Valdis Ābols

Singing Grandmas

Three elderly ladies - Maiga, Velta and Mrs.Tone - meet every Tuesday at a Culture House in a suburb of Riga to take part in rehearsals with 40-odd other ladies of the "Granny Choir". Some of them might be living more in the past than in the present, but there is one extraordinary feature common to all. Despite their age, low income and health issues, they appear to know how to grow old with dignity, a sense of humour and, as it seems, even joy.

Pigtail and Mr. Sleeplessness

Pigtail loves the winter holidays, but this year, shortly before Christmas, Brother comes into the world, turning everything upside down. Grandmother arrives from the countryside, because Pigtail’s parents no longer have time to take her skating, but Pigtail and her best friend, Mr. Sleeplessness, don’t like the new order. They come up with a plan – to send Brother and Grandmother to the Moon, in a bid to reclaim parental attention.

Aleksander Laime: Diamonds of Angel Falls

Aleksander Laime, romanticist and dreamer at heart, went deep into the jungle of Venezuela in search of Jimmy Angel’s famed ‘Diamond River’. While it was never publicized if he succeeded in his search, residents of Canaima still refer to him as their ancestors once named him – ‘The King of Diamonds’. Through gaining trust, Laime was to see something no other man had ever seen, but was forbidden from entering the place ever again.