Ron Rosenberg

A poetic portrait of the western coastline of Latvia that, accompanied by songs about fish and the sea, roaring of vessel engines and factory alacrity, gives a glimpse into the life by the sea where the smell of fish and sea water is still present.

There is the male gaze, the post-colonial gaze, and the anthropocentric gaze — but what about the gaze of youth? A diverse group of older people far over 65 re-perform stereotypical film scenes about older age: scenes of poor health, lack of mental sharpness and sexual invisibility. But do these cinematic images really correspond to their own reality? This documentary emphasizes that there is a need to challenge the dominant 'gaze of youth' and accept more multi-layered perspectives about later life.

Blueberry Spirits is a poetic documentary about a Roma family that spends its summers in the Latvian forests, picking berries to make a living. While harvesting the fruits of the forest, they reflect on their identity as a group by sharing ghost stories.