(above photo: director Aigars Graube at the AFI European Union Film Showcase in Silver Spring, MD)
The feature-length film "Rigas sargi," (Defenders of Riga) with English-language subtitles will be shown on November 16 and 18, 2008 as part of the 2008 European Union film showcase at the AFI Silver Theater
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-495-6720
Showtimes: 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, 2008 and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 (Latvia's National Day).
There will be an opportunity to meet Aigars Graube (Director) following the November 18th performance.
The film is 118 minutes long.
"Defenders of Riga" dramatizes the events of November 11, 1919 – Lacplesis Day - a crucial date in the battle for Latvian independence. "Defenders of Riga" is a historical drama based on the events of November 1919, when in the aftermath of WWI, a part of the defeated German army still based in the newly independent Republic of Latvia, regrouped under the self-serving German General von der Golz. The rogue general, aided by Russian Colonel Bermont in initially masking the true identity of the aggressors from the Allies, ordered the renegade army of about 50,000 to attack Riga. His plan was to take over two of the diminutive Baltic States, Latvia and Estonia, and create a new Germanic state under his rule. Though vastly outnumbered, the Latvian army together with many non-military volunteers totaling some 11,000 men, miraculously managed to defend Riga by pushing back and defeat the Germans.
Released in November 2007, the film is not only the most ambitious feature-length production in the history of Latvian cinema, but also the highest grossing box office film to be released in Latvia, seen already by close to 300,000 viewers. A cinematic experience not to be missed.
"Defenders of Riga" has been nominated as Latvia's official entry in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards®.
Reviews of Defenders of Riga:
Dita Rietuma, Latvian newspaper "Diena"
"Titanic has been defeated! With a record number of viewers (139,442), Rigas sargi has become the most-watched Latvian film of all time. 2007 was a unique year for the Latvian movie-exhibition business. For the first time since the early 1990s, when attendance records were first compiled, a Latvian film has become the most-watched film in Latvia. Rigas sargi, with 139,442 viewers, has beaten the record set in 1997 by the film Titanic. In so doing, Rigas sargi has proven the national cinema’s potential for addressing a large audience."
Arno Jundze, Latvian newspaper "Latvijas Neatkariga Rita Avize"
"A beautiful saga that features a conditional interpretation of history (after all, the film isn’t a history book), an unequivocally clear ideological setup (freedom, independence, individual responsibility), and the striking of a patriotic chord, utilizing even a seemingly banal technique: narration. But it works! While watching Rigas sargi, three films came to mind: the galactic war saga Independence Day, James Cameron’s Titanic, and the Babe series. The producers of Rigas sargi have not tried to reinvent the bicycle. The film is heartfelt, almost like a fairytale, and features a catchy musical motive, which evokes Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On. “Rigas sargi recalls a truism: it’s not a deadly sin to be liked by audiences. This is a film for the people."