
Ansis Bērziņš
Directing
Biography
Ansis Bērziņš was a Latvian film producer and director, known as one of the first animation film producers of Latvia. Together with the director Roze Stiebra, Bērziņš was awarded the Latvian film prize Lielais Kristaps in 2017, for lifetime contribution to Latvian cinema.
Known For

The story of love between two huge sea creatures that is complicated by distance and ecological issues.
Ness and Nessie

According to an ancient folk tradition, Yuletide is celebrated after Christmas. It is difficult to understand who is circling in this motley dance – real animals, evil spirits or just funny mummers.
Motley Dance

An animation film based on a poem by Vitauts Ļaudēns.
Pasaka par Sisi Vijoļkāju

Fantadroms is a Latvian children's sci-fi cartoon by production company Studio Dauka. The shorts were released sporadically between 1985 and 1995, and all thirteen of them were released as a collection on DVD in 2006. The hero of the cartoon is a yellow shape-shifting robot called Indrikis XIII, who usually takes the form of a cat. He flies through space, mediating various disputes between the other characters. One recurring dynamic in the show is the love triangle between Indrikis XIII and Receklite - the flying purple cat-octopus with whom he is in love with, and the rat – who is in love with Indrikis. Other recurring characters include a cow, a (human) woman, and an amorphous pink blob. The short "Salt" won the Lielais Kristaps award for best animation in 1985. The animation has no dialogue and drama unfolds through pantomime and expressive noises such as grunts, groans, and laughter, which allows the show to cross language barriers.
Fantadrome
A screen version of Raimonds Pauls's musical based on Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie.
A Sad Story About Carrie

A musical tale about the seasons.
Both Ends White, the Mid is Green

The calamities of a turtle family which is driven out of its natural environment. European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) are the only species of turtles living in Latvia and they are endangered.
Turtles

The story of an abandoned puppy looking for a new friend for himself.
Puppy

An animation film for kids teaching them to love and protect nature. Based on the story "Čigānmeitēns Ringla".
Ringlas ceļojums

A story about the fearless Brer Rabbit and the greedy, brazen and boastful Boss Lion who uses the gullibility of the little brothers to rule over their simple lives. Rabbit comes up with a brave plan and a way to defeat the horrible Lion with his resourcefulness. The final film of film studio Dauka.
Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion

An animation based on the folk tale about the trumpeter of Tālava.
The Trumpeter of Tālava

A sister and brother dream of the same adventures, though each interprets their dream differently. A dream travels where we are not, and where each misfortune turns into a new opportunity, but the goal always remains unattainable.
Sister and Brother

A little boy sees a thirsty camel in his picture book and imagines bringing him a rain cloud.
Rainy Day

The protagonist's adventures tell a story about the water supply system.
Ūdensbrīnums
The animated film is based on Vika's fairy tale "The Complicated Sparrow."
Complex Sparrow

An animation film based on the play by Anna Brigadere.
Tom Thumb

A story about a boy who together with his friends - a dog and a swan - taught a lesson to a mischievous robot.
Re, kāds gadījums!

A story about the adventures of a helicopter girl named Hela.
Hallo, Hela!

A film for children about how a baby comes into this world. The sexual revolution happened in Latvia thanks to Māris Putniņš, an artist and soon-to-be among the most visible Latvian puppet animation specialists. In 1989, he published a series of drawings showing that babies aren’t brought by storks or found in cabbage patches in the famous children’s magazine Zīlīte. This popular-science film by Roze Stiebra recreates this long-kept-from-children truth on the big screen.
How a Baby Comes Into the World

The mouse drove, the cart squeaked' led the sleeping squirrel Migu migu alone', until both two fell asleep.