Raitis Ābele

DocuDrama about 13th century pre-Christian culture. Danish spy Lars enters the tribal lands of the Baltic peoples, where he takes part in religious rites, cruel forays, gets high during the Summer Solstice, becomes slave to the Couronians and even fights the crusaders. Who were the last pagans of Europe and how did they live? It is a unique trip into the textures of the past and into the unknown lands of the Baltic Tribes.

A local guide is asked to lead a group of influencers along the river of a remote valley. As they get deeper into the wilderness, their venture takes a frightening turn.

Brothers Robert and Martin are a month away from their largest art exhibition. To get creative juices flowing, Martin locks himself in a black cube. Once out, brothers fall into a wild rollercoaster of events existing on the very edge of the chaos, examining the thin line between the artist’s creativity and mental troubles.

Small town resident Valters breeds his pigs and sings in the local church choir. His childhood secret however, prevents him from integrating in the community. After the death of his father he tries to establish contact with Aija. This is not the beginning of an ordinary young couple’s love story.

In a 17th century Swedish Livonian village, constant rain and drunkenness prevail. When a stolen relic sparks witchcraft accusations, an 80-year-old self-proclaimed werewolf named the Dog of God arrives with a mysterious gift: The Devil’s Balls.

While the whole world is overwhelmed by revolutions of different shades, the leading tandem of the Small Theater - Ivars and Armands is working on a new historical play set in 18th century France called ‘Revolution’. A week before the premiere the favorite of audiences and critics Armands receives a tempting offer to pursue his career at the Grand Theater. Betrayed by his best friend, Ivars gradually loses touch with reality. Themes of the play ‘Revolution’ starts to intertwine with Ivars personal life until he becomes unable to distinguish truth from fiction and that brings the Small Theater closer to an inevitable catastrophe - the act of terrorism at the evening of the premiere.

Fridrihs Vesmanis (1875–1941) – the first Chairman of the Saeima (Parliament) of the Republic of Latvia, Latvia’s envoy to Great Britain, and a Supreme Court senator – was arrested and deported by the Soviets in June 1941. It was forbidden to mention his name during the years of the Soviet occupation. Only after Latvia regained its independence, his descendants found his autobiography, which reads like a last letter to the future Latvia. This film is dedicated to the inception of the Latvian state and the centenary of its Constitution and Parliament.

Curonians is a historical documentary about one of the ancient Baltic tribes. The Curonians lived in the western parts of modern-day Latvia from the 5th until the 16th century. They eventually merged with other Baltic peoples to form the Latvian nation. The docu-mentary utilizes reenacted scenes, interviews with known historians and 3D animation to tell the story of this brave warrior tribe. They were feared even by their Scandinavian neighbors and remained one of the last remaining pagan tribes in Europe. Evidence of Curonian rituals can be found as late as the 19th century. The film offers a brief insight into their lives, culture, customs and beliefs. It tells about their moments of strength, victory and also their defeats.

The spirit of Latvian soldiers, the most memorable moments in the history of the Latvian army, and an insight into the development of the National Armed Forces today. Using animation, unique archive footage and photographs, as well as stories told by contemporaries, an emotional message has been created about the Latvian fighting spirit, which has permeated conflicts led by foreign powers throughout Latvian history, helped to win the Latvian War of Independence and build a strong Latvian army during the interwar period, and gave the confidence to take to the barricades and restore the armed forces in the 1990s. The film was commissioned by the Ministry of Defense to ensure the preservation of military history.

On March 11, 2020 the WHO declared the outbreak of Covid-19 as a pandemic. At the time, almost no one predicted that this pandemic would drag on and on, make us sit at 'home', reintroduce curfew or even let us partly forget how it is to hug our loved ones. During this a year, we have more or less adapted to the ‘pandemic lifestyle’. Some have been significantly affected while others have remained almost unchanged. Exactly a year later we look at ourselves - how does this adaptation look? Or - have we adapted at all? This story is told by 624 submitted videos all filmed in a single day - on March 11, 2021. Filmed in Georgia, Finland, France, Switzerland, USA, Russia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Belgium, Iceland, Spain, Vietnam and Malta.

For every generation the doomsday clock is ticking louder and human beings feel they live in the most bizarre and dreadful time ever. No one knows if it’s an incapability to comprehend the existence, a need to return to a more primitive state or a pure idealization of nihilism. After the Great Blackout a man seeks out his past. By confronting his feminine and masculine alter egos he strives to restore his identity. The emergence of his most primal instincts is an absolutely straightforward and unequivocal reflection of the present day.