Trapped by Borders

Nora Bumbiere (1947-1994) was one of the popular estrada-singer in Latvia. This will be a documentary about Nora. About Nora, who has left us an unforgettable musical story. A story that it's time to tell.

In 2004, a successful banker known as "Mr. Dice" mysteriously disappeared off the face off the earth, along with millions of dollars from investors and friends alike. Desperate to find answers, his best friend Kaspars Roga embarks upon a journey, ultimately leading into the heart of Africa where Mr Dice has reinvented himself… this time as the owner of the diamond mine, begging the question - were they ever really friends? Or was he a pawn in Dice's greater scheme?

Kārlis Bardelis and Gints Barkovskis (Latvia), have a plan to row from Luderitz, Namibia, to Rio das Ostras, Brazil. They have no ocean rowing experience, they've only got a second-hand rowboat and a big dream.

Brainstorm is the best-known Latvian band in Europe. They started out 25 years ago, when most of them were in the same class at school. That was the time when people in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia joined hands to create the Baltic Way, and the fall of the Berlin Wall became a symbol of the hunger for freedom. The young men listened to U2, the Scorpions and Roxette and dreamed of becoming famous. Now Brainstorm is famous in Russia as well. The musicians are Latvians who live in Latvia, but they reap profits in Russia. Brainstorm has experienced the most interesting and intense period of modern European history. This period has also been a dramatic time for the band itself.

A film about a unique personality with an unbreakable spirit – Gunārs Astra. He can be considered as Latvian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn or Václav Havel. Twenty years he spent in Soviet prisons because of anti-government thinking. In a 1983 trial by the Latvian SSR, Astra said, “I believe this time will fade like an evil nightmare.” The fate of Gunārs Astra himself was tragic. Like Alexei Navalny in Russia, Astra was poisoned with tea on a train to Saint Petersburg. A week later, Gunārs Astra died. Astra’s death became a symbol of light on the long road to the restoration of Latvia’s independence.

In 2010, authors of the documentary film “Eight Full Moons” spent 5 weeks in one of the most dangerous places on planet, Kunar province - northeastern part of Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan. The focus of film is the human side of war, soldier emotions outside the security wall of observation post. The audience of the film becomes a witness of unique shots of the first hand emotions after the soldier is wounded in the ambush and luckily escaped from death.

A film about hockey, sweat and blood, about how hockey personalities are created and hockey legends are born - Helmuts Balderis, Mihails Vasiļonoks, Juris Reps, Artūrs Irbe and others. Hockey legends Sanda Ozoliņa's last season and Arta Ābola's first season as head coach. About Riga Dinamo's most successful season in the KHL to date. We will be at the team's pre-game meeting, where filming is usually not allowed. We will meet the people who shaped Latvian and Riga Dinamo hockey - Viktors Tihonovs, Elmārs Baurs, Vladimirs Jurzinovs, Pjotrs Vorobjovs, Ēvalds Grabovskis and Jānis Kvēps. With Normunds Sējējs and Mārtiņš Grundmanis, we will visit the former sports base in Kandava. From Riga's Daugava and the second league to Riga Dinamo's silver medals. About players' superstitions and fans' passion. About emotions and beautiful goals.

The film tells the story of the career of multiple award-winning rally driver Mārtiņš Sesks and reveals how rallying has become one of the most popular sports in Latvia.

Latvia is home to almost one fifth of the world’s population of the lesser spotted eagle, yet their number is endangered. Uģis Bergmanis is one of Latvia’s best-known ornithologists, and he does his best to save the eagles in Latvia. He also has another passion – he hunts wolves. He can sit for hours in freezing temperatures until meeting his prey eye to eye. There are many stories in this man. And some of them are going to be told.

A story about the emotions that hockey brings, the behind-the-scenes world of Latvian hockey and its place on the world hockey map, and how young boys become hockey players. A story about Latvian hockey today and its future prospects. The filmmakers traveled to Canada, Russia, Switzerland, and Scandinavia to meet with Zemgus Girgensons, Teodors and Valentīns Bļugers, the Rēdlihs family, Elvis Merzļikins, Rodrigo Laviņš, Bob Hartley – players, coaches, and hockey families. The creative team behind Born for Hockey seeks answers to the question of what it takes to become a good player in Latvia and around the world. How do hockey players who have already earned their place remember their first years in hockey? How do their parents and coaches remember them? How does the battle for a place in the arena unfold?

This film looks at the Brukna commune which helps addicts recover with hard work and lots of prayer. They spend their days restoring a church and offer a look at their past lives, which they’ve escaped for a moment.

A moving biographical story about two-time Paralympic champion Rihards Snikus. The film traces his journey to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris and highlights significant turning points in the athlete's life.

For more than five years, the active inhabitants of Wasini island have been carrying out a unique coral reef restoration work.

The documentary chronicles the life stories of two brothers, Kristaps and Krists. Kristaps, the elder brother, is disabled and has trouble talking, but he can rap. His younger brother Krists is one of the best freestyle BMX bikers in Latvia.

During Latvia’s centennial year, 15 filmmakers created each his own film portrait of a person living in Latvia on the background of centenary events. Documentary 2018 combines these stories into a unique poetic vision based on analogy with the documentary 235 000 000, a classic of the Riga school of poetic documentary cinema. This film is an attempt to make sure whether the codes of the poetic cinema are still relevant and accessible today.