The premiere of Ivars Selecki’s great new film “Peasants” took place in the “Splendid Palace” cinema. Director Ivars Seleckis is the oldest active Latvian film classicist, who has been documenting the Latvian countryside and people in films for 50 years, which later became documents of the time. The film “Peasants” also portrays Latvia and its people in the 21st century. It will have its international premiere at the largest European IDFA documentary film forum in Amsterdam, which will take place from 9 to 20 November.
The documentary film “Peasants” portrays six different families and shows the diversity of the Latvian countryside in the 21st century. The characters in the film chose life on farms away from the noise of the city for very different reasons. Some no longer wanted to lead their lives in an office, in traffic jams and in a virtual world, they wanted something real and true. Some decided to move to the countryside alone, while others had to go with their families. But they are all united by the desire for stability, provided by their land and their home.
Together with the characters in the film – the Alderson, Bartkevič, Grāpaj, Kaupuž, Krivtež and Rechtsprecher families – a farmer’s one-year life cycle is spent, which begins with spring sowing and ends with autumn harvest and soil preparation for next year.
Opening the premiere of “Splendid Palace”, Ivars Seleckis recalled a story from his childhood: “We had a cow, his name was Gauja. A cow like a cow, but when the days of the yuk began, the cow acquired enormous value. . And when we had to go out in a hurry at night, a tank battle approached, it was July 1944, we moved from the countryside to Riga, and the cow was with us too, he lived near the “Splendid Palace”, in the house where the president lives. There was a German garage in the yard, and that was where the cow was housed. Genetically, we come from farmers. “
The film “Peasants” was shot in the studio “Mistrus Media”, where Ivars Seleckis has already shot the film “Continuation”, the short film “Īpsalā” and is currently working on a new film with the characters of “Continuation” after seven years. .
In the film “Peasants”, director Ivars Seleckis has worked with a group of filmmakers from several generations in his nearly 88 years: the screenwriters are Andris Vanadziņš and the social anthropologist Dace Dzenovska, the chief cameraman – Valdis Celminņš, the composer – Kārlis Auzāns, the editing director – Armands Začs, the sound director – Ernests Ansons, the producers – Gints Grūbe and Elīna Gediņa-Ducena, the executive producer – Annija Korpa.
