In the Latvian film industry, the end of the year most often does not correspond to the usual calendar – the year travels with the National Film Awards Kristaps the Great and this time additional extras have been introduced by the pandemic, so the 2021 cinema year did not end in November as planned, but will end now in February. There are several positive aspects to such calendar unrest, one of which is that more new films are expected on the National Film Awards days than would have been possible in November, and most of them will enter the cinema repertoire immediately after the festival. Therefore, in this article – in more detail about the premieres, while recalling that these three days (February 24-26) will provide an opportunity to recall or re-watch other Kristaps the Great Award – winning films – on the big screen in the cinema Splendid Palace (search the cinema website and www.lielaiskristaps.lv).
Criminal detection
The opening film of the National Film Award is quite an unusual event this time – the first two series from a new multi-series film Criminal case for a beginner (director Armands Zvirbulis, producer Arta Ģiga). It should be recalled that this film is the second of two projects to receive financial support in the first series competition announced by the National Film Center in the autumn of 2020 in an emergency and with emergency funding. The first project is a multi-series film Emilia. Queen of the Latvian Press, which has already taken a wide path to audiences both in cinemas and online, and the second film benefits from the need to prove thatEmilia in this In the great Kristaps are among the leaders in the number of nominations), there is no need to be afraid to show individual series on the big screen (also For a novice criminal case, will probably be shown in full length in the cinema, but it is certain that it will be shown from March 11 LMT smart TV).
The publicity of the new series is already gaining momentum, so I won’t waste time telling the facts about Andris Kolbergs’ literary source, several storylines that finally meet, and an international ensemble of actors (with a lot of really good work) in the image of an influential Chekist, not to mention the wonderful veteran investigator of Ģirts Krūmiņš and the equally brilliant burglar in the performance of veteran Ukrainian actor Alexei Gorbunov). I would like to advise only from the bottom of my heart not to miss this proof that the culture of serials in Latvia is really developing, moreover, in respectable diversity and spectrum, Criminal case for a beginner Captivated by a subtle sense of the era, both in the story of the 1960s and in the events of 1995, and by the real criminal tension that thickens from series to series, the fact that nothing will be completely clear from the first two series is a plus, not a minus.
Beautiful, harsh, poetic
This year Kristaps the Great Three major premieres are planned for the next year, and two of them are full-length documentaries, which have already been nominated among the best films, and the directors and cameramen of both films have also been nominated.
The film, chronologically first – on Friday, February 25, will feature a film by director and cinematographer Ivars Zviedra Unseen, Brasa !, which immediately after Kristaps the Great will be shown in separate theaters Splendid Palace and then throughout Latvia. In addition, Ivars Zviedris is one of those authors who usually travels with his film and meets the audience. In the cinema, this film has already entered the term “prison film”, which succinctly describes the venue of the film – Brasa Prison during its liquidation – but everything else is as only Ivars Zviedris knows, establishing natural and close contact with the characters in his film, whatever the public segments they would host.
The film also has some unexpected quality – the old prison with all its rats, trash cans and beaten stands is filmed in an incredibly beautiful and poetic way, offering lyrical painting instead of brutal realism, and it creates an impressive interplay with the film’s soundtrack – it’s clear that prisoners don’t , not poetically, even when it comes to flowers, so viewers with a more sensitive soul must be well prepared to adequately grasp the vocabulary of the film ‘s characters.
Second feature film – Of the (director and cameraman Andrejs Verhoustinskis) – will reach the audience on Saturday, February 26, and later, in the first days of March, will be shown both Kino Usthough Splendid Palace. Painter Biruta Delle has a separate but legendary personality in Latvian art, and this silenced portrait is an attempt to discover something more, an enticing opportunity to follow the artist’s thought process, delve into her philosophy and relationship with painting. The most powerful form of this film is the moment the viewer realizes – in the same muted tone, the artist recounts the most shocking events of her life, a cruel tragedy that has broken the fate of several people… But life goes on and Ruta paints.
Youthful and energetic
The third big, so full-length premiere Kristaps the Great The program features a low-budget feature film Revolutionwhich just recently completed and Kristaps the Great just couldn’t take part in the selection yet – so maybe next time. Actor and director Mārcis Lācis makes his debut in cinema with this ironic depiction of the theater environment. The film will be available in the cinema repertoire and on streaming platforms from February 28. For a long time now, this really looks like a real debut film – no reverence and fearful moderation, the author vigorously throws all sorts of explosive elements into the furnace, mixes it thoroughly with gasoline and fires fire – all this, of course, in a figurative sense, although flames and explosions it is, like blood, corpses, and intoxicants. If someone thinks all this is too much, it can be understood, but two things reconcile me to this armageddon – a song by Lolita Vambute in the words of Knut Skujenieks Tie sienāži (1980) and the last five minutes of the film before the final.
I would also like to draw the attention of the audience to three “smaller” premieres in the animation session on Saturday, February 26, at 14 Splendid Palace In the Great Hall – director Dace Rīdūze will show her most recently completed puppet animation short film Dusmukule (out of competition), whose main character is a virtuoso swirling plastic bag (and in puppet animation it’s not as easy as it sounds!), for the first time in Latvia we will see a film by Māra Liniņa Squat squat, who has just returned from the Berlin competition and the latest film by the recently deceased director Nila Skapan Diendusa. Both movies Squat squat, gan Diendusai there are two nominations.
Several premieres can also be found in both student film screenings in the cinema Splendid Palace scheduled for Saturday night, and its time to go immediately, because with student films you can never really know where and how they will appear in the “open field” next time. In any case, it will be interesting there too – not as crazy as with Mārčs Lāčs, but also youthful and energetic.
Kristaps the Great movie program in a movie theater Splendid Palace – from 24 to 26 February. The award ceremony will take place on February 27 On the Hanseatic platform. Online Kristaps the Great the program will be available on the portal from February 24 to March 5 www.filmas.lv.
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