The National Film Centre of Latvia has expanded its online streaming selection on filmas.lv to mark the 90th anniversary of legendary director, actor, and screenwriter Jānis Streičs. Announced alongside a series of cultural events across Latvia, the updated film collection now features new Latvian-language subtitles for key 1960s and 1970s works originally produced in Russian for Soviet-era television audiences, ensuring complete public access to the master’s early filmography.
Expanded Online Film Collection on Filmas.lv
According to announcements from the portal filmas.lv (filmas.lv), the updated catalog now includes Streičs’s second independent feature film, Vālodzīte (1972). Set during World War II in Latvia, the film features a multilingual mix of Russian, Latvian, and German dialogue, starring actress Līga Liepiņa alongside Valentīns Skulme, Ivars Kalniņš, and Dina Kuple. The production was shot by cinematographer Māris Rudzītis, with visual design by Ināra Antone, the Riga Film Studio’s first female art director.
The updated digital release also incorporates Streičs’s 1976 feature Master (The Master), which marked his first collaboration with actress Vija Artmane. She plays a tragi-comic factory workshop chief alongside lead actor Pēteris Gaudiņš and newcomer Katrīne Pasternaka. Other newly subtitled additions include Oļģert Dunkers’s vocational school drama Counting chickens in the fall (1973)—featuring Streičs in an acting role as a strict pedagogue—and Dunkers’s 1977 factory drama A man in his prime (A Man in His Prime), adapted from Zigmunds Skujiņš’s novel. Early works such as The boys of Livsala (1969), co-directed with Ēriks Lācis, and Streičs’s solo directorial debut Shoot for me (Shoot in My Place, 1970) complete the comprehensive 1960s and 1970s retrospective now streaming publicly.
Anniversary Concert Event at Splendid Palace
The birthday celebrations commenced on September 26 at Riga’s Splendid Palace cinema with a special concert performance titled “My Friend Jānis Streičs.” Musicians including The Sound Poets, Citi zēni, and Kaut kaili delivered fresh arrangements of songs featured in Streičs’s films. Actors Gundars Āboliņš and Artūrs Skrastiņš hosted conversational segments with fellow cast members regarding the director’s working methods and cinematic legacy. Proceeds from the ticket sales directly support the Jānis Streičs Cultural Foundation to preserve his artistic heritage, fulfilling the director’s wish for widespread national celebrations.
Interactive Heritage Trivia and Sing-Along in Rēzekne
Celebrations continued on September 27 at the Embassy of Latgale “Gors” in Rēzekne with an interactive team trivia and sing-along event named “The Heritage of Jānis Streičs.” Hosted in the venue’s Small Hall by ethnomusician Ēriks Zeps, teams of three to five participants tested their knowledge of Streičs’s filmography, biographical milestones, artistic collaborators, paintings, and soundtrack melodies. Musical accompaniment was provided by an instrumental ensemble led by Mārcis Lipska, alongside performances by local choirs from Rēzekne and the surrounding district.