- Director
Dzintra Geka - Original idea
Agris Redovičs - Director of photography
Aivars Lubanietis - Editor
Armands Zvirbulis - Planned premiere
April 2013
God's Lost Sparrows
Dieva Putniņi, Latvia, 90 min, DCP, Docu Series
Toward the end of World War II, when it became clear that the Soviet military was once again going to be occupying Latvia, some 150,000 people became refugees and moved to Germany. They used cars, trains, horse-drawn wagons, ships or any other form of transport. The refugees were people from various professions – farmers, businesspeople, former politicians, statesmen, members of the creative intelligentsia, as well as labourers who had already experienced the terrible period known as the “year of horror.” After the way, nearly one million people from Eastern Europe who were fleeing the Soviet regime found themselves in Germany. They all required housing and food, as well as medical care. In the American, British and French zones of occupation, displaced person (DP) camps were established so as to house and care for refugees. This system was overseen by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and, later, the International Refugee Organisation (IRO). People were usually grouped by nationality in the camps. This allowed people to maintain their own nationality by organising various cultural activities. Latvians in the camps called themselves “dee-pees” (displaced persons), “God’s lost sparrows” (Dieva putniņi), or “stepchildren of God”, and they tried to organise their living space so that it would be as Latvian as possible, no matter where they were. This became known as “little Latvia”.
Director:
Dzintra Geka
Executive producer:
Dzintra Geka
Original idea:
Agris Redovičs
Dramaturgy:
Agris Redovičs
Director of photography:
Aivars Lubanietis
Editor:
Armands Zvirbulis
Sound:
Normunds Deinats
Languages:
Latvian