On December 5, the 70th anniversary would be held for director and cameraman Juris Podnieks. In honor of the anniversary on December 4, an online scientific and artistic conference “Being Juris Podnieks” is planned. In the spring of 2021, Anna Viduleja’s documentary “Podnieks par Podnieks” will be released.
The life of Juris Podnieks in cinema
Juris Podnieks’ life has been closely connected with cinema. Director, producer and head of Juris Podnieks studio Antra Cilinska told about the relationship between the director’s life and cinema in the Latvian Radio program “Kultūras Rondo”.
“His years have been very tense. According to him, he came to the Riga Film Studio at the age of 16, when his father pulled him out of the street to work in the studio so as not to leave the road. He worked there until 1992. He has worked a lot, “noted Cilinska.
Film scientist Zane Balčus also explained that the director’s personal and professional life seemingly intertwined.
“It is very difficult not to draw these parallels. His creative activity is inseparable from his personality. For those who, like me, were not among those who knew him personally, we can have an idea of both his works and his personality only from indirect sources. But it seems to me that reading his interviews and looking visually at what he said is such an inseparable value. His insight and interest, the real and genuine attention he pays to the heroes of his films through his films, I think he was like that in life. ”
Juris Podnieks’ diaries are used as one of the sources in the upcoming Anna Viduleja documentary. The author and producer of the film’s script Antra Cilinska noted that the entries in Juris Podnieks’ diaries have revealed constant creative and personal growth: “Juris made such notes, day experiences, sketches of events, reviews.
These diaries show how much he worked with himself, how he used to ask himself, how he asked himself questions and sought answers to these questions, he was very responsible to himself, he worked very much with himself. ”
The producer confirmed the director’s scope: “He was very sensitive, he was from people who went to the world with bare skin. He perceived the problems and the pain. He saw widely, he didn’t care only about this small house pond here. He looked at things in context and context, not forgetting, always emphasizing and advocating for Latvia and the Baltics, which was very close to him. He also said that he would never and for nothing change Latvia to offer him some of the world’s benefits. That’s right, he always came back and did things here. “
Antra Cilinska also drew attention to what the new generation of cameramen and directors could learn from the life and professional activity of Juris Podnieks:
“The thing that would be useful for the new generation of directors and cameramen is to take Juris’ responsibility, love and interest in the work, his passion.
He says he came to the movies very early and stayed there. In principle, he devoted his whole life to cinema. That’s why many of his notes read, “I haven’t had time to look at the wall and think about what I’m doing, how I’m doing.” I think for those who experience separation, isolation during Covid-19, it is very important to be with yourself. ”
“Potter for Potter”
Antra Cilinska, producer and screenwriter of the documentary “Podnieks par Podnieks”, said that the creation of the upcoming film and conference is related to the celebration of Juris Podnieks’ anniversary, equating these events to the preparation of a festive table.
“I want to take care of something special in honor of the anniversary, but on the other hand, Juris Podnieks has long deserved it, so it seems that the energies from different sides came together, and I hope that it will result in things that can help future generations something more. about Yuri to know, “presenting the upcoming conference and the upcoming film, acknowledged Antra Cilinska.
Initially, the film was scheduled to be released in the autumn, but it took longer to gather and evaluate the extensive material. The producer admitted that the film’s relevance will not disappear next year: “The film also fits more into next year’s context, when we celebrate thirty years since the collapse of the empire, I think Juris has contributed to its collapse with all his films.”
The producer also noted that Juris Podnieks’ films do not lose their relevance: “I realized that a new generation had grown up, which had lived without Juris Podnieks. And today that generation is watching his films with great interest, which I am very happy about. “Is it easy to be young?” there are still hits and she is very close to the young. They can also identify with those young people, ”explained Cilinska. It seems to me that Juris has discovered in that film an “eternal formula” that works from time to time, and that formula is that young people are always there, young people always have problems, they don’t understand them, they have their own settings, they are looking for their way in life . ”
The search for the form of the upcoming film has been time-consuming, but in the end, using both the interviews provided by Juris Podnieks and the entries in the diary, the director and producer have come to the formula “Podnieks par Podnieks”.
“It would be good to put Yuri in a form inside, in this case a film where he could live with his own films and his own stories,” Cilinska explained the film’s approach.
She also noted with humor that the aim of the film is to give the director her autonomous, independent voice:
“I’m tired of telling Yuri to do it himself. It will also be an opportunity to go into his lab, find out how he thought, what he thought, what was important to him, what he was worried about.”
“Being Juris Podnieks”
On December 4, the Scientific and Artistic Conference “Being Juris Podnieks” will take place. It will take place remotely and everyone is invited to connect and listen to it. Film scientist Zane Balčus, who participates in the organization of the conference and will read her report, also highlighted the participation of foreign experts:
“We will talk to both local and foreign experts about the importance of Juris Podnieks both at that time and what are the values that we can still see in the works of documentaries today.
I am very pleased that we will also have the opportunity to hear Richard Crisis, who was the one who involved Yuri in collaboration with British television, and then the multi-series film “We” was made. And so is Sten Miller, who is very familiar with Baltic documentary cinema. ”
The conference program is divided into two parts. The first part is dedicated to academic research, the second part to creative research. Its program also includes a conversation with Antras Cilinskas and Anna Vidulejs about the upcoming documentary. At the end of the day, student sketches of the Latvian Academy of Culture are planned. Zane Balčus said that they were created according to the task assigned to the students – to watch all the films of Juris Podnieks and to create a portrait of a member of his / her course. Some of the portraits will be on display at the end of the conference.
The conference “Being Juris Podnieks” will start at 10.00, its events will be available to everyone – events will be broadcast online On the Facebook page of the Latvian Academy of Culture all day long.
Latvian Television will also celebrate the 70th anniversary of Juris Podnieks by showing the film “Is it easy to be young?” – December 5 at 22.00 LTV1 and Replay.lv.
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