Documentary on exile artist Raimonds Staprans premieres at Riga film festival
Director Peteris Krilovs' documentary "The Red Barn" ("Sarkanais šķūnis") premiered on 18 October at the Riga International Film Festival. It was attended by President Edgars Rinkevics and his predecessors Valdis Zatlers and Egils Levits.
The documentary "Sarkanais šķūnis" (The Red Barn), directed by Peteris Krilovs, had its premiere on Sunday, 18 October, in the main hall of the Splendid Palace cinema in Riga, as part of the Riga International Film Festival programme. The film is devoted to Latvian exile artist Raimonds Staprans and is one of the events marking the centenary of his birth. The screening was attended by Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and two former presidents, Valdis Zatlers and Egils Levits.
What the film is about
Staprans' life story combines personal experience with dramatic turning points in Latvian history. At the start of the Soviet occupation he fled to the United States, where he became a recognised painter and playwright. The film tells his story through documentary material and through historical figures portrayed by actors, including Imants Strads and Kaspars Zvigulis.
For the production, a red barn was built on the Baltic Sea coast and demolished after filming. In the film it becomes a symbolic space where art, history and power meet. Krilovs stresses that, through the experience of Staprans and his father, the film shows how a retreat from democracy and political ethics can lead to the collapse of both individuals and states.
Krilovs has previously made the staged documentary films "Klucis. The Wrong Latvian" and "Latvia at Stake".
Centenary events
Katrina Jaunupe, head of the foundation "Makslai vajag telpu" (Art Needs Space), said it was important not only to honour the artist but also to show what his ideas can say about society today. On 13 October, Staprans' 100th birthday, a discussion about the making of the film took place at the Zuzeum art museum. Participants included the director, co-writer Ieva Struka, the creative team, historian Gints Apals and the Staprans family. Staprans' paintings from the Janis Zuzans collection were also on display there.
The artist's work is also covered in Struka's recently published book "46 Episodes With and Without Irony", while the Latvian National Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition "Raimonds Staprans. Architecture of Silence" until 17 January 2027.
Creative team
The film was made at the studio VFS Films, with Uldis Cekulis as producer. The screenplay was written by Krilovs and Struka. After the premiere, the film is planned to be shown in cinemas, cultural centres and other venues across Latvia.
