Podnieks on Podnieks. A Witness to History

Antra Cilinska, Anna Viduleja / Latvia / 2025 / Czech Premiere / 128 min.

synopsis

Latvian documentary filmmaker Juris Podnieks (1950–1992) gained worldwide attention for his relentless need to “be there,” but also for his ability to capture unique moments of the pulsating present. This urgent documentary portrait, using personal diaries, photographs and film footage, presents the fascinating life journey of a filmmaker who reflects on his obsession but is unable to control it. The need to capture “the death of the monster”, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Latvian struggle for freedom proved fatal for him and his long-time colleagues. The unclear circumstances of his death highlight the magnitude of the unfinished work of this leading figure in European documentary filmmaking.

“In the West, they see it as a movie. They do not understand that in this ‘perestroika’, people’s destinies are being decided. And it is creating immense pain. We even call it an awakening, but nobody really wants to wake up.” — Juris Podnieks, 1987

biography

Antra Cilinska (born 1963) is a Latvian director and documentary filmmaker. She studied English at the University of Latvia in Riga and worked as an editor at Riga Film Studio from 1981 to 1990, where she joined as a director in 1991. She dedicated her film Is It Easy to Be…? (1998) to her colleague Juris Podnieks.

Anna Viduleja (born 1972) is a Latvian director and actress. She graduated from the National Film and Television School in London in 2006. She made her debut with a short film that was part of the anthology film Vogelfrei (2007).

film details

director:	Antra Cilinska, Anna Viduleja
producer:	Antra Cilinska
script:	Antra Cilinska, Anna Viduleja
photography:	Gints Bērziņš
editing:	Sandra Alksne
music:	Kārlis Auzāns
sound:	Anrijs Krenbergs