Astra. Against the Current (Astra. Pret straumi), dir. Liene Laviņa, 95’, Latvia, 2023
Gunārs Astra can be considered the Latvian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn or Václav Havel. He spent twenty years in Soviet prisons for anti-government thinking. In a 1983 trial by the Latvian SSR, he stated, “I believe this time will fade like an evil nightmare.” Like Alexei Navalny in Russia, Astra was poisoned with tea on a train to Saint Petersburg. He died a week later. The death of this unique individual with an unbreakable spirit became a symbol of light on the long road to the restoration of Latvia’s independence.
National Premiere October 13, 2023
Scriptwriter Gundars Rēders, Raits Valters
Cinematographers Aleksandrs Grebņevs, Krists Spruksts, Valdis Celmiņš, Jānis Indriks, Raits Valters
Sound Directors Jevgēnijs Nacišs, Pēteris Pāss
Original Music Jānis Šipkevics
Animation Linda Stūre and Atom ART
Editor Sandra Alksne
Producer Sandijs Semjonovs
Production Company SKUBA films
Supported by
National Film Centre of Latvia
Contacts
Sandijs Semjonovs
+371 2944 9464
sandijs@hotmail.com