| Cinema of Latvia | |
|---|---|
 Cinema "Gaisma" inValmiera | |
| No. ofscreens | 63 (2011)[1] |
| • Per capita | 3.4 per 100,000 (2011)[1] |
| Main distributors | Forum Cinemas 57.5% Acme Film Latvia 16.5% Incognito Films 5.6[2] |
| Produced feature films (2011)[3] | |
| Fictional | 4 |
| Animated | 1 |
| Documentary | 1 |
| Number of admissions (2011)[5] | |
| Total | 1,879,149 |
| • Per capita | 1.13 (2012)[4] |
| National films | 66,337 (3.5%) |
| Gross box office (2011)[5] | |
| Total | EUR 7.54 million |
| National films | EUR 98,625 (1.3%) |
Cinemas of Latvia date back to 1910 when the first short films were made.[6] The first cinematic screening inRiga took place on May 28, 1896.[7] By 1914, all major cities in Latvia had cinemas where newsreels, documentaries, and mostly foreign-made short films were screened.
Two years after cinema was invented by theLumiere brothers, on 22 January 1898,Sergei Eisenstein was born inRiga.
The first Latvian feature filmLāčplēsis directed byAleksandrs Rusteiķis was released in 1930.The Fisherman's Son [lv] (1939), directed byVilis Jānis Lapenieks,[8] is considered a Latvian classic ending the era of filmmaking before the outbreak of World War II.[6]
After theSoviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, Lapenieks emigrated and after the end of the war, his sonVilis Lapenieks began his film-making career abroad, where he has been credited internationally as acinematographer on more than 63 titles.[9]
TheRiga Documentary Film Studio was created in Latvia during the first year of Soviet occupation. During the first decades of Soviet rule, filmmakers in Latvia were coming mostly from Soviet Russia and were creating propaganda films to depict the victory of Socialism.
After the death of Stalin in 1953, a more liberal period in the Soviet Union's cultural policies followed. Filmmakers started to enjoy greater artistic control; at the same time, the SovietState Committee for Cinematography in Moscow provided the money. State censorship bodyGlavlit andCPSU Department of Culture had the control over releasing the movies.[6]
The first Latvian feature films produced during the era still had to meet the ideological requirements of the Soviet regime:The Story of a Latvian Rifleman (1957) directed by Pāvels Armands and"Tobago" Changes Its Course (1965) directed byAleksandrs Leimanis were produced.
In 1963, theRiga Film Studio completed the construction of 1890 square metre film studio complex.[7]
In the 1970s, Aleksandrs Leimanis andGunārs Piesis became the most popular directors in Latvia making a series of historical adventure films.Pūt, vējini ("Blow, Little Wind") (1973) directed by Piesis is a movie based on a play of Latvian poetRainis.Nāves ēnā (In the Shadow of Death) (1971) is adopted from a story ofRudolfs Blaumanis. One of the most popular films from the era isA Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve (1981) directed byJānis Streičs, a light parody on the Soviet system.[6]
Juris Podnieks became a director of documentaries in 1979 and his first filmCradle won an award at theLeipzig DOK Festival. In 1981, hisThe Brothers Kokar took the first prize atKyiv Youth Festival. In the same year, his filmConstellation of Riflemen won honours in the 17th All-State Festival inLeningrad and the LatvianKomsomol prize. This film gave Podnieks wide recognition within theSoviet Union.
Podnieks gained international recognition thanks to his movieIs It Easy to Be Young?. The film with dialogue in bothLatvian andRussian was an exploration of Soviet youth. As the Soviet Union collapsed, Podnieks cooperated with British television to give first-hand insight on events in the Soviet Union. Over three years, Podnieks filmed a five-part documentary titledHello, do you hear us?. Later, Podnieks filmed movies that focused on the rise ofnational identity in Latvia,Lithuania andEstonia. His movieHomeland was an account offolk festivals in these countries when national songs which had been banned by the Soviet regime for 50 years, were sung by massed choirs. While filming a follow-up to this movie in January 1991, Podnieks and crew came under sniper fire during theattempted coup by Soviet forces in Riga. Podnieks was beaten up, his cameraman and long-time friendAndris Slapiņš killed andGvido Zvaigzne, another collaborator and friend of Podnieks, died of injuries later.[10] This material was captured on video and showed as an addition toHomeland, and later as an introduction for the revised version of this film. Four of Podnieks' films received theLielais Kristaps prize as best documentary of the year.
Other most notable Latvian directors from the era areAivars Freimanis andRolands Kalniņš. Latvia's top film actors during the era wereEduards Pāvuls,Lilita Bārziņa,Gunārs Cilinskis andKārlis Sebris.
After Latvia regained independence in 1991, the most successful Latvian filmmakers have beenJānis Streičs receivingRights of the Child Award (1994) at theChicago International Children's Film Festival forCilvēka bērns (1991);[11]Jānis Putniņš the winner of the Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Latvian National Film Festival in 2007 forVogelfrei (2007);[12]Varis Brasla whoseZiemassvētku jampadracis (1996) has won Children's Film Award at Würzburg International Filmweekend, the Children's Jury Award at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.;[13]Aivars Freimanis a nominee for International Independent Award at theInternational Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg;[14]Una Celma Honorable Mention at theUppsala International Short Film Festival in 2001;[15]Viestur Kairish whose debut feature filmPa ceļam aizejot (2001) won the Jury Prize at theRaindance Film Festival in 2002.;[16] andLaila Pakalniņa, a winner of several film awards, a nominee for the Golden Berlin Bear at theBerlin International Film Festival forŪdens (2006).[17]
In 2024,Gints Zilbalodis directed an animated feature film, titledFlow, which follows a cat trying to survive along with other animals in a seeminglypost-apocalyptic world as the water level gradually rises. The film received international recognition and broke several Latvian box-office records, becoming the most-viewed film in Latvian theatrical history and grossing over €50 million at the global box office.[18]
Due to its recognition,Flow received multiple accolades for animation including theGolden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film as well asAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature. It also received a nomination forBest International Feature Film asLatvia's submission, becoming the first film from Latvia to win and receive a nomination at theAcademy Awards.[19]
