09-02-2019

FNE at Berlinale 2019: Latvian Film in Berlin

By National Film Centre of Latvia

    Latvian stand at EFM - Martin Gropius Bau - stand number G10! Latvian animation goes to Berlin 2019. This has been a fruitful time for animators in Latvia – two Latvian feature length animations will have screenings at EFM/Berlinale, several other are going to be released this year.

    • The new Estonian/Latvian family film Lotte and the lost Dragons will have it’s premiere in the Generation Kplus

    This will be the international premiere of the 78-minute film directed by Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits, in a co-production between Joonis Film‘s (Estonia) and Rija Films (Latvia). Lotte and The Lost Dragons (Lotte ja kadunud lohed) competes along 7 other films in the Generation Plus programme of the festival.

    Lotte and the Lost Dragons by Janno Põldma and Heiki ErnitsIn this third installment of their Lotte series (Generation Kplus 2007 and 2012) Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits send curious puppy girl Lotte off on a madcap search for a fire-breathing dragon, accompanied this time by her baby sister Roosi. The result is a colorful, vibrant animated film that serves up more than its share of absurd surprises and encounters with a host of loveable, quirky characters.

    Screenings @Berlinale:
    10.02 13:20 CinemaxX 13 (EFM)
    11.02. 10:00 Haus der Kulturen der Welt
    12.02. 09:30 #FilmtheaterAmFriedrichshain
    14.02. 09:30 Zoo Palast Berlin
    17.02. 09:30 #FilmtheaterAmFriedrichshain

     

    • EFM screenings for Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs

     

    Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs, a beautiful hand-painted Latvian family animation directed by Edmunds Jansons and produced by Atom Art and Letko will have two special screenings at EFM/Berlinale.

    Jacob Mimmi and the Talking Dogs by Edmunds JansonsThe film was previously pitched in Cartoon Movie and Warsaw Kids Forum at concept stage and has just been released in Latvia (February 2019).

    Screening schedule:

    9 Feb 15:10 // CinemaxX 19 
    11 Feb 14:25 // Parliment Studio

    New Europe Film Sales, the distributor of Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs, will be available for meetings at EFM.

    The film is a story of Jacob, who lives in the city and dreams of becoming an architect like his busy dad. He spends a lot of time drawing buildings and daydreaming while his father is at work. One day dad needs to go away on business for longer than usual and Jacob has to spend the whole week with his bossy cousin Mimmi and her ex-pirate father Eagle in Riga’s historical suburb called Maskachka. As soon as Jacob arrives it turns out that the local park is about to be transformed into new skyscrapers by a greedy businessman. Jacob and Mimmi decide to stop the development. It turns out that they can only do it with the help of a pack of local dogs that… can talk!

    Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs was produced by Sabine Andersone at Atom Art Studio in Latvia and co-produced by Jakub Karwowski from the Polish studio Letko and supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, Polish Film Institute and Creative Europe Media. It is part of the “Latvian Films for Latvian Centenary” program, which celebrates Latvia’s 100 years.

    New Europe Film Sales and Atom Art have already collaborated on Jansons’ short animation Isle of Seals.

    • Another two animation projects are soon to be released

    My Favorite War by Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen (Latvia/Norway), Ego Media in co-production with Bivrost Film&TV (Norway). A coming of age animated documentary. Finding your truth, identity and loyalty beneath the propaganda of an authoritarian regime.

    My Love Affair with Marriage by the acclaimed Latvian animator Signe Baumane (Latvia/USA). A punchy tale of love, gender and marriage. Zelma, a fiery young woman with wild imagination, journeys through many marriages, some real, some imaginary, while confronting societal pressures and her own biology.

    NB! You can still get involved in this unique project at Kickstarter

    More information: http://nkc.gov.lv/en/ National Film Centre of Latvia.