“January”: Award-Winning Latvian-Lithuanian Co-Production Film and Its Success Story

On Sunday, June 4, the Lithuanian National Cinema Awards took place Silver crane Awards Ceremony. Latvian and Lithuanian co-production film January was nominated for the award in four categories – Jonas Maksvīts as the best sound director, Juste Janelīte as the best composer, Rūta Lečaite as the best costume designer. The film was awarded as the best minority co-production film of the year, the award went to the film’s co-producer Kestutis Drazdauskas (ARTBOX Production HouseLithuania).

“We could not have made this film on the scale that the director and the entire artistic team had planned if we did not have our wonderful partners, our co-producers from Lithuania and Poland. Although part of the Lithuanian team is a younger generation of people who have not experienced this time of change, their view from the perspective of their generation on these historical events is a very important contribution to this story. Cooperation in filmmaking with the Baltic countries has given the opportunity for several years to involve film professionals from other countries in the making of national films and to make films that are watched outside the borders of Latvia. January was such a story, which was not only an important story for Lithuania because of the plot of the film, but also gave us the opportunity to film in Lithuania and to work with outstanding Lithuanian talents – composer Justi Janulītis, sound director Jona Maksvītas, costume designer Rūta Lečaiti,” admits one of the film’s produced by Inese Boka-Grube.

“When I found out that Gints and Inese are producing a new Viestura film, I didn’t have to think long. Part of the film takes place in Vilnius in January 1991, I was also actively involved in those events. Viestura and I have many similar experiences,” says the film’s co-producer Kestutis Drazdauskas (Lithuania) . Studio with Lithuanian partners Mistrus Media continues to collaborate on the next project – Dāvjas Sīmanis feature film Mary’s silence.

The movie January had its international premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in the US in June 2022 and won the award for Best Foreign Film. January also won three awards at the Rome Film Festival – Best Film, Best Director oneboth actor won the Best Director award at the Warsaw Film Festival and five national film awards Great Kristapsincluding as the best film of the year.

Feature film by Viestura Kairis January is a story about young cinematographers who are drawn into the political events of January 1991 in Riga, when Jazis cannot decide how to live after graduating from school, while the fight for the independence of the country continues in Latvia, barricades are being built in Riga. The heroes of the film – the young cinematographers – are far from any political life, but the circumstances drag them into the epicenter of the events of the era and force them to make a choice.

Starring: Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Alice Dzene, Sandis Runge, Baiba Broka, Estonian actor Juhans Ulfsaks, Lithuanian actor Alex Kazanavičs and others. The director of the film is Viesturs Kairišs, cameraman Voiteks Starons, artist Ieva Jurjāne, costume designer Rūta Lečaite, make-up artist Ilze Trumpe, composer Juste Janulīte, producers Inese Boka-Grūbe and Gints Grūbe.

The film was produced by the Latvian Film Studio Mistrus Media in joint production with a Polish company staron film and a Lithuanian company ArtBox. The production of the film is supported by the National Cinema Center and the State Cultural Capital Fund. International distributor of the film – The Yellow Affair.