On January 16, ALA will offer a live virtual discussion with the creators of the Latvian film “Blizzard of Souls”!
On Saturday, January 16, 2PM EST, on Zoom and Facebook, ALA will host a discussion (in Latvian) as part of its virtual event series, a conversation with “Blizzard of Souls” creators – actor Oto Brantevics, cinematographer Valdis Celmiņš, composer Lolita Ritmanis, producer Inga Praņevska. The event will be moderated by cultural journalist Henrieta Verhoustinska.
To watch the film, please visit the Film Movement website: https://www.filmmovement.com/blizzard-of-souls
Before the event we are offering the opportunity to view exclusive behind-the-scenes video clips:
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Blizzard of Souls pays stark witness to the horrors and brutality of the First World War, as seen through the eyes of Arturs (Oto Brantevics), an innocent sixteen-year-old farm-boy turned soldier. Too young to fight, but old enough to die, he enlists to serve on the Eastern Front with dreams of becoming a hero. Conscripted into one of Latvia’s first national battalions, Arturs soon discovers the grim reality of trench warfare. Fighting alongside his father and brother, he experiences the loss of his home and loved ones while growing up surrounded by constant danger and death on the battlefield.
Adapted from the book by Aleksandrs Grins, which was banned in the USSR, the story was based on Grins’ own war experiences in a Latvian battalion, and the film has been the biggest box office success in Latvia of the past 30 years.
The WWI epic drama Blizzard of Souls (Dvēseļu putenis), directed by Dzintars Dreibergs, is Latvia’s official Oscar submission for 2021!
Donate to the film’s Oscar campaign on GoFundMe: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/alas-fundraiser-for-blizzard-of-souls-oscar-campaign
Event recording: