Rija Films

Mary is a 12-year-old girl with a passion for cooking, absorbing information from her grandmother, who is a wonderful cook. However, Mary and her family must come to terms with her grandmother's illness.

She comes at night, quiet as a cat, to take his sleep away until he feeds her. All she needs is milk brought by him somewhere between sleep and reality. Her name is Insomnia.

An ancient Latvian folk tale is the basis for this colorful animated feature in the tradition of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. A vengeful sorceress casts a kingdom’s princess into a deep sleep at the top of an icy mountain, where she awaits release from the spell that will destroy the land. Of all the men vying for the honor, the shy outcast son of a family of thugs is the most unlikely. Director Kalnaellis brings a playful sense of humor to the characterizations and adds zippy contemporary elements including a chorus of wisecracking crows. (Gene Siskel Film Center)

Latgale region of Latvia, 30 km from the border with Russia. Despite the Stalinist repressions, taking away property and lifes of innocent people, two families already in the 4-th generation have stayed in their own land and work on it day in and day out, making almost everything they need with their own hands. Making cheese and butter, brewing beer, shearing sheep, weaving ropes from linen, making split baskets – these and other traditional crafts are part of their everyda life. Just as the Latgalian language, which is broadly used in this region, although it is not included in the school programm and can‘t be used as an official language in state and local government institutions.

Lotte gets a little sister named Roosi. Two scientists Karl and Viktor come to Gadgetville, they are taking part in a big folk song collecting competition. Whoever succeeds in recording the folk song of the world’s oldest animal species, wins the competition’s grand prize. Lotte and Roosi decide to help the scientists. Exciting and unexpected adventures await the sisters.

Once some "round" intellectuals and also "square" pragmatic realists lived in a town. The "rounds" were smart and successful. The reason of their success - they could swallow toads. But no toads were swallowed by a "square". They lived in peace until one day a "square" discovered that the "rounds" swallow toads.

A philosophical study and personal myth of creation of a woman and her two ways to encounter a man. Screened both at Woodstock and KROK, the film captivates viewers with the elusive and not wholly understandable inner world of a woman.

Once upon a time an old married couple lived in love and happiness, but they did not have any children until one day the old man found a small hedgehog in cabbages. So the fairy-tale about the endless power of love and faith begins, the fairy-tale about the Prickly.

While the two great powers of Europe were fighting during WWII, the strong family of the legendary Prometheus of Latgale, Andrīvs Jurdžs, was brutally shattered. Fleeing from the Communists, a few of the younger generation managed to escape to the West. The older generation remained in Latvia, but Stalin’s repression deported many to Siberia as “enemies of the state”. The family is scattered over the world, and the post-war genera-tion have never met. While in America, Peter accidentally discovers the documentary film “Perpetual Calendar”, and instantly recognizes his Latvian relatives. Brother and sister, Peter and Helena, follow their parents’ footsteps back to Latgale (Eastern Latvia) to learn more of their legendary ancestor and to finally meet relatives. The family’s search leads to Tomsk, Siberia..

Plucky young Lotte embarks on an adventure with her uncle Klaus to solve the mystery of three stones that a pair of hooded figures are attempting to retrieve.

From a refugee of the WWII to president – that's the story of Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Losing her motherland and coming back to it. Latvian, refugee, emigrant, wife, mother, professor, scientist, president.

A veterinarian routinely goes on house calls to treat sick animals. He is able to save most, but one time he arrives too late. The animal dies, and that breaks the veterinarian's heart. One night the animals that he has treated come to him in a dream. He receives love and forgiveness. When Veterinarian wakes up, his heart has healed.

Western frontiers of the USSR, 1942. The region is under German occupation. A man is wrongly accused of collaboration. Desperate to save his dignity, he faces an impossible moral choice.

In Territory, untouched by globalisation, it's only strange individuals who are scurrying around. One of them – Hoggie – a creature of unknown origin. In search of a new brand Flying Hedgehog Ball arrives to the Territory. After various misunderstandings, an image of Hoggie is published on magazine covers all over the world. It's all because of Black Box.

Latvia, 1949. Seventeen-year-old Pauline's safe and sunny youth gets shattered by the Soviet occupation forces as she's deported to Siberia. She now needs to focus her strengths to overcome the deprivation of food, exhausting work and torture, while trying to preserve her inner light and humanity in the face of evil.

Somewhere in Europe by a great sea stands a small village, where inventing all manner of domestic gadgets is held in great esteem. Every year the villagers organize an annual competition of new inventions. One of the best inventors in the village is Oskar, Lotte's father. His primary rival is Adalbert, whose wife also partakes in the competition. On the eve of the next competition, Lotte and her friend Bruno find a book soaked in the sea, from which Susumu, a gardener from distant Japan, climbs out. Susumu teaches the villagers some judo throws before a big judo competition, which the latter will eagerly use to facilitate their daily lives.

A little daring Mosquito does not know how to make friends. He is often intrusive and stinging. Everything changes when he gets into trouble. He understands his wrongdoings and starts to see good in others.

The Crazy Fox, familiar from the children’s books, is now roaming around a maritime village experiencing unusual and impetuous things – she saves a snail, overfeeds on pears, jumps up and down on a trampoline, becomes friends with a mermaid and helps her escape an aquarium.

Little Devils revolves around two mischievous devils who make their way up from hell to a farmhouse in Latvia. The devils start pulling devilish pranks, such as putting the farmer to bed in the barn, and the bull to bed beside the farmer’s wife. When two thieves enter the scene, chaos ensues as they discover "the farmer" is a monster and "the bull" can talk.

The Crazy Fox is taken to a veterinary clinic, and the adventure of endless tests, twists and turns begins! Although the situation becomes extra challenging, when the doctor has to pull out fox’s bad tooth, the final medical diagnosis is – the Fox is healthy, but... crazy.