The Awakening Period: Astra’s Story and the Price of Independence in Latvia

The film is a message about a person who was able to think, speak and act according to his heart and vision of the world. His phrase, said in the last name of the trial of the Latvian SSR: “I believe that this time will fade away like an evil nightmare”, became a guiding principle for the fighters of the Awakening period. The story of “Astra” raises the questions of what to do if someone’s thoughts and beliefs contradict the reality of the era? Is a person able to exist without breaking down, and if so, what sacrifices does it require from oneself, family and friends?

The director of the film is Liene Laviņa, the producer is Sandijs Semjonov, the scriptwriters are Gundars Rēders and Raits Walters, the cinematographers are Aleksandrs Grebņevs, Krists Spruksts, Valdis Celminņš, Jānis Indriks, Raits Walters, the editing director is Sandra Alksne. The author of the music is Jānis Šipkēvics (also known as Shipsea), the sound directors are Jevgēnijs Nacišs and Pēteris Pāss. The animations were created by Linda Stūre and Atom Art, while the film is distributed by the Spektrs film project.

Poet Alfred Stinkulis Photo: Publicity photo

“The importance of Astra for every Latvian is and will be important at all times. The heroes of our past breathe as an important reference point and remind us at what price everything was bought. Astra’s story shows that Latvia’s independence is not self-evident and that our country has gone through extremely difficult paths so that we can live in a free Latvia today. The course of Gunārs Astra’s life makes you think about it – if only for a moment,” says the director of the film, Liene Laviņa.

2023-10-13 09:43:01
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