Blizzard of Souls (film)
Blizzard of Souls (Latvian: Dvēseļu putenis) or The Rifleman (international title)[2] is a 2019 Latvian historical drama directed by Dzintars Dreibergs.[1] It premiered on 8 November 2019 in Latvia[3] and on 20 February 2020 internationally at the European Film Market.[4] The film is an adaptation of Aleksandrs Grīns' novel of the same name written during his service as a Latvian Rifleman in World War I.[3]
Blizzard of Souls | |
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Produced by |
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Written by | Boris Frumin[1] |
Starring |
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Music by | Lolita Ritmanis[1] |
Cinematography | Valdis Celmiņš |
Edited by | Gatis Belogrudovs |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes[1] |
Country | Latvia |
Language | Latvian, Russian, German, Estonian |
During the first five weeks of screening the film was seen by more than 200,000 people, making it the most-watched film since the restoration of Latvian independence.[5][6][7]
Plot
After losing his mother and home sixteen-year-old Artūrs decides to join the national battalions of the Imperial Russian army in hopes of finding glory. He goes on to fight in World War I, where he loses his father and brother and quickly becomes disillusioned. Eventually, Artūrs returns to his newly-proclaimed country of Latvia to start everything from scratch.[1]
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Result |
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2020 | IMAGO International Awards for Cinematography | Best Cinematography (Valdis Celmiņš) | Nominated[8] |
Production
Former Minister of Defence Raimonds Bergmanis had a cameo appearance in the film, while the current Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks appeared as an extra.[3]
See also
References
- "Blizzard of Souls". National Film Centre of Latvia. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "Latvian film "Blizzard of Souls" goes to UK and China". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- "Blizzard of Souls is a reminder that Latvia's freedom was never a given - director". The Baltic Times. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- Balčus, Zane (20 January 2020). "Eyewell Picks Up Latvian BO Leader Blizzard of Souls". Film New Europe Association. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ""Blizzard of Souls" breaks Latvian box-office records". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- Abbatescianni, Davide (17 December 2019). ""Blizzard of Souls" breaks Latvian box-office records". Cineuropa. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "Blizzard of Souls breaks attendance record with 200,000 people seeing the film in five weeks". The Baltic Times. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- "IMAGO International Awards. The Nominees". IMAGO International Awards for Cinematography. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- Blizzard of Souls on IMDb
- Trailer of the film (in Latvian and English)