The world of Latvian films in Hollywood has opened a step further / Article / LSM.lv

On Monday, March 15, the nominees for this year’s US Academy Award “Oscar” were announced, but Latvian filmmakers failed to enter the list of candidates. However, entering the short list of films competing for the nomination is also an unprecedented achievement in the history of Latvian films, which will probably give a good starting point for future filmmakers.

Lolita Ritmane admitted that she was very disappointed after the announcement of the nominees:

“I really wanted – I wanted this for Latvia, all the female composers and, most importantly, I wanted our ‘Soul Blower’ family to be nominated.”

However, as she explained, it is understandable that major Hollywood studio films are on the list of nominees for the award. “If you look at what’s behind those films, there are very big producers and a lot of money,” Ritmane emphasized. “But I think we can be so proud. People watched the movie, they liked it. I hope the film will have an even bigger life now. And I definitely know that the world of Latvian films in Hollywood has opened one step further. ”

The composer also noted that the success of her music is closely related to the overall quality of the film – without the film, viewers would not be interested in the music alone.

The work of composer Lolita Ritmane in director Dzintars Dreibergs’ feature film “Blizzard of Souls” has been internationally appreciated not only in the context of the “Oscar” award – the composer has received Hollywood Visual Media Music Award, U.S. Composers and Authors Association Award, as well as was nominated World Film Music Award.

Conductor Māris Sirmais and artists of the State Academic Choir “Latvija” led by choir manager Māris Ošleys took part in the music recording of the historical war drama “Dvēseļu putenis”. A special orchestra was formed for the film, in which the orchestra producer and winner of the Latvian Grand Music Prize Edgars Saxons united musicians from the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Sinfonietta Riga Chamber Orchestra and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. The music was recorded in the 1st studio of Latvian Radio by Māra Briežkalns and sound director Vara Kurmiņa virsvadībā. The film’s musical instrumentation is by Larry Rench from the United States, with additional instrumentation by Steven Rade, and music mixing by American producer and sound director Mark Mattson. The sound director of the film is Alexander Vaicahovsky.

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