For young Russian-language teacher Zane her first day at work begins on a disastrous note: Her musician-spouse leaves her for another woman and, if that weren't enough, her new pupils are also not exactly impressed with the new teacher and decide to skip the lesson. She is able however, step by step and with a large measure of idealism, to win over the class, to the point where a pupil falls in love with her, a development she reacts to with a decision that leads to serious consequences. With a cast augmented by amateur actors and, in places, documentary-like camera work, the director's debut feature film provides authentic insight into teenage life in the suburbs of Riga.
DCP | Farbe / colour
Lauris Gundars, Andris Gauja
Aleksandrs Grebņevs
Jevgēnijs Kobzevs
Ilze Kauliņa
Andris Gauja
Inga Alsiņa, Mārcis Klatenbergs, Andrejs Smoļakovs, Liena Šmukste, Gatis Gāga, Marina Janaus
Horosho Production
Riverbed
Guna Stahovska & Andris Gauja
Kristapa iela
1046 Rīga
Latvia
guna.stahovksa@gmail.com
andris.gauja@gmail.com
www.riverbed.lv
Andris Gauja - - born in 1978 in Talsi, Latvia. He studied screenwriting in Riga and later worked as a TV journalist. His documentary ĢIMENES LIETAS / FAMILY INSTINCT was awarded the Best World Feature at the Silverdocs Film Festival, and has featured at more than twenty-five film festivals worldwide.
VICTORS (2009, doc)
ĢIMENES LIETAS (2010, doc)