Reinis Kalnaellis

At times soaring above the clouds, at times reaching the lowest of lows, I fight to survive and to find a place for myself.

Documentary charting research at an ancient holy site. Miracle Hunters: Zilaiskalns, is about Zilaiskalns (Blue Hill), an allegedly sacred place and its own local spirit man Anatolijs. The place is associated with the Marta of the Blue Hill, a legendary woman with extraordinary abilities.

When a chicken is kidnapped by two thieves, a lively adventure full of humor and with a surprising twist begin.

When a chicken is kidnapped by two thieves, a lively adventure full of humor and with a surprising twist begin.

An ancient Latvian folk tale is the basis for this colorful animated feature in the tradition of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. A vengeful sorceress casts a kingdom’s princess into a deep sleep at the top of an icy mountain, where she awaits release from the spell that will destroy the land. Of all the men vying for the honor, the shy outcast son of a family of thugs is the most unlikely. Director Kalnaellis brings a playful sense of humor to the characterizations and adds zippy contemporary elements including a chorus of wisecracking crows. (Gene Siskel Film Center)

An ancient Latvian folk tale is the basis for this colorful animated feature in the tradition of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. A vengeful sorceress casts a kingdom’s princess into a deep sleep at the top of an icy mountain, where she awaits release from the spell that will destroy the land. Of all the men vying for the honor, the shy outcast son of a family of thugs is the most unlikely. Director Kalnaellis brings a playful sense of humor to the characterizations and adds zippy contemporary elements including a chorus of wisecracking crows. (Gene Siskel Film Center)

We played with words We played all day until Alphabet was made

The story of young lives in the young offenders unit in Cēsis, Latvia. A place governed by its own codes and order, where unwritten rules are more powerful than the written word. In the making of the film, the production team witnessed a gamut of attitudes and emotions. Much can be understood from the youths’ gestures, facial expressions and from their actions. Secretive and uncommunicative, they are victims, yet perpetrators of crime. But, also still children.

The harsh environment of Latgale determines the visual language and provincial aesthetic of this film, while the particular milieu of the surrounding pottery furnaces and old cottages depict an end of the line region where one man is burning himself in the fires of his artistic passion, making of clay pots.

The harsh environment of Latgale determines the visual language and provincial aesthetic of this film, while the particular milieu of the surrounding pottery furnaces and old cottages depict an end of the line region where one man is burning himself in the fires of his artistic passion, making of clay pots.

The harsh environment of Latgale determines the visual language and provincial aesthetic of this film, while the particular milieu of the surrounding pottery furnaces and old cottages depict an end of the line region where one man is burning himself in the fires of his artistic passion, making of clay pots.

The harsh environment of Latgale determines the visual language and provincial aesthetic of this film, while the particular milieu of the surrounding pottery furnaces and old cottages depict an end of the line region where one man is burning himself in the fires of his artistic passion, making of clay pots.

The harsh environment of Latgale determines the visual language and provincial aesthetic of this film, while the particular milieu of the surrounding pottery furnaces and old cottages depict an end of the line region where one man is burning himself in the fires of his artistic passion, making of clay pots.

Cat lives in an antique wood cabinet with his devoted friend Mouse. There is an apple orchard on the fringes of the old town. But this autumn, while Cat is picking apples, things turn out differently. All of a sudden a strange egg rolls into the orchard.

Cat lives in an antique wood cabinet with his devoted friend Mouse. There is an apple orchard on the fringes of the old town. But this autumn, while Cat is picking apples, things turn out differently. All of a sudden a strange egg rolls into the orchard.

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.