07-02-2024

A Postcard from Rome Awarded Best Latvian Feature Film of 2023 at Lielais Kristaps Awards

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    A Postcard from Rome by Elza Gauja A Postcard from Rome by Elza Gauja credit: Picture House

    RIGA: Elza Gauja’s love story about two senior postal workers A Postcard from Rome / Pastkarte no Romas received the main award at the Latvian National Film Awards Lielais Kristaps. The most awards, five, went to film director Stanislavs Tokalovs’ work.

    Soviet Jeans / Padomju džinsi, which Tokalovs co-directed with Juris Kursietis, received three awards including Best TV Series, Best Scriptwriter and Best Actor in a Leading Role.

    It was another accolade for Kārlis Arnolds Avots, who got Best Actor in a Leading Role last year in Viesturs Kairišs’ coming-of age-drama January / Janvāris, produced by Latvia’s Mistrus Media and coproduced by Lithuania’s Artbox and Poland’s Staron Film.

    Two awards went to Tokalovs’ documentary Everything Will Be Alright / Viss būs labi: Best Long Documentary and Best Editing (Stefan Stabenow).

    The feature film The Brazen / Bezkaunīgie by Aik Karapetian scored four awards: Aik Karapetian was awarded for Directing, Ivars Arutjunjans was named Best Composer, Jurģis Kmins received the award for Best Cinematography and Aldis Meinerts won in the Best Production Designer category.

    The ceremony of the Lielais Kristaps Awards was held in Riga on 4 February 2024.

    WINNERS:

    Best Feature Film:
    A Postcard from Rome / Pastkarte no Romas (Latvia)
    Directed by Elza Gauja
    Produced by Picture House
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of  LatviaTV3 Group Latvia

    Best TV Series:
    Soviet Jeans / Padomju džinsi (Latvia)
    Directed by Staņislavs Tokalovs, Juris Kursietis
    Produced by Tasse Film

    Best Director:
    Aik Karapetian for The Brazen / Bezkaunīgie (Latvia)
    Produced by Vino Films
    Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia

    Best Scriptwriter:
    Teodora Markova, Staņislavs Tokalovs, Waldemar Kalinowski for Soviet Jeans

    Best Leading Actress:
    Ērika Eglija-Grāvele in My Freedom / Mana brīvība (Latvia, Lithuania)
    Directed by Ilze Kunga-Melgaile
    Produced by Tasse Film
    Coproduced by M-Films
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, the Lithuanian Film Centre, the Latvian Television, Creative Europe MEDIA

    Best Leading Actor:
    Kārlis Arnolds Avots in Soviet Jeans

    Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
    Sabīne Tīkmane in Black Velvet (Latvia, Lithuania)
    Directed by Liene Linde
    Produced by Ego Media 
    Coproduced by Tremora 
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Lithuanian Film Centre

    Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
    Darius Meškauskas in My Freedom

    Best Debut Film:
    Breathing Underwater / Elpot zem ūdens (Latvia)
    Directed by Ronalds Mežmačs
    Produced by flyfarfilms

    Best Animated Film:
    Rule of the Heart / Sirds likums (Latvia)
    Directed by Roze Stiebra
    Produced by Studio Locomotive
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia

    Special Mention for an Animated Film:
    In the End / Beigubeigas (Latvia)
    A Postcard from Rome by Elza Gauja, credit: Picture HouseDirected by Linda Stūre
    Produced by Atom Art

    Best Documentary:
    Everything Will Be Alright / Viss būs labi (Latvia)
    Directed by Staņislavs Tokalovs
    Produced by Ego Media
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia

    Best Short Fiction Film:
    Resistance Is Futile (Latvia)
    Directed by Armands Začs

    Best Documentary Short Film:
    Full Moon Serenade / Pilnmēness serenāde (Latvia)
    Directed by Mārcis Ābele, Lauris Ābele

    Best Documentary Director:
    Marta Herca for It’s Only Now We Begin / Mēs tikai tagad sākam (Latvia)
    Produced by Ego Media
    Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia

    Best Cinematography:
    Jurģis Kmins for The Brazen

    Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film:
    Yevhen Titarenko, Ivan Fomichenko for Eastern Front / Austrumu fronte (Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, USA)
    Directed by Yevhen Titarenko, Vitaly Mansky
    Produced by Vertov, Braha Production Company
    Coproduced by Hypermarket Film , TV Current Time
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Czech Film Fund

    Best Director of an Animated Film:
    Roze Stiebra for Rule of the Heart / Sirds likums (Latvia)
    Produced by Studio Locomotive
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia

    Best Production Design of an Animated Film:
    Aleksejs Naumovs for Rule of the Heart

    Best Editing:
    Stefan Stabenow for Everything Will Be Alright

    Best Production Design:
    Aldis Meinerts for The Brazen

    Best Original Music:
    Ivars Arutjunjans for The Brazen

    Best Sound:
    Ģirts Bišs for In the End

    Best Costumes:
    JaanusVahtra, Berta Vīlipsone for The Invisible Fight (Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Finland)
    Directed by Rainer Sarnet
    Produced by Homeless Bob Production
    Coproduced by Neda Film, White Picture, Helsinki Filmi
    Supported by the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tallifornia, the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Riga Film Fund, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, the Greek Film Commission, EKOME Incentive Programme Greece, the Finnish Film Foundation, Creative Europe MEDIA, Eurimages

    Best Make-up Artist:
    Gunda Zvirbule for Soviet Milk / Mātes piens (Latvia, Belgium)
    Directed by Ināra Kolmane
    Produced by Film Studio Deviņi
    Coproduced by TET, Umedia Production SPRL
    Supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Creative Europe MEDIA,TET

    Best Student Film:
    Confessions of My Childhood Body / Mana bērnības ķermeņa atzīšanās (Latvia)
    Directed by Emīlija Karetņikova
    Produced by Air Productions, the Latvian Academy of Culture
    Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of LatviaDEPO