Latvian citizens can vote in person on Saturday October 3, 2026 at select locations in the United States.
More information at https://www.usa.mfa.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/par-15-saeimas-velesanu-norisi-arvalstis
Enjoy the latest films from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania at Scandinavia House, NYC.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.balticfilmfestival.com
The annual New York Baltic Film Festival will return this November 3-14, 2021.
We are planning for in person film screenings at Scandinavia House as well as online screenings for those who cannot come to the cinema or reside outside the NYC area. So anywhere in the U.S. you will be able to enjoy the film program.
The Box Office will open October 1st.
Please visit www.balticfilmfestival.com for more information and to sign up for our news updates.
The acclaimed TV thriller The Blacklist is wrapping up this series with a finale episode that has a Latvian flavor.
We can't say much more, but worth watching !
When: Wednesday, June 16, 2021, special time: 10 pm ET, 9 pm CT (check your local TV channel guide for exact screening time)
How: NBC TV and also on Peacock
See teaser trailer: click here
More on the TV series - click here
Traditional accounts of world cinema of the 1960s-70s invariably emphasize filmmakers’ newfound experimentation with the conventions of their medium, and their increasing exploration of subjectivity, self-referentiality, abstraction, and radical new approaches to storytelling. This type of cinema found its place in the Baltics too, where a group of directors broke with the dominant conventions of filmmaking that had previously held sway. During the second half of the 20th century, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian filmmakers, many of whom graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, aka VGIK, left their mark on the history of modernist European cinema, echoing the uncompromising film style of the various global “New Waves” and, at the same time, implicitly reflecting the cultural specificity of the Baltic states incorporated into the Soviet Union.
This series showcases nine feature films – ranging from allegorical fictions to realist visions of the everyday – by the most renowned Baltic film directors of the period. The program introduces formal innovations and implicitly expressed political topics characteristic to the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian modernist cinema.
“Baltic Modernist Cinema” is an online program, which will encompass all nine of the films – three each from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Guest-programmed by Lukas Brasiskis, and presented in collaboration with the Lithuanian Cultural Institute; the Lithuanian Film Center; the National Film Centre of Latvia; and the Estonian Film Institute.
When: May 26 – June 1, 2021
How: online
NY-based Latvian animation film producer Signe Baumane just drew the last of 40,000 animation drawings for "My Love Affair With Marriage"! Post-production is ahead, but she wants to pause for a moment to celebrate this important milestone: finishing production.
Please join Signe and her team on Sunday May 23rd at 1:00pm US Eastern Time for the Worldwide End-of-Production Celebration of "My Love Affair With Marriage" on Zoom. Signe will take us through the SIX-year journey with hair-raising stories, funny commentary, photos, never-before-seen clips from the film, a RAFFLE and more. Everybody is invited! The event is FREE!
Here's how the RAFFLE works. Buy one ticket - or 3, or 15, or 200 to increase your chances! If you win, you get to be Signe Baumane's client for one week. She will create an animation specifically for you in her style based on your ideas. Perhaps a greeting, or special video for someone you love. It would make a unique wedding, anniversary or graduation present. Or perhaps you would prefer a painting or a series of drawings. You are the client, it's your choice. The only limitation is Signe's time - one week.
· Tickets are $10 each
· 3 tickets for $25
· 15 tickets for $100
· 200 tickets for $1,000
All proceeds will go toward post-production expenses of "My Love Affair With Marriage". You can buy tickets from now until the May 23rd Celebration by going to the Donate Page of the film's website:
www.MyLoveAffairWithMarriage.com/donate
Signe will pull the name of the winner from a hat at the Celebration LIVE. Be prepared to make your acceptance speech!
Join the live Zoom event on May 23 @ 1pm EDT: click here
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš of the Republic of Latvia will speak on
Fixing the Planet for Future Generations: Latvia’s Perspective
COVID-19 is the greatest challenge our countries individually and collectively face. The pandemic has exacerbated traditional security threats and has cast a spotlight on the fragility of democracy and non-traditional threats. Issues like disinformation and vulnerabilities in the global supply chain of essential goods stress the necessity for closer cooperation between the Transatlantic partners.
Our future depends on our ability as like-minded partners to become increasingly resilient. Working together allows us greater ability to adapt to the ever-changing global environment. Today we face risks and complexities of great magnitude, like climate change, technological advancement, and economic globalization. By taking a coordinated approach, we can successfully solve for the best outcomes.
The EU and the US are the closest allies, sharing the same fundamental values of freedom, democracy, and security. The EU and the US have the largest bilateral trade and investment relations in the world. Our economies combined account for about half the entire world GDP and for nearly a third of world trade flows. This organic economic and security alliance has overcome previous challenges and has the capacity to solve current and future uncertainties.
During this lecture, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš will address how COVID-19 has given the world a chance to transform the mindset and develop a more sustainable political and economic system by leveraging new technologies.
The Prime Minister will be introduced by Vice Provost and University Librarian Michael Keller. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Michael McFaul, Director of Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies.
When: Wednesday, April 28, 12 pm EDT / 9 am PDT
How - via Webex. Free.
To register - please click here to RSVP
To learn more about this event - click here.
The Latvian Cultural Association TILTS invites you on to The Music and Arts Series' "Culture BRIDGE" virtual event - An interactive presentation by interpretative planner Peter Dajevskis.
Evalds Dajevskis can be included among that exceptional group of stage designers and easel painters who work transcends national boundaries. Besides achieving recognition in independent Latvia before WW II, his artistry flourished and reached its zenith in postwar Germany and the U.S. After he passed away in 1990, his son Peter Dajevskis worked tirelessly to compile his father's extensive archive, which consists of more than 250 original paintings and scenography, costume designs, sketches and photographs of theatrical and operatic productions.
Peter Dajevskis has been president and co-founder of Interpretive Solutions, Inc. (IS), a Philadelphia based consulting firm specializing in interpretive planning, exhibit development, oral history documentation and project management for various cultural institutions. Over the last ten years, for the US National Park Service, IS developed over 27 long-range interpretive plans addressing the significance of notable national historic sites, parks and monuments located around the United States. During the late 1990s and early 2000’s, Dajevskis represented Hill International, Inc. during the architectural programming and design phases of the new National Library of Latvia building under its contract with Latvia’s Ministry of Culture. For over ten years, he served as liaison between Hill International and the internationally acclaimed Latvian-American design architect Gunnar Birkerts and coordinated Hill’s project management services with the Director of the National Library of Latvia on behalf of the Ministry of Culture to advance the programming and design phases of the new library building and to obtain UNESCO’s endorsement of the project.
When: Sunday, April 18, 2021, 4 pm EDT
How: via Zoom
Meeting ID: 811 225 5667
Passcode: 41821
To access the Zoom link - click here.
Ernie Sabine is a Latvian-American artist based in New York City. Inspired by the temporal forms of nature, he explores the interplay of color, texture and light throughout the body of his work. Bridging the gap between raw emotion and captured moments, he translates these feelings through oils, ink and acrylic on a large scale.
His new series “Everything Will be O.K.” explores the memory, beauty and power of natural forms.
“Everything Will Be O.K.” showcases the artist’s recollections of a surfing trip to Big Sur. The memory of that coastal experience -- waves, shoreline, setting sun -- are surfaced in bold, vivid colors, brought into a palpable tension with the raw emotions of the present day. The artist further unpacks that remembered experience in a series of smaller works. These explore the anger and power, as well as beauty and tenderness, of the California coast, seeking to reveal how those disparate states can coexist in the lens of remembrance.
EVERYTHING WILL be O.K.
April 17-May16th
Nomad Contemporary
281 Church Street
New York City
In conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the American Latvian Association, you are invited to a concert featuring acclaimed Latvia pianist Andrejs Osokins.
Laureate of the world’s most prominent piano competitions – including the Leeds, Rubinstein, Long-Thibaud, Queen Elisabeth, as well as International German Piano Award – London-based pianist Andrejs Osokins is one of the most sought-after Latvian pianists. He was described by critics as impeccably stylish, praised for his powerful intellect and charisma, wide expressive sound palette, notably convincing in many different styles of music.
The program will feature a number of pieces that reveal surprising parallels between Latvian and American piano compositions during the 20th century.
Following the performance will be a Q&A for the audience, led by musicologist Liene Jakovļeva.
“Impeccably stylish performance” - The Independent (UK)
When: Saturday, March 27, 2021, 1 pm EDT.
How: via Zoom – click here to join the event.
Read more about Andrejs Osokins – click here.
The Music and Arts series' "Culture BRIDGE" is proud to present its first virtual event.
Program: Songs by Imants Kalniņš' in Latvian and English; a conversation with Katrīna Gupalo and Amb. Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, English text author/translator; Gabija Bīriņa's choreographed solo dances., video production by Ronalds Mežmačs, and sound editing by Modra Bērziņa. The conversation will be led by Iveta Grava.
When: Sunday, March 7, 2021, 4 pm EST
How: via Zoom. Zoom link - click here.
Meeting ID: 811 225 5667
Passcode: 03072021
Read more about Katrīna Gupalo - click here.
Organized by: Latvian Cultural Association, TILTS
More information/registration: daperans@tilts.org
***
Mūzikas un mākslas sērijas "Kultūras TILTS" pirmais virtuālais pasākums:
"Tikšanās mūzikā un sarunā ar populāro latviešu dziedātāju un pianisti Katrīnu Gupalo"
Programmā: Imanta Kalniņa dziesmas latviešu un angļu valodā; saruna ar Katrīnu Gupalo un Ojāru Ēriku Kalniņu, angļu tekstu autoru/tulkotāju; Gabijas Bīriņas horeogrāfētās solo dejas, video operatora Ronalda Mežmača un skaņu režisora Modra Bērziņa, īpaši šim raidījumam veidotie video ieraksti. Sarunas vadītāja: Iveta Grava.
Kad: 2021. g. 7.martā, plkst. 16:00 (pēc Ņujorkas laika).
Kā: caur ZOOM. Zoom saite - piespiest šeit.
Meeting ID: 811 225 5667
Passcode: 03072021
Informācija/pieteikšanās: daperans@tilts.org
Rīko: Latviešu kultūras biedrība TILTS
Ņujorkas latviešu Kultūras diena - "Mūzikas un dzejas krāsas" , 24. janvārī, 16:00 - 18:00
Ņujorkas latviešu organizāciju padome aicina uz Ņujorkas latviešu Kultūras dienu “Mūzikas un dzejas krāsas”.
Piedalās:
rakstniece Rita Laima
soprāns Annija Dziesma Tetere
pianists Rūdolfs Ozoliņš
Programmā:
Baibas Bičoles dzeja latviešu un angļu valodā
Jāzepa Vītola klaviermūzika
latviešu un citu komponistu solo dziesmas un operārijas
Kad: svētdien, 2021. gada 24 .janvārī, 16:00-18:00.
ZOOM saite: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9061327565. Parole: 01242021
Informācija / pieteikšanās: abatarags@optonline.net
Rīko: Ņujorkas latviešu organizāciju padome/ nylatvians.org/ Facebook @Latvija100NYC
2021 New York Latvian Culture Day - Sunday, January 24, 2021
The NY Latvian Organization invites you attend the annual Latvian Culture Day event - "The Colors of Music and Poetry", featuring Latvian music performances and poetry reading (in Latvian and English).
When: Sunday, January 24, 2021, 4-6 pm
How: via Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9061327565. Password: 01242021
My Favorite War has been submitted to compete for the 2021 Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. An animated documentary, My Favorite War tells the director’s personal story of growing up in the Cold War-era USSR. From her early childhood playing at war on her grandfather’s farm, and then being faced with the horror of real war threats at school, Ilze lives in a clash between the Soviet reality and propaganda denying what people are actually experiencing. Moreover, she also finds out how opposing the beliefs are of the people she loves most. An exciting coming-of-age story about finding one’s own identity, truth and loyalty, the film looks at the choices a girl had to make from a very young age, before getting wiser and finding the courage to speak out.
“We were touched by this memoir that is part of a bigger story. It gives a vivid feeling for a young girl growing up and evolving in a small Latvian town during the Soviet occupation. My Favorite War teaches the global value of freedom and demonstrates how a very personal story can be of universal interest.”. - Annecy jury, 2020
Norway / Latvia, 2020; directed by Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen.
82 min. In English/Latvian/Russian with English subtitles.
Watch trailer - click here
When: Thursday, January 21, 8 am EST to Sunday, January 24 11:59 PST - available for online viewing via the platform virtual.goelevent.com or via your Roku or Apple TV device using the Elevent TV channel.
How: purchase your e-ticket - click here. $8 ( using the $5 off discount code ASF at check-out).
or visit the Scandinavia House box office: http://www.scandinaviahouse.org
In coordination with Scandinavian Film Festival L.A. with BalticFilmExpo@SFFLA, Scandinavia House is pleased to offer virtual screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the 2021 Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film, available to viewers across the U.S. on the weekends of January 7, 14, and 21.
Latvia’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film Category is Blizzard of Souls / Dvēseļu putenis.
The most watched cinematic release in Latvia in the past 30 years and seen by more than 250,000.
Synopsis: After witnessing the death of his mother at the hands of invading Germans, 16-year-old Artūrs, together with his father, decides to enlist in the national Latvian Riflemen battalions of the Imperial Russian army, hoping for revenge and glory. Though he is underage, Artūrs goes on with his father and brother to fight in World War I, where the thrill of training is soon followed by reality, as the shells burst around them and their lives are constantly in jeopardy. Adapted from the book by Aleksandrs Grins, which was banned in the U.S.S.R., the story was based on Grins’ own war experiences in a Latvian battalion. Blizzard of Souls pays stark witness to the horrors and brutality of the First World War, as seen through the eyes of an innocent 17-year-old farm-boy turned soldier.
“Atmospheric cinematography…A more realistic 1917″—The Hollywood Reporter
Director: Dzintars Dreibergs; 120 minutes. In Latvian with English subtitles.
Watch the trailer - click here
When: January 7-10, available for online viewing via the platform virtual.goelevent.com or via your Roku or Apple TV device using the Elevent TV channel.
How: e-tickets - $8 ( using the $5 off discount code ASF at check-out ) Click here to purchase.
or visit the Scanadinvia House website box office: http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/
The Third Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House returns in 2020 with a virtual version taking place in three sessions: October 15-18, October 29-November 1, and November 12-15. This year, the festival will expand beyond New York to offer a selection of the most exciting and relevant Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films to audiences across the U.S., to view in the comfort of their own homes.
2020 NYBFF invites viewers to look at the world through Baltic eyes and experience the full spectrum of human emotions – and, ultimately, feel inspired to hope, dream and seize the opportunity for positive change.
THIRD SESSION LINEUP:
LOOKING INWARD & FORWARD: BALTIC SHOWCASE - November 12-15
Truth and Justice (Tõde ja õigus, dir: Tanel Toom, Estonia, 2019)
Oleg (Oļegs, dir: Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Belgium/Lithuania/France, 2019)
The Lawyer (Advokatas, dir: Romas Zabarauskas, Lithuania, 2020)
Festival films will be available to ticket holders all over the U.S., with one ticket giving the holder access to all films in a package. Each session is limited to 300 tickets in an effort to preserve the intimate and communal NYBFF experience. The sessions will take place over four days (Thursday-Sunday), and all films from the session will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Festival sessions will be accompanied by live and interactive virtual filmmaker Q&As and discussion panels.
Festival and Session Passes now on sale - don’t miss out ! Visit www.balticfilmfestival.com today.
Sign up for updates on the NYBFF website and follow NYBFF on Instagram and Facebook for announcements.
Website : https://www.balticfilmfestival.com
Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/NYBalticFF
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/NYBalticFF
As Latvia celebrates its National Day on November 18, the #1 Box Office success in Latvia in the past 30 years and one of the most expensive productions in Latvian cinema’s history, Blizzard of Souls / Dvēseļu putenis, will premiere in an exclusive streaming event from November 11-29, 2020 for U.S. audiences.
Enjoyed by over 250,000 cinema attendees in Latvia since its release last November, this impressive adaption of the classical novel by Aleksandrs Grins tells the story of sixteen-year-old Arturs who enlists to fight in First World War with dreams of becoming a hero, but after surviving the brutalities of trench warfare and the loss of his family, he wonders if his efforts in battle were futile and if hope is only to be found in rebuilding a family and a home as Latvia itself is born from the atrocities of war. A powerful, visually stunning portrait of lost innocence that has drawn stylistic comparisons to Sam Mendes’ “1917”, an unforgettable, affecting Latvian perspective on ‘the war to end all wars.’
The film is in Latvian and with English (CC) subtitles. Available for rental from November 11 on www.blizzardofsouls.vhx.tv . You can watch for 7 days as many times as you wish after commencing the rental. Accessible to viewers across the U.S.
Blizzard of Souls is directed by Dzintars Dreibergs and in its production were involved filmmakers from around the world, including Emmy Award winning American-born Latvian music composer Lolita Ritmanis and Latvian-born scriptwriter and associate professor at NYU, Boris Frumin.
This exclusive screening event has been organized by the Consulate of Latvia in New York as part of the NY Latvian Organization’s celebration for the 102nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on November 18.
When: available for viewing Nov 11-29, 2020
Where: www.blizzardofsouls.vhx.tv
Tickets: $9.99 - watch within 7 days after purchase, as a many times as you wish
Accessible exclusively to viewers in the United States.
The Third Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House returns in 2020 with a virtual version taking place in three sessions: October 15-18, October 29-November 1, and November 12-15. This year, the festival will expand beyond New York to offer a selection of the most exciting and relevant Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films to audiences across the U.S., to view in the comfort of their own homes.
2020 NYBFF invites viewers to look at the world through Baltic eyes and experience the full spectrum of human emotions – and, ultimately, feel inspired to hope, dream and seize the opportunity for positive change.
SECOND SESSION LINEUP:
STRESS & RELEASE: BALTIC THRILLERS - October 29-November 1
Pretenders (Teesklejad, dir: Vallo Toomla, Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania, 2016)
Foam at the Mouth (Ar putām uz lūpām, dir: Jānis Nords, Latvia/Poland/Lithuania, 2017)
Invisible (Nematoma, dir: Ignas Jonynas, Lithuania/Latvia/Ukraine/Spain, 2019)
Festival films will be available to ticket holders all over the U.S., with one ticket giving the holder access to all films in a package. Each session is limited to 300 tickets in an effort to preserve the intimate and communal NYBFF experience. The sessions will take place over four days (Thursday-Sunday), and all films from the session will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Festival sessions will be accompanied by live and interactive virtual filmmaker Q&As and discussion panels.
Festival and Session Passes now on sale - don’t miss out ! Visit www.balticfilmfestival.com today.
Sign up for updates on the NYBFF website and follow NYBFF on Instagram and Facebook for announcements.
Website : https://www.balticfilmfestival.com
Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/NYBalticFF
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/NYBalticFF
The Third Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House returns in 2020 with a virtual version taking place in three sessions: October 15-18, October 29-November 1, and November 12-15. This year, the festival will expand beyond New York to offer a selection of the most exciting and relevant Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films to audiences across the U.S., to view in the comfort of their own homes.
2020 NYBFF invites viewers to look at the world through Baltic eyes and experience the full spectrum of human emotions – and, ultimately, feel inspired to hope, dream and seize the opportunity for positive change.
NYBFF Head of Programs Jūle Mare Rozīte: “This year is all about being adaptable and finding new ways to move forward. Even though travel is restricted world-wide, we can still connect with each other through art – and what better way is there than by understanding what makes people smile, what excites them, and how they see the future. We at NYBFF have had to think on our feet, and have come up with a compact and powerful program that brings the culture and spirit of the Baltic States to audiences across the U.S. with the best new films from the region. Laugh, be thrilled, and get introspective like a Balt!”
FIRST SESSION LINEUP:
LAUGH & CRY: BALTIC COMEDIES - October 15-18
Chasing Unicorns (Ükssarvik, dir: Rain Rannu, Estonia, 2019)
Nearby (Blakus, dir: Alise Zariņa, Latvia, 2019)
The Castle (Pilis, dir: Lina Lužytė, Lithuania/Ireland, 2019)
Festival films will be available to ticket holders all over the U.S., with one ticket giving the holder access to all films in a package. Each session is limited to 300 tickets in an effort to preserve the intimate and communal NYBFF experience. The sessions will take place over four days (Thursday-Sunday), and all films from the session will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Festival sessions will be accompanied by live and interactive virtual filmmaker Q&As and discussion panels.
Festival and Session Passes now on sale - don’t miss out ! Visit www.balticfilmfestival.com today.
Sign up for updates on the NYBFF website and follow NYBFF on Instagram and Facebook for announcements.
Website : https://www.balticfilmfestival.com
Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/NYBalticFF
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/NYBalticFF
The screening Series “From Matter to Data: Ecology of Infrastructures” will take place from July 29 till September 9 at post.moma.org, The Museum of Modern Art’s online resource devoted to art and the history of modernism in a global context.
From Matter to Data: Ecology of Infrastructures presents a selection 15 film and video works that will be made available in three parts from July 29 till September 9.
In this selection, available to watch from July 29 to August 12, artists reflect upon the role infrastructures of energy play in implementation of (geo) politics and emphasize the effects that exerts on the environment.
Organized by Lukas Brasiskis, New York University in the Department of Cinema Studies, and Inga Lāce, Curator, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, this series presents a selection of 15 works, including Latvian artists Ieva Epnere, Rasa Šmite un Raitis Šmits.
Pond Battery (2015) by Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits visualizes more contemporary ways of energy production. The electric sound intervenes the seemingly idyllic landscape after the artists installed six microbial fuels in the pond of the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia in Riga. Images of the measurements of bacteria’ electrical fluctuations were used to make the invisible activity visible and audible. A process of the generation of electricity was translated into live sound and image structures, providing an aesthetic perspective on the interaction between nature and technology, ecological systems and electronic networks, human and micro-worlds. The collected data from the seven-month long observation period is the footage and sound for the structural film and creates a sensual and emotional experience—a poetics of green energy.
To access the screening series – click here
Available: July 29 – September 9, 2020
To read more: please click here.
Functionality is the basis of design. Heritage is the value that is both preserved and refined through sustainable efforts with technology.
Latvian-made designs represent cultural and historical heritage, uniquely combining the simplicity of Scandinavia with the opulence of Slavic decoration that is unique to Latvia’s location within the Baltics. Combining heritage with modern technologies allows the development of products minimalist yet hand quality feeling in Baltic design. Each of the four designers and brand panelists have their own unique experience in the field of design, and together they will cover the Latvian design sector and discuss the natural, ecological, functional, extravagant, and unique take on products in today’s world.
Moderator:
Garette Johnson, Creative Strategist / Brand Development, Garrott Designs
Panelists:
Ieva Kaleja, Designer, Mammalampa; Lecturer, Latvian Academy of Arts
Alvida Klinge, Designer and Director, Ars Tela
Elina Dobele, Architect and Designer, Elina Dobele
Mikelis Bastiks, Graphic Designer, Asketic
Kaspars Rozkalns, Director General, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia
Available for viewing till October 2020 - to view, please click here
In the light of the current Covid-19 national emergency, the National Film Center of Latvia is taking its annual May 4th marathon screening day online via www.filmas.lv. Keeping in line with the cinematic experience, there will be 9 screening times during the day, including a book launch. This on-line screening day will be accessible also outside Latvia via the portal www.filmas.lv. The film program will commence at 11:00 local time in each country in the world, starting in New Zealand, and then circling around the world, through Riga, and then to us here in the U.S. The films are in Latvian (with the exception of the 01:00 film by New York filmmaker Signe Baumane).
Enjoy new and old films from Latvia all day on Monday, May 4th, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence of Latvia.
When: Monday, May 4, 2020, from 11:00 local time, in your city
Where: www.filmas.lv
Ārkārtas situācijas ierobežojumu dēļ Nacionālais Kino centrs tradicionālo 4. maija Latvijas filmu maratonu šogad rīko interneta vidē – portālā filmas.lv -, tomēr saglabājot “kinoteātra modeli” – deviņi kinoseansi konkrētos laikos, arī pirmizrādes un pat grāmatas atvēršana. Turklāt šogad maratona programma būs pieejama visur pasaulē, ne tikai Latvijā. Baudīsim Latvijas kino maklsu Latvijas neatkarības atjaunošanas svētku diena!
PROGRAMMA
11:00 - ANIMĀCIJA bērniem
Zirņa bērni (2020, Dace Rīdūze, 14’)
Raiņa dzejolis bērniem iedvesmojis filmu par astoņiem zirnīšiem, kam jābēg no savas pāksts mājiņas, jo tai uzbrūk negantais Tārps. Mūziku filmai un Zirņa bērnu dziesmu sacerējis Uldis Marhilevičs.
Londonas brīvdienas (2020, Jānis Cimmermanis, 11’)
Negaidīti sabojājas Londonas slavenais pulkstenis Lielais Bens, Avārijas brigāde dodas to remontēt, un risinājums krietni pārsteidz Anglijas karalieni.
Kā Lupatiņi mazgājās (2010, Edmunds Jansons, 7’)
Kā Lupatiņi šūpojās (2012, Edmunds Jansons, 5’)
Kā Lupatiņi precējās (2014, Edmunds Jansons, 5’)
Kā Lupatiņi kārtoja māju (2015, Edmunds Jansons, 5’)
Skatītāju iemīļotie lupatu bērniņi Zeķīte, lakatiņš, Cimdiņš un Spilventiņš kopā ar viedo Kaķi atklāj visādas interesantas lietas savas istabas pasaulē.
Bize un Neguļa (2017, Edmunds Jansons, 25’)
Bizes ģimenē piedzimst mazais brālītis, vecāku uzmanība tagad veltīta tikai viņam, un Bizei tas ļoti nepatīk, tāpēc viņa izdomā aizsūtīt brālīti un vecmāmiņu raķetē uz Mēnesi.
12:30 - RESTAURĒTA FILMA
Akmeņainais ceļš (1983, Rolands Kalniņš, 92’)
Viļa Lāča romāna ekranizācijā Latvijas kinorežijas klasiķis Rolands Kalniņš izceļ spēcīga rakstura mērķtiecību 30. gadu Latvijā un visos laikos. Galvenajā lomā – Andrejs Žagars.
14:05 - GRĀMATAS ATVĒRŠANA
Inga Pērkone, Ekrāna skatuve. Par aktiermākslu Latvijas filmās (apgāds Neputns)
Kinozinātnieces monogrāfija trīs cēlienos, sešās epizodēs, ar intermēdiju un ilustrācijām piedāvā teorētisku skatījumu uz kino tēlotājiem kā unikālu parādību – aktieri ir radošas personības un vienlaikus no filmiskā aparāta gandrīz pilnībā atkarīgi ekrāna elementi.
14:15 - NEATKARĪBAS DEKLARĀCIJAI – 30 / ARHĪVA SEANSS
Dzintara latvietis ’87 (1987, Aivars Freimanis, 30’)
Diena pirms neatkarības (1990, Andrejs Apsītis, 10’)
Krustceļš (1990, Juris Podnieks, 64’)
16:00 - GABALIŅŠ LATVIJAS
Sestā diena (2019, Brigita Eglīte, 54’)
Sestdienās klusais Skultes pagasta centrs pārvēršas par karnevāliski raibu ļaužu un preču festivālu – lauku tirgu ar savām īpašajām noskaņām un attiecībām starp pārdevējiem, pircējiem un vietējiem ļaudīm.
17:30 - NESENĀ VĒSTURE
Jelgava ‘94 (2019, Jānis Ābele, 86’)
Starptautiski populārajā Jāņa Joņeva romānā balstīta un 90. gadu atmosfēras piepildīta filma par 14 gadus veco Jāni, kura iemīlēšanās klasesbiedrenē un nejauši aizsāktā draudzība ar Zombi un Nāvi pilnīgi maina Jelgavas pusaudža dzīvi.
19:00 - TAUTISKĀ VĒSTURE
Rūdolfa mantojums (2010, Jānis Streičs, 114’)
Ir XX gadsimta sākums, kas sola latviešiem pārticīgu un laimīgu nākotni, mostas tautas nacionālā pašapziņa, aug zemnieku varēšana pārspēt pat muižniekus. Vecais ķeizara zaldāts Rūdolfs Rūdups, ar savu bagātību un lepnību būdams baronam kā dadzis acīs, kļūst nevaldāms, kad viņu ķer Amora bulta.
21:00 - RESTAURĒTA FILMA
Fotogrāfija ar sievieti un mežakuili (1987, Arvīds Krievs, 99’)
Vizuāli izsmalcināta un kinematogrāfiski augstvērtīga kaislību drāma ar kriminālintrigas elementiem. Afganistānas kara invalīda Kārļa lomā debitē Alvis Hermanis, filmai piešķirtas astoņas Lielā Kristapa balvas visās galvenajās profesiju kategorijās.
23:00 - VĒLAIS SEANSS
Kolka Cool (2011, Juris Poškus, 93’)
Kurzemes piekrastes laiskā vasara 21. gadsimta laucinieku dzīvē – brāļi Gvido un Andža (Andris Keišs un Artuss Kaimiņš), tāpat kā Simona (Iveta Pole) un pārējie, īsti nezina, ko iesākt ar savu dzīvi, kurā “nekas nenotiek”.
01:00 - NAKTS SEANSS TIKAI PIEAUGUŠAJIEM
Signes Baumanes erotiskās īsfilmas (1998-2008); angļu valodā, 18+
Brīvība domāt un runāt par seksu cilvēkam ir nepieciešama tāpat, kā visas citas brīvības. Nataša, kas uzsāk mīlas romānu ar putekļsūcēju, Pupu mizas par seksu un citi izaicinoši sižeti pusstundu garā programmā.
Šeit var nolādēt programmu un NKC preses relīzu.- click here.
The PlayBAC series from the Baryshnikov Arts Center features never seen before multi-camera edits of premieres by artists from around the globe, with a special introduction from Founder and Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The current lineup includes flamenco artist Rocío Molina, The Latvian National Choir, choreographer Rashaun Mitchell, Merasi: Master Musicians of Rajasthan, Vertigo Dance Company, and singer/songwriter Somi.
Beginning April 9 and for the next six Thursdays at 5PM EDT, a new video will be available to watch at bacnyc.org/explore until the following Tuesday at 5PM EDT. The streaming series are free of charge.
When: April 16 – 21 - The Latvian National Choir
Jerome Robbins Theater - Filmed Apr 11, 2015
To view the performance - please click here
To watch the PlayBAC trailer - please click here
The Latvian National Choir is a unique, award-winning ensemble of professional singers that offers its audiences an extraordinary variety of repertoire ranging from early music to the most sophisticated scores of contemporary compositions.
“A great musical power.”
- Washington Post
“This chorus’s expertise in music pushes voices to extremes, from ethereal high tones to uncannily sustained bass drones.”
- The New York Times
“One of the world’s greatest choirs.”
- The Advertiser
Enjoy these performances and stay safe and well !
Due to the Convid-19 emergency, this event may not proceed as advised. Please check the event website below for updates.
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Latvian vocalist, composer, and arranger Arta Jēkabsone will present her 3rd original music project Letters to Home. The concert will be held at one of Arta’s favorite places in NYC – The Jazz Gallery, 1160 Broadway 5th Fl, New York, NY 10001.
Letters to Home is a multidisciplinary, bilingual concert performance that combines the elements of music, video projections, and storytelling. These stories conveyed through Jēkabsone’s original music are based on letters that Latvian people have sent to each other across time. Each letter will reveal insights into life as an immigrant, broken families, love and friendship, and ultimately, a sense of belonging. With this performance, Arta hopes to create an emotional and personal experience that allows different generations to come together and experience the time of the letter writing age. As a special feature of this performance, the Letters to Home team will encourage audience members to write their own special handwritten letter to someone.
Letters to Home will feature new emerging artists in NYC – Theo Walentiny (Piano), Tal Yahalom (Guitar), Hwansu Kang (bass), Connor Parks (drums).
When: Thursday, March 26, 2020, 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm
Where: Jazz Gallery - 1160 Broadway (at 27th st), 5th fl, New York NY 10001
For tickets - please click here.
Read more about Arta Jekabsone - please click here.
Due to the Convid-19 emergency, this event may not proceed as advised. Please check the event website below for updates.
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Latvian born Rihards Fedotovs aka Rick Feds is possibly the greatest finger-drummer of all time and has been included in Ableton's top 5 list two years in a row. He is a performer, music producer, Fulbright scholar, TED speaker, Ableton, ROLI, Pearl Drums, Arturia, Keith McMillen Instruments and Melodics artist that seeks the boundaries of interactive art forms. After studies in RMC, Copenhagen finds his way in the U.S. and becomes a session musician to perform with artists like Cuba Gooding Sr., Betty Wright, Marcus Miller, etc. The former classical/jazz background makes a key difference in Rick's play on the sample pad. Feds' finger-drumming technique allows him to perform multi-layered electronic music live as well as trigger visuals all in real time and is later enriched by multi-instrumentalist's energetic play on drums, synthesisers, and various other instruments creating a full package of danceable entertainment.
When: March 25, 2020, 9 pm.
Where: ''Electronic night'' at Muchmore's, 2 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn, New York 11211.
For more information about this event - please click here:
To see Rick Feds in action - please click here.
In the light of the NBA suspending the remainder of the 2019-2020 season, this game will not proceed as previously scheduled.
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Join us at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn when the Latvian NBA stars meet in the Brooklyn Nets vs Washington Wizards game. Rodions Kurucs is on the Nets roster and Davis Bertans and Anzejs Pasecniks are on the Wizards roster.
For best tickets, please us this special Latvian fans link offered by the Brooklyn Nets - www.netsgroups.com/latvia - click here
When: Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 7:30 PM
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn NY
For more information about this event and to purchase your tickets - click here.
NB: if you are coming to the game and would like to attend the Latvian community post-game meet and greet with the players, please register by clicking here.
A reading with poets from Latvia, Ukraine, and Armenia. Latvian poet Artis Ostups in a rare US appearance, Anahit Gulian, from Armenia, and celebrating Genya Turovskaya's new book from Black Square. Wine and such will be provided.
Artis Ostups is the author of the poetry collections Comrade Snow (Biedrs Sniegs), Photography and Scissors (Fotografija un škeres), and Gestures (Žesti). In addition to poetry, he writes literary criticism. He is a researcher at the Institute of Literature, Folklore, and Art and the founder and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Punctum. His work has been translated into English, German, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, and Croatian.
When: Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 7:30-9:30 pm
Where: 600 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11238
For more information about this event: please click here.
Latvian born Rihards Fedotovs aka Rick Feds is possibly the greatest finger-drummer of all time and has been included in Ableton's top 5 list two years in a row. He is a performer, music producer, Fulbright scholar, TED speaker, Ableton, ROLI, Pearl Drums, Arturia, Keith McMillen Instruments and Melodics artist that seeks the boundaries of interactive art forms. After studies in RMC, Copenhagen finds his way in the U.S. and becomes a session musician to perform with artists like Cuba Gooding Sr., Betty Wright, Marcus Miller, etc. The former classical/jazz background makes a key difference in Rick's play on the sample pad. Feds' finger-drumming technique allows him to perform multi-layered electronic music live as well as trigger visuals all in real time and is later enriched by multi-instrumentalist's energetic play on drums, synthesisers, and various other instruments creating a full package of danceable entertainment.
When: March 24, 2020, 9 pm
Where: ''Live Beat Night'' at The Footlight, 465 Seneca Ave, Queens, New York 11385
For more information about this event - please click here:
To see Rick Feds in action - please click here.
We are delighted to invite you to VOLTA New York, taking place March 4-8 during Armory Week 2020, to view In the Dust of This Universe, by Latvian artist, Arturs Virtmanis.
In the Dust of This Universe is the latest body of work by Arturs Virtmanis. The presentation of drawings, a sculpture, and a diorama explore the space where scientific projections, metaphysics, sci-fi speculations and pop culture meet. Drawing from different cultural and historical strata and their intersections, Virtmanis builds on such precedents as the nonobjectivity of Malevich’s Black Square, discourse on scientific phenomena of black holes and antimatter, and ancient mythologies and traditions that discuss apocalyptic ideas. The work presented at VOLTA NY 2020 developed out of the artist’s experiments with temporal installations involving helium weather balloons and charcoal drawing-based environments. The title of the presentation is a reference to the work of contemporary American philosopher, Eugene Thacker and his investigations into popular notions of life in a post-apocalyptic world, be it triggered by manmade catastrophe or natural cataclysm.
When: March 5-8, 2020
Where: Metropolitan West, West 639 West 46th Street @12th Avenue, New York, NY 10036
About Arturs Virtmanis
Arturs Virtmanis is a New York based visual artist born in Riga, Latvia. With an educational background in sculpture, graphic arts and design, his artwork and installations have been exhibited at The Whitney Museum of American Art (NY); The Drawing Center (NY); Venice Biennale of Architecture (Venice, Italy); Den Frie Contemporary Art museum (Copenhagen, Denmark); Exit Art (NY); PS122 (NY); Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum (TX); Xin Dong Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing, China); Baltic Arts Center (Helsinki, Finland); Morris Museum (NJ); Jersey City Museum (NJ); The State Museum of Art (Riga, Latvia); Museum Arsenals (Riga, Latvia); Riga Art Space (Riga, Latvia), among others.
“Bridges of Time is a passionate defence of the need to make documentaries and the human desire to preserve moments in time… The directors eschew straight narrative in favour of a poetic approach taught to them by their predecessors” — Cineeurope
In the 1960s, cinema in the Baltic states, then still part of the Soviet Union, experienced its own new wave. Directors such as Herz Frank, Uldis Brauns, Ivars Seleckis, Mark Soosaar, Andres Sööt, Robertas Verba, Henrikas Šablevičius and Aivars Freimanis made a name for themselves internationally with poetic documentaries about life and humanity. Through their strong visual and metaphoric approach, these filmmakers rejected the propaganda that served as the official film language.
"Bridges of Time" revisits the surviving filmmakers who were part of the movement. Excerpts from their films contrast with contemporary footage, and some of the people who featured in the films resurface. Everyone is older, everything has changed, but life as it leapt off the screen back in the 1960s retains a timeless beauty.
The result is a poetic essay that goes in search of what it means to be a documentary filmmaker. “We studied human beings with the resources we had,” says Seleckis. “We had a camera, and time.”
Directors: Kristīne Briede, Audrius Stonys. Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia (2018).
80 min. In Latvian / Estonian / Lithuanian / Hebrew with English subtitles.
Q & A to follow after the screening with Uldis Cekulis and Riko Vastrik, co-producers of the film.
Watch trailer - click here.
When: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 7 pm
Where: Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
The film, set in a north-western industrial town in Russia, reveals the mechanism that entices human beings to voluntarily become a resource to the state. Can a person ever be free in a totalitarian society, where intricate and obscure structures take control of their mind-set from an early age? The film looks at the making of a Russian citizen from a fresh angle. The director’s subtle but demanding look reveals “the system” at work in the most benign-looking situations, in all aspects of the everyday. What happens to people’s free will and self-determination in such conditions? The film is a Nietzschean treat, asking the core existential question: is a human being ever born free?
Director: Ksenia Okhapkina. Estonia & Latvia (2019).
61 min. In Russian with English subtitles.
Watch trailer - click here.
Q & A to follow after the screening with Riho Vastrik, producer and Uldis Cekulis, co-producer of the film.
When: Tuesday, February 11, 4:30 pm and Saturday, February, 15, 6:30 pm
Where: DocFortnight @ MoMA, The Debra and Leon Black Family Film Center , 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.
Join the artists and curators from the current exhibition in the James Gallery, “Portable Landscapes: Memories and Imaginaries of Refugee Modernism,” for a discussion of the themes and key questions explored throughout the exhibition. This event is free and open to the public, please RSVP here.
How has the experience of migration and displacement contributed to the exhibition artists’ practice? What are the conditions for art histories to be shared simultaneously across locations? How does this affect national stories? What constitutes refugee modernism? Could it be said that the impetus of art since WWII is refugee modernism? What is the role of artists and curators in shaping the past and present art historical narratives in the wake of new right wing nationalist tendencies?
PROGRAM:
4:00 pm: Introduction by exhibition curators Inga Lāce and Solvita Krese, Andra Silapētere and Katherine Carl.
4:20 pm: Conversation with Judy Blum Reddy and curators Inga Lāce, Solvita Krese, Andra Silapētere, and Katherine Carl.
5:30 pm: Discussion about younger Latvian art scene in New York with exhibition artists Arturs Virtmanis, Viktor Timofeev and curator and art historian Ksenia Nouril.
6:15 pm: Presentation of Boris Lurie book In Riga (2019) with participation of poet Igor Satanovsky and curator Solvita Krese.
7:00 pm: Artist talk and discussion with Karol Radziszewski about his film America is Not Ready for This, (2012).
When: Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 4-8 pm
Where: The James Gallery, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, First Floor, New York, NY 10016
RSVP: please click here
At the International Interior Design Exhibition "NY NOW 2020" Latvia will be represented by 9 different companies.
The Latvian stand will feature modern design linen products, handmade wickerwork, home textiles, furniture and interior accessories, textiles made of cotton and wool, merino wool bags and footwear, as well as basalt stone furniture, design glass and custom made wallpaper.
When: February 1-5, 2020
Where: Javits Center, NYC, stand 2740
Exhibition participants from Latvia:
Studio Natural - High quality linen products (Find out more: www.studionatural.lv )
Pinumu pasaule – Hand made wickerwork from high quality materials (Find out more: www.pinumupasaule.lv )
ISONA Linen Design – Textile for home made from qualitative linen material. (Find out more: www.isonalinen.com )
NORDI furniture - Furniture and interior accessories for the private and public environment (Find out more: www.nordi.com )
Tooche - High quality merino wool bags and shoes (Find out more: www.tooche.me )
Radošā darbnīca “LM” - Linens, cotton and woolen tablecloths, napkins, curtains, towels, blankets, pillows, scarves, bags and other fabrics. (Find out more: www.lm-linen.com )
Laviture – Design furniture made from basalt stone (find out more: www.laviture.com )
an&angel – innovative and functional glass design objects (Find out more: www.angel.lv )
Livette’s Wallpaper - Custom made wallpapers for individual orders (Find out more: www.livetteswallpaper.com )
For more information about NY Now - please click here.
Since NY Now is a trade show, you will need to register to gain entry. Please visit their website for registration information - click here.
