Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen

Ilze Burkovska, a little girl who is obsessed with stories of World War II and will be a filmmaker in a distant future, lives in Latvia under the totalitarian boot of the Soviets and the ominous shadow of the many menaces and horrors of the Cold War.

Ieva has been an obedient granddaughter for years – choosing a safe career in a bank as her grandmother wanted. Her mother left the family years ago when she had to look for work abroad. That has made ties between Ieva and her grandmother especially tight. Dissatisfaction with the constant adaption to the material world is flickering under the surface and Ieva lives her dreamlife with her friends. She plays the keyboard in a girl band and stays out late. When Ieva decides to have a provocative tattoo on her arm made, her grandmother goes completely nuts.

For the post-war generation in Latvia, the dream of the “good old days” became a significant part of the process of regaining independence. The dream of restoring the countryside to the way it was during the first independence is only now seen by most as naïve and unreal. Six episodes that reflect the historical development in the nation parallel to the fate of the director’s mother are used to explore the effects of political order on everyday lives. Though she is now leaving the countryside, the process of moving her life provides a visual stimulus for memories.

Norwegian-raised Latvian teenager Sophie sets off alone to Latvia to meet the father she never knew, a journey that forces her to confront buried family secrets and the tangled roots of her identity.

A documentary about two 13-year-old girls, both obsessed with fashion and developing their personal style. One of the girls lives in a small town in Latvia, the other one - in Norway. How do their surroundings influence their acts of self-expression? And how do their mothers cope with the idea that their little daughters are becoming adults?

Some fortunate humans have secret insect friends that inspire their creativity. Nine-year-old Viga is an adventurous storyteller who hides her struggles with reading and writing because she is ashamed. Her classmate Sana is a model student, always focused and serious, with no time for fun. Viga's other secret is her new friendship with Taro, a cockroach who fuels her imagination. When Sana discovers and reveals Viga’s secrets, Viga must rise above the mockery to help Sana when her mother faces humiliation on live TV. Together, they must overcome their differences, team up, and learn the values of acceptance and compassion while saving Taro from an exterminator, capturing a Chinese emperor, and executing the perfect “Coup à la Cupcake” heist.