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The Hollywood Reporter includes feature stories about Latvia's movie industry

BC, Riga, 09.01.2015.Print version
At end-December 2014, the pages of The Hollywood Reporter featured several stories about moviemaking in Latvia, as correspondent Scott Roxborough was among the foreign press corps in Riga for the European Film Academy's Annual Awards, informs LETA.

Roxborough refers to Latvia as a small country bordering Russia that despite all has convincingly turned westward, bolstering ties between its national film industry and foreign partners. He speaks to producers Roberts Vinovskis and Guntis Trekteris, underlining what Latvia can offer foreign production companies, using Polish director Sergei Loznitsa's "In the Fog" as a prime example of cooperation. Shot in Latvia, it fared well at Cannes last year.

 

Critic Stephen Dalton (UK) reviews two Latvian feature films and two documentaries. Reminding that director Andris Gauja won awards for his documentary "Family Instinct", Dalton sees the director crossing borders with his feature debut "The Lesson", calling it a universal and archetypal story of crime and punishment. "The Lesson" goes from a contemplative documentary drama to a wild thriller, the critic notes.

 

In the solid debut of director Juris Kursietis, Dalton compares his feature "Modris" with the films of Ken Loach (UK), remarking that Kursietis has respect for a noble tradition - cinema that is socially-conscious fare, not entertainment.

 

As for Peteris Krilovs' autobiographical return to the Cold War period [Latvian title: "Uz speles Latvija"], Dalton calls for it to be screened not only at festivals, but also in schools. Davis Simanis' documentary "Escaping Riga", Dalton describes as a fascinating collection of historical vignettes, singing Simanis' praises for his ability to create a vintage feeling – a treat for true movie fans.






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