A documentary about the singer Ilmārs Dzeni / Article will be premiered on Latvian Television

Ilmārs Dzenis is a popular Latvian singer in exile and author of lyrics. He gained recognition by playing Latvian hits and popularizing Western songs in Latvian. He has performed in the “Chicago Five”, given concerts in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with Latvians in exile. He later started his solo career. During the Awakening, many Latvians saw Ilmārs Dzeni for the first time in a “Microphone” poll, but he knew his voice a long time ago – behind the Iron Wall, in Soviet Latvia, he listened to his recordings at every house party. The records were often smuggled, secretly reproduced and distributed in Latvia.

Director Arvīds Babris says about Dzen: “He and his voice, his solo records and repertoire were what every Latvian’s heart, mind and soul longed for. voice and also the earlier recordings of the “Chicago Five”, which are absolutely fantastic musically, secondly, will invite you to understand what the common Latvian power that each of us individually should strive to teach our children and grandchildren – what must be cool, active, an active person who shapes one’s own and others’ lives. “

The LTV film crew went to the United States to meet Ilmārs Dzenis, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. The film tells the story of Ilmārs Dzenis’ way of life, which is typical for so many Latvians – childhood in pre-war Latvia, a refugee camp in Germany, moving to the USA. It will include interviews with Ilmārs Dzeni himself, his peers in the USA, Puerto Rico and here in Latvia. Unique video footage will also be revealed, which depicts the life of Latvians in exile in the 1960s and 1970s.

The film team consists of director Arvīds Babris, screenwriter Gundars Rēders, screenwriter Jānis Veikšāns, cameramen Jānis Indriks, Uvis Burjāns and Normunds Pavlovskis.

The documentary “Ilmārs Dzenis. I’m Waiting for You Again in Florida” (2022) will be shown on Thursday, June 16, at 9:10 PM on LTV1 and REplay.lv.

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