Author: Kino Muzejs

“CINEMA OBJECT” – screen, line, cubes

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

At the LKA National Film School at 58a Miera Street, “CINEMA OBJECT” – screen, line, cubes – talks about film education in Latvia.

The Latvian Academy of Culture was founded in 1990. During its first decade, professionals such as Kalvis Zalcmanis, Ansis Epners, Pēteris Krilovs, Valdis Eglītis, Bruno Aščuks, Inga Pērkone, Lauris Gundars, and others worked on developing the highest-level film education programs and served as lecturers at the academy. Most Latvian filmmakers are graduates of the academy.
Thirty-five years is a period of time that has itself become a history worthy of research.

Research into film education has begun and continues thanks to the support of the LKA program “Development of Scientific Activity at the Latvian Academy of Culture.” The aim of the project is to research the history of film education in Latvia, providing an in-depth analysis and description of the contribution of the Latvian Academy of Culture to film education at the higher education level. The project is a joint effort of the Latvian Academy of Culture’s Department of Audiovisual Arts (LKA National Film School) and the Latvian Film Museum.

The research has resulted in video interviews with the creators, lecturers and graduates of the LKA film education program: cinematographer, educator, Professor Honoris Causa Valdis Eglītis, professor and film scholar Inga Pērkone, director, educator, LKA professor Pēteris Krilovs, director Gatis Šmits, cinematographer, educator, Professor Honoris Causa Valdis Eglītis, film scholar Agris Redovičs, director, LKA lecturer Andrejs Verhoustinskis, and director Anna Viduleja. Excerpts from interviews and films made by students can be viewed on screen.

The concise timeline highlights the years and places – these are milestones that tell the story of the beginnings and development of film education, from the first programs on Ludzas Street to the National Film School at 58a Miera Street, where film directors, cinematographers, editors, producers, and theorists can receive their education.

Cubes also “speak” about the history of film education in the “Cinema Object”. On one, we can read the titles of student films (“My Hobby is Life,” “Everything is Fine,” etc.), on another, the titles of Inga Pērkone’s books (“I Can Only Love… The Image of Women in Latvian Films,” etc.)(books are not available in english), while yet another displays quotes from Valdis Eglītis (“The best collaboration and results, of course, can be expected when the director has his own cinematographer”).

The design of the “Cinema Object” was created by set designer Ivars Veinbergs. Photo: Aleksandrs Vasks.

The “Cinema Object” can be viewed and listened to in the courtyard at 58a Miera Street, near the entrance to the National Film School, every day from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Without English translation.)

DIRECTOR AIVARS FREIMANIS 90!

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

A commemorative evening dedicated to film director Aivars Freimanis (02.08.1936. – 24.01.2018.). At the Latvian Film Museum, 58a Miera Street, on February 11, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

The program includes: (The event will not have English translation)

  • Film excerpts and personal reminiscences.

  • Cinematic etudes created by students of the LKA National Film School during the International Plein Air event “Kuldīga Frescoes 2025.”

Director HERZ FRANK – 100!

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

Director HERZ FRANK – 100!
We invite you to celebrate the 100th anniversary of director Herz Frank at the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture (Miera iela 58a) on January 16, 2026, at 5 p.m.!

Programme:

The film “Laika tilti” (“Bridges of time”, 2018, 78`) (trailer:https://ej.uz/LaikaTilti) and a conversation with the film’s directors Kristīne Briede and Audrius Stonis.

A conversation about the upcoming film “Hercs Franks. Life After Death” (director Audrius Stonis).

Moderated by director Jānis Putniņš.

The conversations will be held in Latvian and English!

Admission is free!

 

PODNIEKS’ SPACE-TIME

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

At the Latvian Academy of Culture, Riga, Miera street 58a (main entrance, 2nd floor). Admission is free!

The exhibition catalogue is available here: The Year of Juris Podnieks!

Marking the 75th birthday of film director Juris Podnieks (1950–1992), the exhibition “PODNIEKS SPACE-TIME” has been created. It offers viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of Juris Podnieks, to feel, observe and reflect together with the director, to understand Podnieks’ time and events, and to get to know his like-minded friends and colleagues.

The exhibition was created within the framework of the SCCF target program Culturally Significant Events as part of the project The Year of Juris Podnieks. The project is coordinated by the Latvian Film Museum of the Latvian Academy of Culture in collaboration with the Juris Podnieks Studio. The exhibition is supported by the SCCF, Riga City Council, the Latvian State Archive of Audiovisual Documents, RIGA IFF and the Latvian furniture brand Nordi.

The author and curator of the exhibition is Anna Viduleja, the artist is Kristaps Epners, the 360° projection was made by Viktors Keino, the compilation and digitalization of materials was done by Sandra Alksne, the sound director is Ernests Ansons, and the producer is Antra Cilinska-Dombrovska.

In the summer of 2023, several boxes were found in the attic of Juris Podnieks’ relatives’ house containing Juris Podnieks’ photo negatives and slides, photographs, film reels, cassettes, and other materials. Digitizing these materials has yielded fantastic evidence of Juris Podnieks’ era, which, as interpreted by director Anna Viduleja and artist Kristaps Epners, can be seen by exhibition visitors as a grandiose moving panorama. The exhibition also features interviews with Juris Podnieks’ colleagues, recorded at various times.

Juris Podnieks began his professional career as a cameraman at the Riga Film Studio, shooting newsreels and documentary films. While working on Herc Franks’ film Forbidden Zone (1975), Podnieks obtained a cinematographers’ diploma from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. Podnieks made his debut as a director with the thematic newsreel The Cradle (1977). Since the early 1980s, every film shot by Podnieks has become a significant artistic and social event. The film Is It Easy to Be Young? (1986) was seen by a record number of viewers – 43 million! Its influence can be measured not only in the context of Latvian cinema, but throughout the entire Soviet system, becoming one of the driving forces towards the end of the empire. It was Podnieks, together with his colleagues and like-minded people, who captured this in the films Soviets/Hello, do you hear us? (1989) and Homeland (1990), seeking new imagery for the era and opportunities for expression for people who were striving for freedom and independence.

Juris Podnieks during the filming of The Stone of Sisyphus, 1985.
This is the logo for the series of events dedicated to Juris Podnieks’ 75th anniversary in 2025.

Creating Worlds. Latvian Production Designers and Film Artists

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

A new name, new premises, and a new exhibition – from August 21, the Latvian Film Museum at Miera Street 58a opens with the exhibition Creating Worlds. Latvian Production Designers and Film Artists.

This year has brought several changes in the life of the Film Museum. The museum has a new, more fitting name – LATVIAN FILM MUSEUM. It is now located in new premises in Riga, at Miera Street 58a. From August 21, the Latvian Film Museum invites you to visit a new exhibition: Creating Worlds. Latvian Production Designers and Film Artists!

In the 21st century, the term art department has taken root in Latvia – it refers to professionals whose task is to create an environment that corresponds to the artistic vision of a specific film. The exhibition introduces visitors to often lesser-known, yet very important professionals – Latvian film artists: set designers, costume designers, make-up artists, special effects masters – and their contribution to the Latvian film industry.

Creating Worlds. Latvian Production Designers and Film Artists covers the work of artists in Latvian cinema over more than 100 years – from the first feature film made in the Republic of Latvia, As I went to War / Es karā aiziedams (1920), to Latvian cinema works of the 2020s. The exhibition showcases unique testimonies of film history – sketches of sets, costumes, and make-up and their realization in films, technologies for creating special effects across different periods, replicas of environments from canonical Latvian films, and more.

Creating Worlds: Latvian Film Designers and Film Artists.

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

A new name, a new home, and a new exhibition – on August 21, the Latvian Cinema Museum opens its doors at Miera Street 58a with Creating Worlds: Latvian Film Designers and Film Artists.

This year marks important changes for the museum. It now carries a name that better reflects its mission – the Latvian Film Museum – and has moved into new premises in Riga, at Miera Street 58a. To celebrate, the museum invites visitors to discover the exhibition Creating Worlds: Latvian Film Designers and Film Artists, opening on August 21.

In 21st-century Latvian cinema, the term art department has become established, referring to the professionals who create the visual environment that brings a director’s artistic vision to life. The exhibition highlights these often less visible, but essential figures of filmmaking – set designers, costume creators, make-up and special effects artists – and showcases their vital contributions to Latvia’s film industry.

Creating Worlds: Latvian Film Designers and Film Artists spans more than a century of cinematic artistry in Latvia – from the very first feature film produced in the Republic of Latvia, Es karā aiziedams / As I Went to War (1920), to the film productions of the 2020s. Visitors will discover unique pieces of film history: original sketches of sets, costumes, and make-up alongside their on-screen realizations, technologies used in creating special effects across different eras, reconstructions of iconic Latvian film environments, and much more.

Wednesday, December 11th – Ukrainian short films and conversation with film director Oleksandra Petlovana

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

On Wednesday, December 11, at 18:00, a selection of Ukrainian short films will be screened as part of the series “Dissociative Fugue: Conversations of Ozoliņa” at the LKA Riga Film Museum. The event will feature a conversation with director Oleksandra Petlovana about the war as a dividing line between cinema before and after its onset, the diverse fates of young filmmakers, and filmmaking as a form of support for Ukraine.

The program includes three Ukrainian short films created by Oleksandra Petlovana, Maksym Tuzov, and Anastasiia Lukova, who are classmates and graduates of the Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema, and Television University. These films were completed shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The selected short films—Pomana, Up and Down and  The Righteous One—were part of a broader program of 16 Ukrainian short films, which have been showcased in special screenings across European cities, including Warsaw, Paris, and Prague. These screenings aimed to rally international support for Ukraine following the full-scale invasion.

Ieva Ozoliņa: “The unifying element in all three short films made in 2021 is the presence of magical realism and a belief in unseen forces, which serve as a constant reminder that one must first and foremost be strong in spirit. While the films do not directly address the war and are created with a touch of irony, their themes resonate profoundly with the realities of today.”

The films will be screened in Ukrainian with English subtitles. The post-screening conversation will be held in English. The event’s total duration is 1 hour and 30 minutes, and entrance is free of charge.

Co-organizer of the event DijaTi.

Ivars Seleckis’ Street. The Selecki Family And Cinema (till March, 2025)

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

On September 22, 2024, Latvian film director and cinematographer Ivars Seleckis celebrated his 90th birthday! For seven of his nine decades, Ivars Seleckis has been making films, and he continues to do so — the premiere of his film ‘To Be Continued. Teenhood’ took place on the master’s birthday.

The exhibition is an insight into the diverse work of Ivars Seleckis (film director, cinematographer, and curator of the cinema events). It tells the story behind his films and their production process, introduces to the film’s themes and characters. Unique prizes and memorabilia (the majority of which are being displayed publicly for the first time,) reveal the significance of the director’s films and their impact on both Latvian and global culture scene. Amidst the exhibits, there is also one of the most prestigious – the European Film Academy Award ‘Felix’ for the Best Documentary Film of the Year, ‘Crossroad Street’.

One can learn about other members of the Selecki family who have worked or still work in the field of Latvian cinema – editing director Maija Selecka, cinematographer Andris Seleckis, and director Marta Selecka…

Exhibitions in Riga Film Museum in this Summer

Posted on | by Kino Muzejs

You are welcome to Riga Film Museum in Old Riga before it is moving to new premises in the Autumn!

There are currently several exhibitions to see in the Museum.  The permanent exhibition “Behind the Screen” invites one to come to the other side of the screen. The mini-exhibition “Secrets of Ada Neretniece” (film director Ada Neretniece 100) was created in honor of film director Ada Neretniece. In her more than forty-year career, the director has made 18 full-length feature films (including the film “Pieviltie”, 1961, together with co-director Māris Rudzītis) and one short feature film, but she started her directing career by creating newsreels (more than 40 from 1949-1962), also filmed documentaries and so called commissioned films. The mini-exhibition presents photos from the filming and personal archive. The exhibition also includes documents that were an important part of the bureaucracy of the Soviet regime, such as diplomas, letters of appreciation, characteristics, autobiography, etc.

The exhibition “Ieva’s Room” is an improvised insight into the main arcs of the life of film artist Ieva Romanova. Here one can get to know about Romanova’s work at the film artistic space (Ieva Romanova is an artist for such films as Aveņu vīns (1984), Dzīvīte (1989), Bille (2018)), get acquainted with her work in the Latvian Cinematographers Union and as a museum artist – especially with Latvian exhibitions of the Riga Film Museum, dedicated to the history of cinema.

See you in the Museum (entrance from Alksnāja Street)!