prejudice. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, the family is not destined to remain together, despite doing everything they can to stay close.

Imagine centuries ago several witches huddled around a steaming cauldron, gleefully consigning offensive items to the foul-smelling brew. Maggots, worms, snails – who knows what else? Perhaps unbelievable, but it did help. This is a story about people who practice their own way of feeling fit and happy. A hunter is convinced that beaver glands offer a unique remedy against various ailments. Herbal teas, picked at the right time, can perform miracles! Many shrink away from bees, but bees can bring relief. All good and simple things, forgotten in the rush of the 21st century.

Choosing the fate of a rock musician was similar to being a dissident. From the 60s, the Soviet Union tried to discourage and restrict the expansion of rock music by any means. They called it the “rotten fruit of degraded capitalism, demoralizing the minds of Soviet youth”. Despite that, rock music broke the wall – made a hole in the Iron Curtain – and gained the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of young people.Rock musicians were on the frontline of the rebellion against the Soviet regime. Despite censorship, they managed to deliver, in a hidden, roundabout way through lyrics and music, the spirit of nonconformity and freedom of choice to their audience. A film about Latvian and Soviet rock pioneers, their lives and destinies.

What kind of masters have we been in our independent country? A quarter of a century ago these four men were among those who voted for a free Latvia. 2015 was the 25th anniversary of the independence declaration. Deputies from the then Tukums district were among of the voters on that day, the 4th of May. A look from outside of Riga.

A film examining the game of doubles of democracy and capitalism since the restoration of independence in Latvia. Freedom from the USSR, pilfering the state, victory in Eurovision, joining the EU and NATO, the greatest crisis in the world – a quarter century of contrast and challenges.

This film is about wondering why the world is the place that it is. Wondering, why beauty often lies in simplicity, or why taking something too seriously might result in the ridiculous, as playing can be at once the most important and serious thing to do.

A story about life in two minutes.

The story of three different cultures meeting together in the realm of ethno-jazz music. Georgian ethno-jazz trio The Shin, the Moldavian band Trigon, Owl’s Ethnographic Orchestra and Intars Busulis. Their breath-taking journey into the souls of Georgian, Latvian and Moldavian folk music, their creation of contemporary music akin to cutting shiny new gemstones from rough old folklore treasures, opening hearts and removing borders between nations and languages. In their travels they become brothers and sisters in music. The scenery and melodies, voices and rhythms on the road they take may change. Yet in the end it turns out to be the way home for them all. The Way Home.

A unique, engaging film that combines documentary footage with narrative cinema to tell the story of four generations of a Latvian family. Sixteen year-old student Jānis has been given an interesting homework assignment – to draw his family tree and explain it. The story of his family begins with his great-great-grandfather who burned down the manors of German landowners during the 1905 revolution. My Family Tree takes us on a journey to various countries and political regimes, showing Jānis’ ancestors to be people of diverse fates and life stories. A rich Latvian trader, a red rifleman loyal to Lenin, a carpenter with the KGB and war refugees in Sweden are only a few branches on his family tree, and the boy has heard something unusual and unforgettable about each and every one of these people.

Once upon a time there was a chimney. By the chimney - there were three houses. In the houses there were seven girls. All of them - blondes.

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.

Playfully avant-garde and exhibiting an intriguing sense of humor, PIZZAS offers a puzzle of widescreen imagery, brash pop moments, and road movie ambience. Pakalnina, Latvia’s best-known director, spun this cryptic but airy comedy/tragedy from a news item about two 18-year-old fast-food workers who robbed their employer’s safe and split. (Gene Siskel Film Center)

Two Latvian actors travel the country and visit different witches and healers to find purpose to their lives after years of alcoholism, which has had a great impact on their personal health. On the way they run into trouble, adventure and many comic, as well as tragic, situations.

MONA is a modern and thrilling drama with erotic and fantasy elements. In a rural area where a slaughterhouse is the only industry lives a mysterious nature child Mona. The dull routine of villagers is broken by a city businessman Thomas who comes there for his uncle’s funeral and to sell the inherited estate. Meeting Mona throws Thomas in a dangerous maelstrom of illusions, passion and obsession.

There is a popular Latvian folksong which begins with the phrase "I was singing out high on a mountain". The irony of it is that according to physical geography there are no mountains in Latvia. So what exactly is the place where the Latvians are "singing out"? It may be safely said that it's the same place where they are skiing. That's how we make mountains out of molehills...Snow-covered mountains, to be sure.

Santa Claus lives on the fourth floor of an apartment block. Santa owns seven dogs, six cats, two rabbits, one crow, one pigeon, one chinchilla, one guinea pig, ten degus and some fish.

Rubiks’ Road is a bicycle path built in the 1980s and named after Alfreds Rubiks, leader of the Latvian Communist party at the time. One of the most ferocious opposers to Latvia’s independence in the early 1990s and later elected to the European Parliament.

Latvia is governed by a strange ruler with a pig’s snout who calls himself Mr. Snout. Loath to being filmed himself and to filmmaking in general, he has locked up all positive heroes in an effort to prevent filming from taking place. The few survivors hope for the return of the Latvian folk hero Bear-slayer, who vanished into the river many centuries ago. In these harsh times, Bear-slayer rises from the water again to fight Mr. Snout. This film is a criticism of how the inaction of the Latvian government has brought Latvian filmmaking close to extinction.

Rudolf is a 13 year-old boy obsessed with filmmaking. As a matter of fact, it’s the only thing he’s really fond of. His main interest is horror films, and he uses a special technique to make them – drawing each shot on long strips of paper. He shows the films on a slide projector with a special live soundtrack. Rudolf ’s story illustrates the conflict between the imaginary world of a boy and the society surrounding him, where everybody expects him to live according to certain rules and dogmas. How does he cope with it? The biggest surprise comes when the local priest asks Rudolf to make a film to be played during the service.

A portrait of female prisoners and their guards in Afghanistan, showing parallel lives - the lives of the female prisoners, the life of the warden of the women’s prison, as well as the foreign advisors. The film shows the interplay of various levels of imprisonment. One level is the women themselves, the other is the strict and repressive rules for Afghan women, and yet another is the security threat of the outside world perceived by the advisors.

In the cemetery of small town, a Man and a Woman, both middle-aged, meet at sunset. He has a ter- rible plan of how to battle with cemetery vandals, but she is suspicious of his real purpose

Chechen boy Mansur, who was born and grew up during war in Chechnya, thanks to his mother Sacita’s persistence and his own talent, garners awards in dance contests all over the world, reminding people of his nation’s culture and valour.

From a refugee of the WWII to president – that's the story of Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Losing her motherland and coming back to it. Latvian, refugee, emigrant, wife, mother, professor, scientist, president.

Some people collect family albums. Sarmīte Sīle, an accomplished arts scholar, takes a nude photo of herself every ten years. Behind this unique series of nude photos that span a lifetime, is her story.

Veteran actors from the 3 Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - gather at a castle in Latvia to receive awards for their roles as Nazi villains in propagandist Soviet war films. They reminisce about the films that made them famous throughout the USSR, but also stigmatized the Baltic countries as Nazi sympathizers in the eyes of many Russians - a misconception that is nowadays exploited by the Russian media, desperate to label the Baltic countries as a fascist haven.

Circumstances force two former friends and schoolmates to meet again after a long separation. There’s an unresolved conflict from their past. Will this chance meeting result in reconciliation?

A short Christmas tale about happiness that might be passing right by you. And that's when you realise you've just missed. Who's fault is that? Is it fear, is it inability to fight, or is it just a matter of luck?

It's Latvia on the 20th of September, 2003 - the day of the referendum about joining the European Union. On the day of the referendum, twelve Latvian film directors of different generations portray twelve different characters across the country. Their life stories and environments affect their decision of voting “for” or “against”.

The two sisters' parents have gone abroad to earn the living, so the girls Marta and Linda needs someone to take care of them. For that they have their dictatorial spinster aunt Una, who desperately wants to get married, and has a sympathy for the jeweler Ivo. Meanwhile, Marta is working hard to get a promised puppy, but her plans are ruined, as her aunt feels a strong despise for dogs. So, the relations between the girls and their aunt becomes really tense. Until the perfect plan of the sisters - to help the aunt to get married, to get rid of her.

Forty years have passed, and the protagonist meets his childhood fear - an animated character named Honka.

This is a story about four men looking for missing soldiers. What is dragging 30 year old great friends to long forgotten war fields? To give an answer to this question would be to find the meaning of life. With sincere emotional touch the film is following the way of an unknown soldier back to his family and motherland after more than half a century. The events of the film take place at the same time as the second war in Iraq. The film is based on a novel „Diggers” by Viktors Duks, nominated for the EPPI Award in 2003.

A documentary about Indulis Ranka, a Latvian sculptor.

At the end of 70ies, when individual houses were getting destroyed in the Latvian countryside to put everyone in Soviet kolkhozs, painters Inta Celmiņa and Edvards Grūbe bought a house in Vidzeme, far away from everybody. It was a new beginning for the house, and for the artists as well, who now lead a double life, spending winters in Riga, and summers - in their workshop in the countryside. It's a story about the classic values of Latvian painting and the environment that breeds it.

World War II separated the Latvian nation into two parts. Fleeing Soviet occupation, a large part of the people left their homeland by the Baltic Sea and sought refuge in the West. New York’s Hell’s Kitchen district became their home and the core of Latvian cultural exiles became young poets and artists. The film traces across half a century to show their life today and what has happened to those young writers and poets (the Troubadour – Gunars Silins, the Internal Dissident – Janis Kreslins, Philosopher the Dionisios – Robert Muks, the Estranged One – Rita Gale, the Observer – Aina Kraujiete, the Outsider – Dzintars Sodums) in their effort to combine the trends of global culture with their ethnic identity, when two cultures, Latvian and American, intersected.

The Estonians and Latvians join hands in this jointly produced Baltic comedy about love and theft centering on light-fingered Margita. Everything and anything that hasn't been nailed to the spot winds up in her possession - whether it's a wallet belonging to a passer-by or a Jeep. But the police are on to her and the streets of Riga are becoming just a little too dangerous for Margita these days (played by rising Latvian star Rezija Kalniņa). She decides to break camp and hitchhike her way up north coming to rest at a little place called Vineeri in Estonia, where she soon finds herself looking after an entire household, including three men and a small boy.

Latvian painter Boriss Bērziņš talks about life and art in his workshop. A documentary that was awarded "Lielais Kristaps" for best debut.

A story about the Livonian (Liv) language going extinct, and about the people still trying to keep it alive.

An omnibus film consisting of ten parts, each directed by a different young director from the Latvian Academy of Culture. The unifying element of the ten shorts is the place where they take place - the airport. A lot can happen there - including a strike by a comet, a malicious attempt to break havoc by passengers, or an exploration of the old airport guard's house where not a lot has changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The film consists of the following parts: A Mishap (Nediena) by Arta Biseniece, Blurp (Šļurp) by Aija Bley, Alien Sky (Svešās debesis) by Viesturs Kairišs, 5 Versions (5 versijas) by Dzintars Krūmiņš, Comet (Komēta) by Māra Liniņa, Cleptomania (Kleptomānija) by Andis Mizišs, Alfredo's Poetry (Alfredo dzeja) by Igors Varenieks, Little Hand (Mazā roka) by Ilze Vidauska, Comet 2 (Komēta 2) by Anna Viduleja, and Life No. 2 (Dzīve nr.2) by Kristīne Želve.

A tragicomic story about the passions and commotions behind the closed doors of communal flats in Riga.