By chance, Luize and Kaspars meet on a trip to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve. She’s running away from annoying neighbours and general sense of pointlessness; he’s running away from a failing marriage. They’re both young, talented, and lost; they both want to become artists; they’re both unsure how to go on about their lives. Maybe that’s why their shared trip turns into a strange, sometimes funny and sometimes complicated journey through a relationship over the course of three years.
To save one life is to save the world.
A true story about the Rigan Žanis Lipke, who hid dozens of people during the war.
No one could have predicted that Žanis Lipke would become a hero. During the day, he worked at the storage facility of German military aviation and at night was busy transporting illegal goods. When Nazis began persecuting and killing Rigans, he made a promise to himself, which could have proved lethal both for himself and his wife and son. Literally under the noses of German soldiers, he took more than fifty people to safety. He made a makeshift shelter for them in his own home.
What was the secret behind Lipke's courage - was he simply a risk taker and spiteful daredevil? Or did he have a gift for human compassion even under extreme conditions?
A national film where joy meddles with sorrow and love enhances the wish to live.
It is a fantasy of the author of the film Jānis Streičs and a dedication to Blaumanis with a spontaneous glance back at the events when characters of Skroderdienas were very young. They have different names and the action is moved to a much later time than when Blaumanis lived.
It is the dawn of the XX century which promised Latvians a prosperous and happy future, the national self esteem of the nation had awaken and the ability of farmers to overcome even the estate stewards were increasing. The old soldier of the Kaiser Roudup, with his wealth and pride, being a thorn in the baron’s flesh, becomes truly uncontrollable when he gets hit by the Cupid’s arrow. For a simple maid Emily the old boy is willing to do anything. But the girl loves his godson Kārlis. It all involves both riches and lawlessness of the baron and cheaters. The fight of two relatives for the heart of Emily changes both the fate of both men and the maid, so she can see sunshine through the tears.
Cast: Romualds Ancāns, Rēzija Kalniņa, Arturs Skrastiņš, Dainis Gaidelis, Velta Straume, Venta Vecumniece, Jānis Paukštello, Uldis Dumpis, Ingrida Andriņa
Directed by Jānis Streičs
Scriptwriter: Jānis Streičs
Producer: Andrejs Ēķis un Aigars Grauba
Rudolf is a 13 year-old boy who is obsessed with film making. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing he is really fond of. The film shows the conflict between the imaginary world of the boy and the society surrounding him, where everybody tries to make him live according to certain rules and dogmas.
Directed by Roberts Rubīns
Scriptwriter: Jānis Kalve
Producer: Antra Cilinska, Guna Stahovska
Family Instinct is a film about incest - social taboo and a violation of religious norms. Zanda is a 28-year-old woman, trying to survive with her two children in a god-forsaken Latvian village. Valdis is serving a year's sentence in prison for physically abusing them. Family Instinct follows Zanda for the duration of that year as she tries to cope with the hardships of poverty and the amorous of frequently drunken attentions of several local men. During the year local community forces her to make a difficult choice: to stay with Valdis or with her children. Film is structured around the impending release of Valdis; it is in fact a heartbreakingly touching and unflinching look at the lives of several people that live on the extreme margins of Latvian society. The film provides extraordinarily intimate footage of this group of vulnerable people, drawing you into a claustrophobic but compelling world that few viewers will have ever experienced. Family Instinct is at times shocking and heartbreaking in its depiction of life on the edge, but its central characters nevertheless display a wonderful sense of humour and even optimism in the face of terrible adversity.
Directed by Andris Gauja
AMAYA– is a story about a romantic guy Paul (actor Andris Mamontovs), who wanders around the world after a dramatic divorce from his girlfriend Lori (actress Kristīne Nevarauska). The USA, Chile, Japan, India, Thailand... After three years Paul finds himself in Hong Kong. Here he meets Amaya (actress Kaori Momoi) and her comic family. This strange Western guy Paul applies to take massage courses organized by Amaya’s brother-in-law Tao (actor Lau Dan). In the saloon he meets Jasmine (actress Monie Tung). Prior feelings do not go away easily, and show up again in the least expected times and places. Three different women help Paul go through unexperienced feelings of “love”, “longing”, “joy”, “divorce” and find new meaning in life. The movie explores different types of relationships. It shows the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, and sometimes comic and even absurd situations that can occur in everyday lives.
Cast: Kaori Momoi, Kristine Nevarauska, Andrius Mamontovas, Laura Luize Dzenite, Lau Dan, Hui Shiu Hung, Monie Tung, Dexter Fletcher, camera man Gints Bērziņš, music Andrius Mamontovas
Directed by Maris Martinsons
Scriptwriter: Maris Martinsons
Producer: Linda Krukle, Maris Martinsons (Latvia), Chen On Chu(Honkong)
I Cross your heart and hope to die! Can you honestly swear that at least once in your life you have not thought that robbing a bank is a good idea? Especially, if you’re five years old and that bank has just thrown your parents out of a brand new apartment, because your father has lost his job.
Robby (5) is no Zorro, but he’d like to be. His sister Louise (7) thinks he’s too childish, but can’t resist the game of robbing a bank. Together they can pull off just about anything. Getting away with it is the hard part.
Cast: Gustavs Vilsons, Zane Leimane, Karls Markovics, Artūrs Skrastiņš, Juris Žagars, Aija Dzērve, Imants Strads, Gunārs Placēns, Skaidrīte Putniņa
Directed by Armands Zvirbulis
Script: Māris Putniņš
Producer: Gatis Upmalis
“Lotte and Moonstone Secret” is a full length animation film about the adventures of the joyful dog girl Lotte and her friends in search for the mysterious Moonstone. In their exciting journey Lotte and Klaus meet many extraordinary characters, and each of these encounters teach Lotte something new about life.
Directed by: Heiki Ernits, Janno Põldma
A story of credulous German teacher’s Monsieur Taurins tragicomic adventures in France...
Cast: Gundars Āboliņš, Markus Boestfleisch, Angelina Noa, Masha Maskina, Maija Miķelsone
Directed by: Alexander Hahn
Marta (8 years) and little Linda (4 years) need a nanny for a short period of time. Girls' parents have gone elsewhere to earn living for the family. Mother's sister Una is asked to come and take care of the girls. This summer Marta wants to get a puppy of her own. The plans of the mother's sister are even more ambitious. This summer she hopes to get finally wed. Both of them have found the candidates. Marta - the neighbours' puppy, but the aunt - jeweller Ivo. However, Una forbids Marta to even dream about the puppy… because she dislikes dogs. This is the begging of Marta's and Una's fight to see their dreams come true.
Cheerful puppy-girl Lotte lives in a small seaside village with her father, a famous inventor, and her spirited mother. Lotte always has things she wants to do, and she is always eager to experience something new. The most important event in the village is the annual competition of inventors where the prize goes to the most efficient and wittiest invention. Who will be the winner this year?
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) has a unique talent for discerning the scents and smells that swirl around him, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. Strangely lacking any scent of his own, he becomes obsessed with capturing the irresistible but elusive aroma of young womanhood. As Grenouille's obsession turns deadly, twelve young girls are found murdered. Panic breaks out as people rush to protect their daughters, while an unrepentant and unrelenting Grenouille still lacks the final ingredient to complete his quest.
Based on the bestselling novel by Patrick Süskind.
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Ben Whishaw
Directed by Tom Tykwer
English language with subtitles in Latvian and Russian.