Defenders of Riga
Defenders of Riga | |
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![]() Cover of Scandinavian release | |
Directed by | |
Written by | Andris Kolbergs Lisa Eichhorn Aigars Grauba |
Produced by | Andrejs Ēķis |
Starring | Jānis Reinis Elita Kļaviņa Artūrs Skrastiņš |
Cinematography | |
Edited by | |
Music by | Aigars Grauba |
Release date |
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Country | Latvia |
Languages | Latvian, German, Russian |
Budget | LVL 2.2 million[1] |
Defenders of Riga (Latvian: Rīgas sargi) is a 2007 Latvian feature film directed by starring Elita Kļaviņa, Jānis Reinis, and Artūrs Skrastiņš. The film depicts the Latvian defense of Riga in November 1919 during its War of Independence. It was selected as the Latvian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 81st Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[2]
With a budget of over 2 million lats, Defenders of Riga was the most expensive Latvian film at the time.[3]
Cast[]
- Jānis Reinis as Mārtiņš
- Elita Kļaviņa as Elza
- as Pavel Bermondt
- as Rüdiger von der Goltz
- as Countess
- Vilis Daudziņš as Paulis
- as Priest
- as Kārlis Ulmanis
- Andris Keišs as Ernests Savickis
- Ģirts Ķesteris as Arnolds
- Artūrs Skrastiņš as Jēkabs
- as Augusts Savickis
Reception[]
Five weeks after the premiere it had been viewed by 262,000 people, making it the most-watched film in Latvia since the regaining of independence.[4]
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Lielais Kristaps | Best Supporting Actress (Ināra Slucka) | Won |
Best Production Design (Mārtiņš Milbrets) | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor (Pēteris Krilovs) | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor (Ģirts Krūmiņš) | Nominated | ||
Best Costume Design (Sandra Sila) | Nominated | ||
Best Make-Up (Emīlija Eglīte) | Nominated |
Production[]
The shooting of the film began in the spring of 2004. The outdoor scenes were shot at the 8.5 hectare Cinevilla backlot in Tukums, Latvia, where parts of Riga's Old Town and Riga's Pārdaugava district were built especially for Defenders of Riga. Around 200 extras took part in the film's battle scenes.[3] It was the first Latvian film to make an extensive use of special effects and computer graphics.[2]
References[]
- ^ Āboliņa, Daira (31 January 2010). "Streičs directs another hit film for Latvia". Film New Europe Association. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
The only Latvian film more expensive than this one is Defenders of Riga (with budget 2.2 million LVL)
- ^ a b Moody, Annemarie (26 November 2008). "Latvia Contends for Best Foreign Film With War VFX". Animation World Network. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ a b Vinten, Julie (9 December 2004). "Defending the new Latvian cinema". The Baltic Times. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ Āboliņa, Daira (18 December 2008). "Latvia's National Hit: Defenders of Riga". Film New Europe Association. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
External links[]
- Defenders of Riga at IMDb
- Official international trailer (In English)
- 2007 films
- Latvian films
- Films set in Latvia
- Films set in Riga
- Films directed by Aigars Grauba
- Films shot in Latvia
- Baltic film stubs
- Mass media in Latvia stubs