Valka 1917

2017 · 35 min · Documentary, History

The film tells the story of a series of events, coincidences and accidents caused by World War I, which allowed Latvians, like many other nations, to fulfill their dream of having their own country in 1918. However, the foundations of the Latvian state were laid in November 1917 in Valka, when the largest Latvian parties and social movements established the Latvian Provisional National Council. Why did Valka become the epicenter of events? What gave strength and inspiration to the men who began to build a free and united Latvia? And how heavy is the clay from which a country is made? The answers to these questions will be sought by storyteller and actor Gundars Āboliņš, together with historians and lawyers Jānis Plepu, Ēriks Jēkabsons, Ineta Lipša, and Jānis Tomaševskis.

Directed by Olafs Okonovs