The main characters of the film, three women, work in acting classes, and under the direction of Elita Kļaviņa, Anton Chekhov’s play “Three Sisters” about longing for a better life and love is staged in prison. The motives of the play have encouraged women to entrust their sharp personal stories to the director. In order to be able to perform such a complex play in the women’s prison, in which the characters of men play an important role, Elita Kļaviņa has invited the current and former actors of the New Riga Theater to play all the male roles in the play. Actors Kaspars Znotiņš, Ivars Krasts, Ģirts Krūmiņš and others were admitted to the prison area.
Daira Āboliņa: Why did you film a movie about prison? Women in prison.
Elita Klavina: The film about women in prison began as my research project. I went to prison at the suggestion of Rudīte Losāne to work with women in prison who are interested in developing their skills. They have a studio “Mirjama”, which Rudīte Losāne has created. Such a theater group already existed there, and after half a year I realized that there was really material for the film.
I had met three women who are very fit to play Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”. They began to trust me and began to tell their life stories. There was a lot of unifying in these stories, namely domestic violence.
This became the theme of the film: Chekhov and Domestic Violence.
How is this new context – war – changing your film? We are all confronted with it in some way. This, thank God, does not happen in Latvia. But the situation is completely different than we felt ten days ago.
First of all, everything seems unimportant right now. I have been working on this film for two years. The premiere is approaching. It’s even hard, and now I’m forced to tell. But all thoughts are there – about Ukraine. But probably not. We must continue to do what we each do. And this movie, I think, is very, very echoing, because it’s also a story about violence. About how violence causes new violence.
Violence is the cause, and that is the lack of humanity.
It is a factor of humanity that is missing in childhood or later in life. I think any documentary awakens humanity and empathy. And now, at this time, we are so awakened by the events in Ukraine that all the chakras are open. And it will be easier for people who come to my film to connect and feel this empathy and notice the suffering of others.
Another aspect of the film echoes the events: Chekhov’s three sisters dream of getting to Moscow. This is the poetic supersonic that Chekhov has put in – let’s drive away from here, let’s go to Moscow, there is nothing better than Moscow …
And hearing Chekhov’s texts, you will definitely have to think about Moscow as it is now. How far from Chekhov’s ideals.
When he wrote it, it was about progress and civilization, a better life. Yes, there is another aspect.
Do you think that the prestige of a documentary filmmaker, a documentary filmmaker, will grow, given the need to document the present?
It is not a question of whether to plant. It has already grown. There are more and more documentaries on the big platforms, including Netflix. Documentary budgets around the world will grow. The puzzles that can be put together from real life events are much more relevant to the current situation. Var [radīt] a more emotional impression.
I am convinced that documentaries will not be more popular, but much more in demand.
What do you think of young people studying directing and dreaming of making staged films? Almost no one [neplāno]you may even be an exception, graduate of the Academy of Culture with a documentary.
Obviously, I know all too well how difficult it is to be a prefect in acting and gain real credibility. That is why I myself am afraid to approach it.
When sorting out the facts of life, its emotional return is ever greater. Although “Iļģuciems sisters” is a bit of a hybrid film. The film contains both the harsh stories of these women and how they play Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”. And they are not professional actresses. Of course they are not. The previous year, under the direction of Kristīne Klētniece, they had created a bit of Shakespeare’s sonnets. But as big a task as it was this time, it was a challenge. They surprised me and surprised themselves. But we also worked very hard. Basically, I had to make this show to make this movie.
And the male lineup was a professional actor, right?
Yes, men played men. In the women’s prison, we needed men from the outside world, according to the girls in the prison.
I also wanted to say that the film wasn’t the main goal, which is why I started doing it. At first there was curiosity and empathy for the women prisoners. But for now
however, I would expect a greater public debate on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, which could help to address the fact that many women who suffer from domestic violence are completely unheard of, which has led them to prison and crime.
The premiere and the only screening of Elita Kļaviņa’s film “Iļģuciems Sisters” will take place on March 8 at 7.30 pm at the festival “Artdocfest / Riga”. “Iļģuciems Sisters” is the director’s second documentary, Elita Kļaviņa’s diploma film “Zorjana Horobraja” (2019) gained public response by researching the story of a very young Latvian-Russian family. The film was recognized as the best student film and awarded at the national film festival “Kristaps the Great”.
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