- Occupation
Producer, Director - Country
Latvia
Cilinska Antra
Amazon of the Avant-Garde
A film about the great 20th century sculptor whose work was inspired by the cubism of the 1920s, and her life story that contains all possible dramas for a creative person living in the previous century.
How Are You Doing, Rudolf Ming?
Rudolf is 13years old boy obsessed with filmmaking. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing he is 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 expect 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.
Is It Easy? ...After 20 years
In 1986, Juris Podnieks, the outstanding Latvian filmmaker, made Is It easy to be young? Based on conversations he held “on equal grand” with young people who had taken their first independent steps in life. The problems they confronted were of a new nature for Soviet society at that time. With its openness the film gained tremendous success around the world. The aim of third film twenty years later is to discover what has happened to this rebellious generation. How have their lives, thoughts and attitudes changed? Through their stories we´ll see life in Latvia after twenty years of independence.
A film about the great 20th century sculptor whose work was inspired by the cubism of the 1920s, and her life story that contains all possible dramas for a creative person living in the previous century.
How Are You Doing, Rudolf Ming?
Rudolf is 13years old boy obsessed with filmmaking. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing he is 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 expect 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.
Is It Easy? ...After 20 years
In 1986, Juris Podnieks, the outstanding Latvian filmmaker, made Is It easy to be young? Based on conversations he held “on equal grand” with young people who had taken their first independent steps in life. The problems they confronted were of a new nature for Soviet society at that time. With its openness the film gained tremendous success around the world. The aim of third film twenty years later is to discover what has happened to this rebellious generation. How have their lives, thoughts and attitudes changed? Through their stories we´ll see life in Latvia after twenty years of independence.
Sugar Roads
In the 1930ies a popular saying suggested to use three teaspoons of sugar in a cup of tea - one for each of the three Latvian sugar factories. In 2007 the last sugar factory got closed in Latvia as the World Trade Organization made the decision in accordance with European Union’s interests to open the market for sugar. The owners of the sugar factories in Latvia, who by that time were already mainly foreigners, refraining from further clarification and discussion in society, chose to receive the EU compensations and to close their sugar factories. The district was granted around 2 million EUR to repair the roads, popularly nicknamed "the sugar roads”. The factories were swept off the ground.Among the winners were couple of famers, who got minor compensations, then some who got really good money. But the real winners is Denmark, which is currently one of the largest sugar producers in Europe and the largest sugar importer of Latvia. Over the last 20 years we have observed that as the economy of Latvia developed, we were getting further and further away from the most important asset of any farmer – the land and the possibility to grow something and produce. So who we are now? Failed bankers and real estate brokers? Cheap labour for old EU Member States? What can we really rely on?Provoked by the discussions around the loss of the sugar industry in Latvia, we want to show the new age in the Latvian countryside through a very personal story of the director. He was born in the countryside and spent his childhood in the reality of Soviet time’s collective farm. Regaining of Latvia’s independence at the beginning of 1990s and getting back the land of the grandfather, brought a dream of having his own farm. Having it in mind, he went to study at the Agriculture College. There were 30 young guys in his group from all over Latvia and they were all dreaming about becoming farmers. Where are they now? For us this is a story on how destroying traditional lifestyle and manufacturing can destroy mentality of a whole nation.
In the 1930ies a popular saying suggested to use three teaspoons of sugar in a cup of tea - one for each of the three Latvian sugar factories. In 2007 the last sugar factory got closed in Latvia as the World Trade Organization made the decision in accordance with European Union’s interests to open the market for sugar. The owners of the sugar factories in Latvia, who by that time were already mainly foreigners, refraining from further clarification and discussion in society, chose to receive the EU compensations and to close their sugar factories. The district was granted around 2 million EUR to repair the roads, popularly nicknamed "the sugar roads”. The factories were swept off the ground.Among the winners were couple of famers, who got minor compensations, then some who got really good money. But the real winners is Denmark, which is currently one of the largest sugar producers in Europe and the largest sugar importer of Latvia. Over the last 20 years we have observed that as the economy of Latvia developed, we were getting further and further away from the most important asset of any farmer – the land and the possibility to grow something and produce. So who we are now? Failed bankers and real estate brokers? Cheap labour for old EU Member States? What can we really rely on?Provoked by the discussions around the loss of the sugar industry in Latvia, we want to show the new age in the Latvian countryside through a very personal story of the director. He was born in the countryside and spent his childhood in the reality of Soviet time’s collective farm. Regaining of Latvia’s independence at the beginning of 1990s and getting back the land of the grandfather, brought a dream of having his own farm. Having it in mind, he went to study at the Agriculture College. There were 30 young guys in his group from all over Latvia and they were all dreaming about becoming farmers. Where are they now? For us this is a story on how destroying traditional lifestyle and manufacturing can destroy mentality of a whole nation.
Graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Latvia, Department of English Language and Literature. From 1981 to 1990 she worked as a film editor at Riga Film Studio on many outstanding documentary and feature film projects. Since 1991 she has been working at Juris Podnieks Studio as a producer and director. Several courses in producing and directing. Selected filmography: Unfinished Business (1993, director, producer, for Channel 4, awarded at the Anthropological Film Festival); 25 (1994-95, director, producer, Latvian TV); Accursed Town (1995, producer, Channel 4); Anatomy of a Provokation (1996, director, producer); Girls from Chaka Street (1997, director, producer); Is It Easy To Be…? (1996-1998, director, producer, Channel 4, awarded FIPRESCI Prize at DOK Leipzig); Beyond Red (1998-99, series); Baltic Saga (2000); Where Does It All Start (2002, documentary).
Juris Podnieks Studio
Citadeles iela 2
LV-1010 Riga
Citadeles iela 2
LV-1010 Riga