Author: Kino Muzejs

*EVENTS WILL BE HELD IN LATVIAN WITHOUT ENGLISH TRANSLATION!

On September 5 at 6:00 p.m., the Latvian Film Museum invites you to a lecture titled “Cinema Days ’86 – 40th Anniversary!”,
and on September 4 and 5, you can visit the installation near the National Film School, where we will be showing
video and photo materials about Cinema Days ’86. We look forward to seeing you in the Miera Street neighborhood, at 58a Miera Street!

Event Schedule:
Installation near the National Film School featuring video and photo materials about Cinema Days ’86:
September 4, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
September 5, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Educational lecture on Cinema Days ’86 at the Latvian Film Museum:
September 5, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Photo: Valdis Lavrinovičs. The 1st International “Arsenāls” Festival, 1988. Installation of festival advertisements near the House of Knowledge.

Next year, we will celebrate the 80th birthday of director Augusts Sukuts. With the help of the project “August All Year Round,”
we will hold various events throughout the year dedicated to the legacy of the talented and imaginative Augusts
Sukuts. The “Cinema Days ’86” anniversary event serves as the kickoff for this project.

It has been 40 years since “Cinema Days ’86”—a landmark event in the history of Latvian cinema. The Video Department, established in 1986 within the Latvian Cinematography Committee, was tasked with introducing new technologies and forms into the Latvian film system, as well as promoting the art of cinema. The most joyful event organized by the department and its chief creative force, director Augusts Sukuts, was “Cinema Days ’86” in August 1986. The previously celebrated Soviet Cinema Days were replaced by celebrations marking the birth of cinema. The event marked 90 years since the first films from the cinematograph invented by the French Lumière brothers were screened in Riga in 1896.

“Cinema Days ’86” presented cinema as an endless spectacle and a field of experiences. There were no boundaries between art forms during “Cinema Days”—filmmakers, theater actors and directors, visual artists, photographers, musicians, and writers all participated in organizing and celebrating the event. “The ‘Cinema Days’ were our conviction and our audacity,” said Augusts Sukuts.

The culmination of the festival was the week’s finale in Arkādija Park. In every corner of Arkādija Park, as well as near and on Mara Pond, one could see art installations and performances born of boundless imagination, some of which carried a strong subtext of social criticism. Everything that followed—the establishment of the Riga Video Center, the Riga (now Latvian) Film Museum, and the “Arsenāls” International Film Festival—was largely the result of the sense of cinematic inadequacy created by “Film Days ’86”!

Supported by:

Through a competitive grant process, the LKA has secured nearly 1 million euros to create the LKA Latvian Film Museum’s new permanent exhibition, “Stories of Latvian Cinema,” and the “Mirdza” movie theater.

With the help of this funding, it will be possible to create a modern, open, and accessible film museum where everyone can learn about Latvian cinema. According to research conducted by the LKA, people often face limitations in terms of accessibility and the availability of content in their daily lives. The project will make it possible to create not only physically accessible and user-friendly exhibition spaces and screening rooms, but also interesting, multifaceted content—so that a wide variety of visitors can explore Latvian cinema in a way that suits them best. “Thanks to the funding awarded, the Latvian Film Museum will be able to live up to its name—here, people of all ages, from children to adults, families, and seniors, will be able to explore Latvian cinema; in other words, the exhibition will be designed with everyone in mind. The “Mirdza” cinema hall will also be a major asset, offering the opportunity to bring both new and forgotten films to life,” notes museum director Inga Pērkone-Redoviča.

Currently, the Latvian Film Museum is temporarily closed to visitors, but behind closed doors, a new exhibition titled “Stories of Latvian Cinema” is taking shape: spaces are being set up, multimedia content is being created, and events are being planned that will take place even before the museum reopens. The new permanent exhibition “Stories of Latvian Cinema” at 58a Miera Street is scheduled to open to the public in the fall of 2028.

As part of the project, the Latvian Film Museum’s content will also be integrated into the Latvian Museums mobile app. It will feature a digital audio guide, a virtual tour, and augmented reality film walks through the city. These walks will allow visitors to explore Latvian film locations in Riga, historic movie theaters, and cinema sites in Latvia’s regions.

The project “Inclusive and Accessible LKA Latvian Film Museum” (No. 4.3.2.0/1/25/A/012) is co-financed by the European Union under Specific Support Objective 4.3.2, which aims to enhance the role of culture and tourism in economic development, social inclusion, and social innovation. The total cost of the project is 999,397.50 euros.

Visualization: Ivars Veinbergs

 

 

 

The main exhibition “Stories of Latvian Cinema” and the construction of the cinema hall are underway!

We invite you to follow the information on the website www.kinomuzejs.lv and our social networks and attend the events of the Latvian Film Museum in the premises of the National Film School and elsewhere!

For information on opportunities to attend or host an animation workshop or participate in museum education classes, please inquire from September 2026.

To contact the staff of the museum, please write or call:
+371 29119544 or kinomuzejs@kinomuzejs.lv.

Photo: A scene from the film “White Bells” (Ivars Kraulītis, 1961)

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.)