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Laila Pakalnina

Laila Pakalniņa

Lettonie / Website

Biographie

Laila Pakalnina (born 1962) is one of the most prolific contemporary Latvian directors. She finished her studies of television journalism in Moscow and went on to study at the famous Moscow VGIK film school from which she graduated in 1991. She made dozens of documentaries well received at international festivals. Her documentary film Udens was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin festival in the short film category. In the film Leiputria, the film crew look for new, mutated animal forms living at garbage dumps. This documentary film received the European Film Award. Her feature length films usually have the form of comic, absurd mystification. She lives and works in Riga.

Filmography:

Vela (10´, Latvia, 1991)
Doms (19´, Latvia, 1991)
Anna Ziemassvetki (15´, Latvia, 1992)
Baznica (37´, Latvia, 1993)
Pramis/ The Ferry (16´, Latvia, 1996)
Pasts/ The Mail (20´, Latvia, 1996)
Ozols/ The Oak (29´, Latvia/Estonsko, 1997)
Kurpe/ The Shoe (83´, Latvia/Germany/France, 1998)
Tusya (Latvia/Germany, 2000)
Papa Gena (10´, Latvia, 2001)
Mostieties! (22´, Latvia, 2001)
Martins (28´, Latvia, 2002)
Pitons/ The Python (88´, Latvia, 2003)
Visions of Europe (140´, Europe, 2004) - segment It´ll be fine
Buss (58´, Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia/Finland, 2004)
Leiputrija/ Dream Land (35´, Latvia/Germany, 2004) Theodore/ Theodors (29´, Latvia, 2006)
Udens/ The Water (12´, Latvia, 2006)
Kilnieks/ The Hostage (74´, Latvia, 2006) Par dzimteniti/ Three Men and a Fish Pond - with Maris Maskalans (52´, Latvia, 2008)

teodors_1

Theodore

Teodors (Orig.) / 2006 / Lettonie / 29 min

What is there left in life, when you are old, poor and lonely?

Detail…

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Three Men and a Fish Pond

Three Men and a Fish Pond (Orig.) / 2008 / Lettonie / 52 min

Three elderly country bachelors idle away their time amidst semi-wild nature, closer to birds and pond fish than to humans.

Detail…

Dream_Land_2

Dream Land

Leiputrija (Orig.) / 2004 / Lettonie / 35 min

There are places that we don’t want to know anything about, places that we would rather pretend don’t exist at all. One such place is a dumpsite. From the humans’ point of view, it is a ghastly place, a stinking desert of trash. But it’s a desert that is teaming with life. The astounding profusion of insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, all intertwined in an existential life-death relationship imparts to it with some strangely alluring dream-like quality.

Detail…



News

Single Shot Indonesia

Single Shot Indonesia

Depuis plus de dix ans, le réalisateur hollandais Leonard Retel Helmrich retourne au pays natal de ses grands parents pour observer et filmer les transformations de l’Indonésie pendant les années précipitées de la mondialisation économique et culturelle. Le portail Dafilms présente tous les trois films de sa fameuse trilogie documentaire (y compris la dernière partie Position Among the Stars). Avec la tension dans la société indonésienne à l’arrière-plan, la vie de la famille Shamsudinn se déroule devant la caméra de Helmrich, une famille qui dans un bidonville de Jakarta vit son histoire quotidienne, se composant du travail et des soucis, de l’amour et de la rancune mutuels. Dans la semaine du 21 mai, vous pouvez visionner les deux premières parties de la trilogie, les films Eye of the Day et Shape of the Moon, gratuitement.

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- 21.5.2012 -

Les promesses de l’Est

Les promesses de l’Est

Cette semaine, le portail Dafilms attire ses spectateurs par une grande dose d’exotique européenne. Un voyage à travers le paysage hors du commun de l’Europe de l’Est sera offert aux spectateurs par l’intermédiaire de trois documentaires originaux. Bien que les films Le livre des records de Shutka, Problèmes avec les moustiques et Bahtalo racontent des histoires des gens dont les poches sont pour la plupart vides, n’attendez pas de lourds drames sociaux. On ne peut vivre une vie joyeuse que sans argent!

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- 14.5.2012 -

True Stories from Russia

True Stories from Russia

Watch or download films about true life in Russia: Kommunalka (free on May 7 and May 8!), Durakovo – the Village of Fools and Mr. Triska's Epoch Making Trip to Russia.

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- 8.5.2012 -

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