Watch the trailer for Linda Olte Sisters / Diena’s debut film

At the premiere, not only the audience will celebrate the arrival of the film on Latvian screens, but also the film crew. Information on international distribution rights for films Sisters the producers have already signed a contract with one of the main European agencies in the spring True colors.

The desire to belong, the realization of one’s identity and the need to be loved are at the basis of the being of every individual, even in those groups of society where different laws of survival prevail.

Director Linda Olte’s debut film is about whether the children of the system have the opportunity to find a sense of belonging and break the sealed life script of the past sisters, which will have its national premiere at the Riga International Film Festival on 20 October and will be released in cinemas across Latvia shortly thereafter.

The film Sisters is a family social drama about sisters Anastasia and Diana, who grew up in an orphanage, who have a chance to be adopted into an American family. Nine-year-old Diana is happy to finally have a real family, but 13-year-old Anastasia decides to do whatever it takes to find her biological mother.

“During the preparation of the script, I spent a lot of time in Latvian orphanages, where I listened to the life stories of the children who live there and observed their daily life. I interviewed the managers of orphanages, employees, adoptive families in Latvia . and America, as well as women who, for various reasons, cannot take care of their children alone. When I started working on the film before three years ago, there were more than a thousand children in Latvian orphanages and about a hundred were adopted abroad every year. In 2021, Saeima passed a law banning adoption abroad and the question of the impact of this ban on the future of the system’s children is still debatable “, says the director. and screenwriter Linda Olte about the making of the film.

So far, Linda Olte has worked for Latvian television in the production of various documentaries and programs, has directed a series Project: divorce, received Great Kristap prize as best editor for the work on the documentary film by Ieva Ozoliņa My father is a banker. Linda’s interest in socially responsible and sensitive cinema is shown in her debut film Sisters.

The main role in the film is played by Emma Skirmante, a student of the Riga Center Humanitarian High School. “There were about 1,500 girls who applied for the roles of girls, and pretty quickly we got the feeling that she might be the one. But when she, knowing nothing about the script, came to one of the casting rounds with the his black dog, everything was immediately clear to us The dog is also an essential character in the film, “says Linda Olte.

The other roles are played by well-known Latvian actors, as well as young talents and foreign guests: Gerda Aljēna, Katrīna Krēsliņa, Iveta Pole, Elita Kļaviņa, Viktorija Meijersa-Greja (Victoria Mayers-Gray), Neil McGarry (Neil McGarry), Igors Šelegovskis, Indra Briķe, etc. The director and screenwriter of the film is Linda Olte, director of photography – Aleksandrs Grebņevs, composer – Federico Campagna (Federico Campana)artist – Laura Dišler, editing directors – Linda Olte and Andris Grants, sound director Aleksandrs Vaicahovskis, costume designer – Zīglinde Mihaēlere (Sieglinde Michaeler)makeup artist – Aija Beata Ryabovska.

The film was made Trickster Pictures, Fenixfilm, Deep Sea Studios And Albolina film in co-production with National Cinema Center, State Cultural Capital Fund, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Latvian Foundation, Latvian Television, IDM South Tyrol, MIBAC And Eurimages financial support.

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