LATVIA IN REVIEW - Latvian Institute

LATVIA IN REVIEW
April 3 – 10, 2012
Issue 12
CONTENTS
Government
Defense Ministry Soon to Present 20-Year Development Plan for Armed Forces
Parliament Sub-committee to Call for Broad Debate on Amendments to Citizenship Law
Proposals for Consolidating Latvia’s Society to be Discussed with NGOs
Economics
Bank of Latvia: Manufacturing Output Shrinks, Yet Confidence Still Intact
Number of Foreign Tourists Visiting Latvia in 2011 Grows 10%
PM: Unemployment Rate in Latvia to Drop to One-Digit Figure in Summer
Prime Minister: Tax Revenues in Q1 well Above Target
Foreign Affairs
Latvian Foreign Ministry Officials Meets with Delegation from Uzbekistan
Latvian Candidate Approved for European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance
Croatian, Latvian Presidents Emphasize Outstanding Bilateral Relations
Society
Writer Andris Kolbergs to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Dresden Theater Festival szene:Baltikum to Host Three Latvian Productions
Rīga Bourse Art Museum Hosts the Exhibition Fabergé
Latvian Film Festival to Award Best Latvian Films of 2012
Rīga to Screen Latvian and World Mute Short Films Featuring Musical Accompaniment
New Latvian Documentary Film, The Documentarian, to Be Screened this Month
Latvian Documentary Thriller Gets First Prize at European Independent Film Festival
Articles of Interest
BlackBook: “Baltic Nation’s Brightest New Artists Take Over National Arts Club”
Diplomatic Courier: “Diplomatic Profiles: A Conversation with Andrejs Pildegovičs”
YouTube: New video by the Latvian rock band Brainstorm
AFP: “Latvian PM Blasts ‘Gerrymandering’ of Eurozone Rules”
New York Times: “House Hunting in…Latvia”
Government
Defense Ministry Soon to Present 20-Year Development Plan for Armed Forces
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 10, BNS - The Latvian Defense Ministry soon plans to submit a 20-year
development plan for the National Armed Forces (NAF), said the ministry's state secretary Jānis
Sārts.
He confirmed that the government during the closed part of its meeting supported the State
Defense Policy. The document still has to be supported by the parliament.
"As soon as the parliament adopts the policy, the Defense Ministry will come up with the 20year
development plan for Latvia's military capacity," he said.
According to the development plan, the first large development projects should be launched in
2014, said Sārts.
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The new policy suggests a defense financing model that would help to reach 2 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP). Sārts said that financing for defense should be increased each year by
0.1 percent of GDP. The goal of 2 percent of GDP should be reached in 2020. Such a model
would require additional 15 million lats each year (EUR 21 mln).
"The current defense budget was appropriate for the crisis time, and we were able to do it thanks
to understanding of other NATO member states, but we should not expect that we will be able
to live on the account of others in the future. Therefore it is important to say before the NATO
Chicago summit that the crisis is over and we will return to 2 percent of GDP by 2020," said the
state secretary.
He also underscored that the money should be spent wisely.
"The world is not becoming calmer, it is becoming more complicated. Speaking about Europe's
stability and security, we should not exclude unexpected events," he said.
The State Defense Policy prepared by the Defense Ministry provides that the National Armed
Forces (NAF) should be able to ensure constant participation of 8 percent of its staff in
international operations.
Data suggest that Latvia's contribution in NATO is one of the weakest ones. For example, in the
coming four years Latvia is able to meet only one third of its NATO liabilities and Latvia's
defense budget against the gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the lowest in the alliance.
The policy has been planned for the term of the incumbent parliament, which is for the next
three years.
(EUR 1 = LVL 0.7028)
Parliament Sub-committee to Call for Broad Debate on Amendments to Citizenship Law
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 08, BNS - The sub-committee established under the Latvian parliamentary legal
committee to work on the amendments to the citizenship law will invite several ministries to a
debate on the still uncertain aspects of the new law concerning the citizenship and loyalty.
MP Ingmārs Čaklais, a member of the ruling Unity party chairing the sub-committee, told BNS
that the debate would be organized after Easter holidays and representatives of the Culture
Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry would be invited
to participate in the discussion.
"The sub-committee has essentially approved part of the proposals but we need to finalize the
wording to ensure quality legislation. This will be our main task after April 16,” he said.
But there are other proposals on which the committee has failed to agree so far, including
whether the law should name specific third countries whose citizens of Latvian descent would be
entitled also to Latvian citizenship. This would apply to ethnic Latvians living in the countries
such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, etc.
It also is not clear how many other citizenships a Latvian citizen should be allowed to have,
Čaklais said.
After the amendments to the citizenship law are approved by the sub-committee, they will be
sent to the legal committee which will decide about putting the amendments between the
parliament for review in three readings.
The Latvian government earlier approved the draft amendments to the citizenship law prepared
by the Justice Ministry. The proposed amendments will make possible double citizenship --
Latvian citizens will also be able to have the citizenship of some EU, NATO and European Free
Trade Association (EFTA) member country. Double citizenship will also apply to children
entitled to natural-born citizenship of another country, if one or both parents are Latvian
citizens. Also, a child born to parents, who are Latvia’s non-citizens, will be able to become a
Latvian citizen, should at least one of the parents wished so.
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Proposals for Consolidating Latvia’s Society to be Discussed with NGOs
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 08, BNS - It is planned that the proposals for consolidating Latvia’s society will be
discussed at the Council for Implementation of the Cooperation Memorandum between the
Cabinet and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) but the Latvian government
nevertheless expects to make a decision on those proposals already in April.
Mārtiņš Panke, a spokesman for the Latvian prime minister, told BNS that the NGOs had been
invited to review the proposals made by the ministries towards consolidation of the society and
strengthening of the national identity, in particular focusing on their effectiveness and
sustainability. The opinions by NGOs will be summarized after Easter holidays for their
subsequent discussion at the Memorandum Council meeting on April 18.
"After the proposals are coordinated with NGOs at the Memorandum Council, the government
plans to discuss them immediately already in April,” Panke said.
The government will have to choose the priority measures and take the decisions regarding the
required financing.
At the suggestion of Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, ministries and other
institutions, including the Social Integration Fund, the National Council for the Electronic Mass
Media and the State Language Center, prepared proposals for consolidating Latvia’s society to
deal with the division of the population highlighted by the referendum on the status of the
Russian language.
Out of a total of 148 measures proposed, 30 are already being implemented or will be launched
soon but 118 are new proposals. The proposals suggest various measures ranging from
ambitious plans for TV shows and even a new TV channel to more down-to-earth proposals
about improving effectiveness of Latvian language classes for non-Latvians and making Latvian
culture and education available to children of ethnic Latvians living abroad.
Economics
Bank of Latvia: Manufacturing Output Shrinks, Yet Confidence Still Intact
By Igors Kasjanovs, Bank of Latvia economist. Published on the website Macroeconomics.lv
According to the information by the Central Statistical Bureau, the amount of manufacturing
production in February 2012 dropped 2.4% month-on-month. In recent months, manufacturing
dynamics has fluctuated, yet there has been a slight downward trend that indicates a weakening
of demand among the main trading partners. As a result of the cold weather the amount of
mining and quarrying production output in February dropped 10.5% month-on-month, whereas
the supply of electrical power and natural gas increased by 5.7%.
The annual growth still remained high at 10.6% (calendar-adjusted data), as a result of the
manufacturing output growth in the second half of 2011.
In the first two months of the year, the production of fabricated metal products was up
(+21.3%) and so was the production of wearing apparel (+14.9%), pharmaceuticals (+14.0%),
basic metals (+11.7%), other transportation vehicles, primarily ships and locomotive engines
(+24.2%), as well as the production of motor vehicles and trailers (+17.9%), according to
seasonally adjusted data. Meanwhile, in the two largest branches of manufacturing, food
production and production of wood and its products, the production amounts went down, by
2.2% and 4.6% respectively. The drop in production output in the food industry supports the
retail trade data where growth is primarily the result of purchases of durable goods. The drop in
the production amounts of wood and its products was possibly determined by the unfavourable
weather conditions, which impacted both the branch itself and also construction. Textile
production was also down (-0.8%), and so was the production of rubber and plastic products (-
2.2%), non-metallic mineral products (primarily construction materials) (-8.0%), and electrical
equipment (-12.5%).
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The industry confidence indicator evaluated by the European Commission in Latvia has shown
impressive stability also in March (improvement by 0.5 points). The reason for this is not,
however, entirely clear, as the overall confidence trend continues to be negative: the industry
confidence in the EU in March dropped 1.8 points, including 2.5 in Great Britain, 2.4 in
Germany, 1.3 in the Netherlands, and 1.1 in Spain. The Latvian industry confidence indicator, on
the other hand, has improved by 3.1 points since the beginning of the year, reaching the level of
early 2008. This was determined by improvements both in the evaluation of order books and
the predictable level of output. At the same time, a cause to worry is the gradually increasing
evaluation of stocks – an ever increasing percentage of manufacturers are of the opinion that the
stock levels are too high. Yet this situation requires a complex approach – the greatest drop in
confidence among the EU manufacturers was observed in the fall of 2011. Even if we assume
that the various economic effects reach Latvia with a delay, a slight increase in stock would be
only logical. If, however, this amounts to the impact of the downslide of the European economy
experienced throughout the fall and winter, then we can say that we have made it through
relatively well…
The overall developments both in Europe and here in Latvia still give rise to worry about the
expected drop in Latvian manufacturing output amounts. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)
in most European countries has deteriorated further and so have the EU confidence indicators.
Moreover, the recent data on the real economy do not point to a European economic recovery.
In all likelihood, the dynamic of Latvian manufacturing will continue to fluctuate in the coming
months as well – particularly in the sub-branches whose operations are geared toward the export
markets. The overall tendencies in the industrial products market are also changing slightly –, as
the private consumption strengthens and construction activity resumes, the branches oriented
toward domestic demand, e.g. food and non-metallic mineral (construction materials)
production, are beginning to recover. In several branches, however (wood processing, metals
and fabricated metal products) the capacity utilization rates are close to their historic maximums.
Some branches, which previously played a lesser role in the Latvian manufacturing, continue to
expand (the production of transport vehicles, electrical equipment etc.)
So in 2012 overall, the results of the manufacturing industry will depend on how quickly it can
adjust to the changes in the economic situation: the possible drop in demand in Europe, rise in
oil prices, lack of workforce and other factors.
Link to full text: http://www.macroeconomics.lv/manufacturing-output-shrinks-yet-confidencestill-intact.
Number of Foreign Tourists Visiting Latvia in 2011 Grows 10%
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 04, BNS - Foreign travelers visiting Latvia crossed the state border 5.538 million
times in 2011, which is a growth by 10 percent from 2010, the national statistics office reported.
The statistics office said that the number of foreign tourists has risen thanks to the marketing
activities of the tourism sector.
Most of the foreigners visiting Latvia in 2011 came from neighboring countries -- 18 percent of
them were from Russia, 13 percent from Lithuania, 10 percent from Sweden, 8 percent from
Germany, 7 percent from Estonia and 6 percent from Finland.
The statistics office also said that the number of tourists from Russia rose by 43 percent, from
the UK by 27 percent, from Norway by 19 percent.
In 2011, foreign tourists in Latvia spent a total of 379.5 million lats (EUR 539.9 million), which
is by 14 percent more than in 2010.
Foreign travelers who stayed in Latvia for several days, spent their money on accommodation
(34 percent of their total spendings), food (28 pct), shopping (24 pct), excursions (7 pct), Local
transport (5 pct).
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For those foreign visitors, who stayed in Latvia longer, the average duration of their stay was 4.1
days.
Most of the foreign tourists, who spent in Latvia more than one day, lived in hotels (72 percent)
or stayed with their relatives or friends here (28 percent). Among the foreign travelers, who
spent several days in Latvia, 35 percent said this had been their first trip to Latvia.
Among the foreign visitors, who stayed in Latvia several days, 36 percent said the purpose of
their visit was recreation, 30 percent said that they had come here on business, and 22 percent
said they were visiting their friends and relatives.
Most of the foreign visitors, who stayed in Latvia several days in 2011, traveled here by air (52
percent), 30 percent arrived by road, 9 percent used railway and 9 percent came by sea.
(EUR 1 = LVL 0.7028)
PM: Unemployment Rate in Latvia to Drop to One-Digit Figure in Summer
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 04, BNS - Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis believes that unemployment
rate in Latvia will drop to one-digit figure already this summer.
"I believe that in the summer we will reach an unemployment level of one-digit figure,"
Dombrovskis told the press after his meeting with Latvian President Andris Bērziņš on
Wednesday.
He also said that Latvian residents are gradually feeling development of Latvia's economy, as
wages start growing again and the unemployment level has declined.
Dombrovskis disagreed that Latvia's economy is seeing a slow growth, saying that last year the
economy rose 5.5 percent, which is the third biggest rise in the European Union (EU), while in
the fourth quarter of last year Latvia was the fastest growing economy in the EU. "We have
returned to good growth pace, and the main issue now is to keep up that pace and ensure a
stable and sustainable economic development," he said.
Commenting on the recent survey of Latvian residents, assessing the economic situation in the
country, Dombrovskis said that "on the one hand, it can be said that the economic crisis has
been overcome, but, one the other hand, the consequences still can be felt and it is reflected in
the poll".
Unemployment continued to rise in Latvia in February reaching 11.8 percent by the end of the
month, which is an increase by 0.1 percentage points from late January. The number of people
registered with the government agency as unemployed increased by 838 to 133,413 at the end of
February.
Prime Minister: Tax Revenues in Q1 Well Above Target
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 04, BNS - Tax revenues in the first quarter of this year are well above the target,
Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said in the interview to Radio 101 on Wednesday.
He said that preliminary figures showed that tax revenues in March also had been higher than
planned, and there had been a significant surplus of revenues in the first quarter in general.
"This means that the forecasts of certain experts, who said at the end of last year and the
beginning of this year that the [2012] budget had been prepared with excessive optimism and
more cuts will be required again in spring, had turned out to be wrong. There is a surplus in the
budget therefore I can reiterate that no additional budget consolidation is planned,” the Latvian
prime minister said.
Revenues to the Latvian general government consolidated budget reached 831.2 million lats
(EUR 1.183 b) during the first two months of this year while expenditure totaled 817.3 million
lats, resulting in a surplus of 13.9 million lats. In January-February 2011, the Latvian budget was
showing a deficit of 93.7 million lats. (EUR 1 = LVL 0.7028)
5

Foreign Affairs
Latvian Foreign Ministry Officials Meets with Delegation from Uzbekistan
On April 3, the Head of the Economic and Bilateral Relations Directorate of the Foreign
Ministry, Ambassador Jānis Mažeiks met with the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of
the Parliament of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Oliy Majlis), Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the Central Council of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan Boriy Alikhanov
and the delegation under his leadership. During the meeting, the parties discussed current
matters in the Latvian-Uzbek political and economic cooperation.
The Uzbek side made note of the good bilateral relations with Latvia and the deepening of those
relations as the aim of the visit. According to Uzbekistan’s statistics, Latvia is the fourth largest
trade partner of Uzbekistan from among the EU member states. Mr. Alikhanov highlighted
major ecological problems in the Central Asian region, including the problem of the Aral Sea,
and the limited water resources. The Uzbek side believes that those issues should be addressed in
line with international commitments. The Uzbek delegation noted that parliamentary diplomacy
was instrumental for building economic contacts. The parties also noted the potential for
cooperation between Latvia and Uzbekistan in the transit sector.
The Latvian side thanked Uzbekistan for support to the Embassy of Latvia in fulfilling the
functions of the NATO Contact Point Embassy last year and his year. It was indicated that in
order to achieve security in Afghanistan, attention should be devoted to the economic
development of the country, and Latvia sees a considerable potential in the development of the
transit sector. The Uzbek delegation was informed that, on 7-8 May, Rīga will host a workshop
organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Latvia and the Latvian Institute of
International Affairs on the transformation of the Northern Distribution Network into a
commercial transit route as one of the elements of economic development and cooperation of
Afghanistan and the region’s countries.
Further information about the workshop.
The delegation visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also included Abdurashid Altiyev,
Chairman of the Committee for Budget and Economic Issues of the Senate of Olij Majlis, Sobir
Jabborov, Chairman of the Committee on the Issues of Industry, Construction and Trade of the
Legislative Chamber of Olij Majlis, and Kobilzon Nazarov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Latvia.
As part of the visit, the delegation of Uzbekistan also had meetings at the Saeima, the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
of Latvia and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency. The Uzbek delegation is
staying in Latvia from 2 to 4 April.
Diplomatic relations between Latvia and Uzbekistan were established on 3 November 1992, and
this year marks the 20th anniversary of the occasion.
Mr. Boriy Alikhanov was born on 8 June 1961 in Tashkent. He received higher education at the
Tashkent Polytechnical Institute and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the
Academy for State and Society Construction. Mr. Alikhanov has held the posts of Deputy
Chairman of the Tashkent City Nature Conservation Committee, Head of the Administration
for the Economy and Organization of the Use of Natural Resources at the State Committee for
Nature Protection, Advisor to the Information Group of the National Security Council,
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan.
Latvian Candidate Approved for European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance
On April 3, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the nomination of Kristīne Krūma, a judge of the
Constitutional Court, as an expert from Latvia for the work on the European Commission
against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). Before an expert takes up a post on the ECRI, his or her
candidacy is evaluated and approved by the Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies acting on behalf
of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
6

The Latvian expert to be nominated for the ECRI was selected on a competitive basis. In total,
six candidates applied. An inter-institutional commission assessed the eligibility of the applicants
both under the requirements set by the Council of Europe and the competition criteria and
unanimously nominated the said candidate.
Croatian, Latvian Presidents Emphasize Outstanding Bilateral Relations
Croatian President Ivo Josipović is on a state visit to Latvia today, and he met at the Rīga Castle
with President of Latvia Andris Bērziņš. The official delegations of the two countries engaged in
discussions to talk about the bilateral relationship between the two nations, their partnership in
international organizations and at the regional level, as well as expanded economic co-operation
between Latvia and Croatia, particularly taking into account the essential influence which Europe
and the European Union have on member state economies.
President Josipović thanked President Bērziņš for the Latvian parliament’s approval of Croatia’s
ratification document in relation to accession to the EU. “I am sure that Croatia’s membership in
the EU will make our relationship ever closer,” President Bērziņš said, also noting that Latvia
and Croatia are already partners in NATO. In this regard, the two presidents discussed the
upcoming NATO summit in Chicago, as well as the decision by both countries to withdraw their
military forces from Afghanistan gradually by the end of 2014, entrusting security functions
to Afghan forces. The two presidents agreed that their views are one and the same when it
comes to shifting accents in the presence of the allies in Afghanistan so as to reduce military cooperation
while continuing to offer technical support to the Afghan military, as well as
humanitarian aid. Another issue that will be discussed at the Chicago summit will be NATO
monitoring of Baltic airspace, and President Josipović said that Croatia, as a small member state
of the alliance, understand this need very well.
In the area of bilateral relations, President Josipović and President Bērziņš both called for further
co-operation among businesses in the two country – something that would send a positive signal
in relation to the excellent bilateral relationship which exists between Latvia and Croatia. They
also called for more extensive co-operation in the area of education and culture, particularly in
terms of student exchange programs. President Bērziņš also pointed to 2014 as a very important
year for Latvia and the EU in the area of culture, because Rīga will be the European cultural
capital during that year.
In discussing the economic situation of the two countries, both presidents focused on
unemployment and emigration as problems which affect both countries. President Bērziņš
particularly addressed the need to deal with employment issues in Latvia’s regions, rural areas
and frontier territories, where population numbers have already shrunk to a considerable degree.
President Josipović asked President Bērziņš for his views about the situation in the EU at this
time, and the Latvian president admitted that it is a very complicated issue which must be
resolved as soon as possible, giving as much authority as possible to European institutions to
deal with aspects of financial and monetary policy in the EU. President Bērziņš also insisted that
Latvia will continue to move toward membership in the euro zone consistently – something
which is the only justified solution for Latvia under present circumstances.
President Josipović also talked about regional co-operation among the Baltic and Balkan regions,
particularly noting that the partnership among the Baltic States sets a good example of how
Balkan countries can shape their relations and adding that this is something in which Croatia is
very much interested.
Toast by President Bērziņš at a state dinner in honor of President Josipović:
http://www.president.lv/pk/content/?cat_id=605&art_id=19326.
7

Society
Writer Andris Kolbergs to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
On April 26, Latvian writer Andris Kolbergs will be honored for his lifetime achievement at the
2011 Latvian Literature Award ceremony at Rīga Art Space. The award will be also handed to the
winners of the other four nominations.
The most translated Latvian writer Andris Kolbergs was born in Rīga in 1938. In the 1970s and
80s, Kolbergs was one of the most popular Latvian detective novelists, and his works were
published all over the U.S.S.R. and in several European countries.
During the Reawakening Period, Kolbergs was the first chairman of the renewed Rīga Latvian
Society, the president of the Latvian Detective Novel Association, and the editor-in-chief of the
reinstated magazine Atpūta.
Recently, he has written various guidebooks to Rīga. In 2010, Kolberg’s Diary was published,
which combines both the objective realism and the subjective narrative of the author. The book
is a testimony of an era; the testimony by an eyewitness, a person closely familiar with it.
Several films have been produced based on Kolbergs’s scripts and detective novels: Liekam būt
(Being Unnecessary, 1976), Atspulgs ūdenī (Reflection in the Water, 1977), Dāvanas pa telefonu
(Gifts over the Telephone, 1977), Rallijs (Rally, 1978), Trīs dienas pārdomām (Three Days for
Contemplation, 1980), Dubultnieks (The Double, 1986), Fotogrāfija ar sievieti un mežakuili
(Photograph of a Woman and a Boar, 1987), Par mīlestību pašreiz nerunāsim (Let’s Not Talk About
Love Right Now, 1988), Depresija (Depression, 1991), and Rīgas sargi (Defenders of Rīga, 2007).
The other 2011 Latvian Literature Award nominations include "Sparkling Debut," "Best Latvian
Translation," "Best Prose" and "Best Poetry Collection."
Five authors will receive special prizes for their outstanding contribution to Latvian literature in
2011, namely, Atis Klimovičš for his book Personiskā Latvija (Personal Latvia), Uldis Bērziņš for
his long-awaited translation of The Quran, Valentīns Lukaševičs for his Latgalian-dialect poetry
collection Bolti Burti (White Letters), Māris Salējs for his analysis of Latvian poet Uldis Bērziņš'
works in Uldis Bērziņš. Dzīve un laiktelpas poētika (Uldis Bērziņš. Life and Spacetime Poetics), and
12 Latvian authors' work MĒS. XX gadsimts. Stāsti (WE. XXth century. Stories).
Launched in 2001, the Latvian Literature Award has become an annual tradition of professional
evaluation and honoring of the most remarkable literary works of a year.
Links: www.laligaba.lv, www.rakstnieciba.lv.
Dresden Theater Festival szene:Baltikum to Host Three Latvian Productions
This May, Dresden (Germany) is hosting the Baltic theatre festival szene:Baltikum, with three
Latvian productions along with performances from Lithuania and Estonia on the programme.
Every year the festival introduces contemporary theatre and dance of a specific country or
region. This summer the festival will see three Latvia productions of various genres.
Running between May 3 and 13, szene:Baltikum will lift its curtain with the theatre piece Mitya’s
Love by director Vladislavs Nastavsevs (producer Dirty Deal Teatro), followed by the dance
performance Be With Me by choreographer Elīna Breice and director Andrejs Jarovojs (producer
Gertrude Street Theatre), and the physical/object theatre performance Show Your Face! by
umka.lv from Rīga and Betontanc from Ljubljana (producers The New Theatre Institute of
Latvia and Bunker).
In addition, Roberts Rubins's film How are You, Rudolf Ming? will be screened as part of the
theatre festival program.
Lithuania will be represented by Oskaras Korsunovas's production Nachtasyl and the project
“Open Circle” by the Teatro Laboratorija Atviras Ratas, while Estonia will participate with a
contemporary dance performances by Mart Kangro and United Dancers of ZUGA.
Link: www.theatre.lv.
8

Rīga Bourse Art Museum Hosts the Exhibition Fabergé
Through May 20 the Rīga Bourse Art Museum is hosting a new exhibition, Fabergé, giving insight
into the work of the famous St. Petersburg and Moscow jewelry house Fabergé.
The history of the Fabergé’s family is related to the Baltics. Having left France, Gustav Fabergé
(1814–1893), founder of the famous jewelry house, lived in Pärnu and only in 1842 moved to St.
Petersburg. Gustav and his son Carl (1846–1920) often visited Rīga, where both of them met
their future wives. When the 1917 revolution broke out, Rīga was the city through which Peter
Carl Fabergé was able to immigrate to Europe. Later some of his family members and company
representatives moved to Rīga.
Another relation with Latvia was founded in the creative aspect of work. The company's
examples for silver works were drawn by painter and graphic artist Jānis Lībergs (1862–1933),
who had acquired education at Stiglitz's Central School of Technical Drawing in St. Petersburg
(1895).
The Latvian sculptor Teodors Zaļkalns also worked in St. Petersburg from 1901 through 1903,
creating models for small statues, animal figures and other small objects.
On display in Rīga are the early works of Gustav Fabergé’s jewelry manufactory, as well as the
jewelry by his son Peter Carl Fabergé covering a wide range of forms, including the famous
brand, Easter eggs, also adornments, table ware, watches, cases, and other accessories, which are
the most exclusive works of the Fabergé house.
The exhibition is not only a visual pleasing but also gives extensive information about this
particular period in Russian history and the influence of artistic styles on the jewelry.
From the collections of the All-Russian Decorative-Applied Art Museum, National Museum of
History, A. Fersman Mineralogical Museum (Russia), and the Latvian National Museum of Art.
Link: http://www.Rīgasbirza.lv
Latvian Film Festival to Award Best Latvian Films of 2012
Nominations for the film festival Lielais Kristaps 2012 Awards in 23 categories were recently
announced, and four full-length features received 10 nomination each: Dancis pa trim (Dance for
Three), Golfa straume zem ledus kalna (Gulf Stream Under the Iceberg), Rūdolfa mantojums (Rudolf’s
Heritge), and Kolka Cool. Earning seven nominations was the feature Seržanta Lapiņa atgriešanās
(The Return of Sergeant Lapins); Mona took five; the animated film Norīt krupi (To Swallow A
Toad) also five; while the documentary Versijai Vera (Version Vera) took four.
A number of these films will have their premieres at this year’s festival (April 10-15), but the
majority were released in 2011.
The five nominees for Best Director (Full-Length Feature Motion Picture) are Arvīds Krievs for
Dancis pa trim, Jevgēņijs Paškēvičs for Golfa straume zem ledus kalna, Juris Poškus for Kolka Cool,
Jānis Streičs for Rūdolfa mantojums, and Gatis Šmits for Seržanta Lapiņa atgriešanās.
It must be mentioned that two actors, both brilliant in their respective leading roles, were
nominated posthumously – Romualds Ancāns (Rūdolfa mantojums) and Mārtiņš Freimanis (Dancis
pa trim).
The Lielais Kristaps Awards will be presented for the 25th time this year, and the ceremony will
be broadcast live on LTV1.
Link: http://lielaiskristaps.org
Rīga to Screen Latvian and World Mute Short Films Featuring Musical Accompaniment
In association with the 2Annas producer group, the Rīgas Ritmi music festival is presenting a
new project on April 26-27, Cinemaconcerts, featuring a two-day program of screening
contemporary Latvian and world mute short films with an improvised musical accompaniment.
On April 26, the first Cinemaconcert will introduce a selection of the best Latvian short films by
Herz Frank, Uldis Brauns, and Ivars Kraulītis accompanied by the Strauss String Quartet, whose
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epertory comprises arrangements to both classical and popular musical works.
Up to now the quartet has taken part in the Prague Spring International Music Festival,
cooperated with the Belorussian, British, Czech and Italian embassies and participated in musical
projects with Latvian singers Linda Leen, Amber, and others.
The April 27 concert will feature a screening of six international short dance films. The
contemporary choreography performances will be accompanied by live improvisations of
Latvian jazz musicians Intars Busulis, Viktors Ritovs, Gints Pabērzs, and Andris Grunte.
The first concert of this kind in Latvia, the Cinemaconcerts will be an opportunity for musicians
to create a new musical piece and for spectators to participate in this process.
Tickets to the both concerts are available at all Biļešu Serviss outlets and online.
Link: www.bilesuserviss.lv, www.rigasritmi.lv.
New Latvian Documentary Film, The Documentarian, to Be Screened this Month
The Documentarian, a new Latvian documentary by Ivars Zviedris and Inese Kļava, will have
regular showings at the Splendid Palace movie house in Rīga, following its premiere at the
national film festival Lielais Kristaps 2012 on April 13.
The Documentarian focuses on the volatile relationship between Him and Her – the documentary
filmmaker Ivars [Zviedris] and the faith healer Inta. The story reflectively examines documentary
film as a profession and genre and assesses its value.
Nominated for two Lielais Kristaps 2012 Awards: best full length documentary and best
director (Zviedris).
Link: www.splendidpalace.lv.
Latvian Documentary Thriller Gets First Prize at European Independent Film Festival
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 05, BNS – The documentary thriller M Ferma by Rita Broka has been named as the
best European independent documentary at the European Independent Film Festival in Paris,
said National Film Center representative Kristīne Zvirbule.
The film was shot in 2010 and its premiere was held in May 2011.
The documentary tells about life that proceeds calmly in a quiet Latvian village – almost like a
fairy tale – friendly neighbors, a safe environment for children, and an active public life. And yet
a blood-curdling and terrible crime comes to light.
M Ferma at the festival also had its international premiere. The film was supported by the Latvian
State Culture Capital Fund.
Zvirbule also said that another Latvian film, How Are You Doing, Rudolf Ming?, a documentary by
Latvian filmmaker Roberts Rubīns, has collected another award – a silver award at the Cairo
International Film Festival for Children.
Rudolf is a 13 year-old boy who is obsessed with filmmaking. As a matter of fact, it is the only
thing he is really fond of. The film shows the conflict between the imaginary world of the boy
and the society surrounding him, where everybody tries to make him live according to certain
rules and dogmas.
The film was also supported by the Latvian State Culture Capital Fund.
Articles of Interest
BlackBook: “Baltic Nation’s Brightest New Artists Take Over National Arts Club”
http://www.blackbookmag.com/art/baltic-nation-s-brightest-new-artists-take-over-nationalarts-club-1.46992.
Diplomatic Courier: “Diplomatic Profiles: A Conversation with Andrejs Pildegovičs”
http://www.diplomaticourier.com/news/diplomacy/921
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YouTube: New video by the Latvian rock band Brainstorm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIr-m0jhEVY.
AFP: “Latvian PM Blasts ‘Gerrymandering of Eurozone Rules”
http://www.starafrica.com/en/news/detail-news/view/latvian-pm-blasts-gerrymandering-ofeu-226250.html
New York Times: “House Hunting in…Latvia”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/greathomesanddestinations/real-estate-inlatvia.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1334062841-mW9VR6DHdSufQiNE0U3Z0w
THE LATVIAN INSTITUTE
The Latvian Institute promotes knowledge about Latvia abroad and works closely with international
media professionals in developing a wide variety of communications projects.
Contacts:
Pils iela 21
Rīga, LV – 1050, LATVIA
Phone: (+371) 67503663
Fax: (+371) 67503669
Email: info@li.lv
Web: www.latvia.lv
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LatviaInstitute
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