The latest fiction film by Viestur Kairish, “Chronicles of Melanie”, which will have its Latvian release from November 1, will have the International premiere at the biggest Nordic and Baltic film festival, Tallinn “Black Nights”, where it has been selected as one of 12 films for the official competition.
Published: 17.10.2016.
This year Tallinn Film Festival will be held for the 20th time and for the 2nd time it has ranked among the film festivals of Cannes, Venice, San Sebastian and others, all together 15 film festivals of the world, accredited as ‘A’ List Festivals by the International Federation of Film Producers FIAPF.
“It is my great honour that the international audience will be acquainted with Chronicles of Melanie at Tallinn Black Nights Festival since it is the best place to draw attention to themes addressing the special and, moreover, the common history of the Baltic region. The film was made in cooperation with film professionals from different countries, in the process of work turning Chronicles of Melanie from a national story into universal,” tells the director Viestur Kairish.
“Four years ago during Black Nights Festival we found our first co-producers from Finland; two years ago co-operation with Czech co-producers was started. Black Nights is one of the fastest-growing festivals in Europe and an outstanding place to attract international attention to our film,” states the producer of Chronicles of Melanie Inese Boka-Grūbe.
Chronicles of Melanie is a co-production of Latvia (Mistrus Media), Czech Republic (8HeadsProductions) and Finland (Inland Films), supported financially by the Latvian National Film Centre, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Czech Republic State Cinematography Fund, Eurimages, the Film Fund of the Regional Council of North Karelia, the Finnish public broadcasting company YLE, and the Latvian Television.
“It was my honour to become a part of a film resorting to a theme of such importance and depicting historical events, which are unfortunately little known outside the Baltics. I hope that, owing to Chronicles of Melanie, it will change and the outstanding acting by Sabine Timoteo together with the breathtaking work by one of the most distinguished photographers in Europe, Gints Bērziņš, will turn this film into one of the most important events not only in the Tallinn festival but also in the European world of cinema,” hopes Julietta Sichel, the co-producer from Czech Republic.
The cast is led by the Swiss actress Sabine Timoteo who was recognized as the best Swiss actress last year and who has acted in films awarded in Cannes, Berlin and other festivals (Le meraviglie (2014) by Alice Rohrwacher, L’amour, l’argent, l’amour (2000) by Philip Gröning, etc.). The cast of the film includes also other internationally recognized actors, among them the Austrian Edwin Leder who has participated at Schindler’s List (1993) by Steven Spielberg and Klimt (2006) by Raoul Ruiz, as well as the Russian actor Viktor Nemets, known from the fiction film My Joe (2010) by Sergei Loznitsa.
About Chronicles of Melanie
The Latvian premiere of Chronicles of Melanie by Viestur Kairish will take place on 1 November. The film is based on the life story of Melānija Vanaga, a Latvian writer who managed to survive her deportation to Siberia. It is a truthful account on the miracle of human character, greatness of human spirit and painful destinies, all part of this greatest tragedy of the Latvian nation. The film is interwoven by a heartbreaking story about the deported Latvian women who had to survive, outlast and outlive life in Siberia to be able to return later and live in Latvia.
Chronicles of Melanie is a coproduction of Latvia, Finland and Czech Republic, with more than 200 film industry professionals from Latvia, Austria, Germany, Finland, Lithuania, Russia and Great Britain involved in the production. The principal shooting was begun in January, 2013 and completed in January, 2015.
The cast is led by the Swiss actress Sabine Timoteo, supported by the Latvian actors Guna Zariņa, Maija Doveika, Baiba Broka, Lilita Ozoliņa, Ivars Krasts and Ģirts Krūmiņš. More than 300 inhabitants of Latvia have participated in the film as extras. Shooting took place in Riga, Biksti, Pasiene and Rēzekne, Latvia, as well as in Karelia, Finland.
Watch trailer HERE.
Wider information about the film and topicalities here: http://www.melanijashronika.lv/ and https://www.facebook.com/MelanijasHronika/