Home » Entertainment » Photo from the filming area: A film about Countess Alice von Trot is made in Riga

Photo from the filming area: A film about Countess Alice von Trot is made in Riga

Filming of director Signe Birkova’s first feature film “Lotus” has started in the filming pavilions of “BBstudios” on Vagonu Street. The upcoming film features popular actors such as Baiba Brock, Willow Many a Rēzija Kalniņa. The main role is played by the European film star – Lithuanian actress Severija Janušauskaite.

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The film is presented as an exciting story about a young, creative being who, in 1919, longs for challenge and inner freedoms in Latvia.

“Lotus” envisages a comic phantasmagoric story about the German – Baltic Countess Alice Von Trot – a woman “outsider”, who is a stranger between her own and her own among strangers, but, overcoming physical, mental and prejudiced obstacles, becomes a filmmaker of Latvian silent cinema.

The stylized costume film will intertwine elements of various film genres and quotes from world cinema masterpieces – attentive viewers will be able to see references to Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Wales, Andrei Tarkovsky and others. At the same time, it is the director’s confession of his love for silent cinema: the film will feature several episodes of what is said to be the main character, and to give more authenticity to these stylized fragments of silent cinema, they were shot with an authentic 1921 cinema camera.

Photo from the filming area: A film about Countess Alice von Trot is made in Riga
Photo: Agnese Zeltina


According to the filmmakers, no one in Latvian cinema has done so far – the producer of the rare camera Roberts Vinovskis bought it especially for “Lotus” filming. The film itself is not shot with digital film cameras, but in analog format, on 16 mm Kodak film.

“As a result of a happy coincidence in the story of the film, German-Baltic Countess Alise Von Trota becomes an avant-garde synemato countess in Latvian silent cinema. As a result of a happy coincidence, Severija Janušauskaite, “Severia is an actress with untimely cinematic charisma and overflowing emotional power,” says the film ‘s protagonist Signe Birkova.

Severija Janušauskaite is an actress of Lithuanian theater and cinema who has gained international recognition and recognition for her participation in the series “Babylon Berlin” (2017). Latvian viewers have already met the actress in the work of Jevgēņijs Paškēvičs “What Silent Gerda Knows” (2020) and in the film “Homeland” by Tom Vengra (2019).

Latvian actors will also take part in the film Mārtiņš Kalita, Andis Strods, Iveta Pole, Āris Matesovičs, Jana Čivžele, Lauma Balode and others.

Photo from the filming area: A film about Countess Alice von Trot is made in Riga
Photo: Agnese Zeltina


Lotus director Signe Birkova has made feature films, experimental animated films, documentaries and analogue cinema performances. In October, the director celebrated the premiere of her first documentary film “Circle of Fire” at this year’s Riga International Film Festival. The film “I Will Return Like a Glowing Rose” received the Latvian “Fipresci” award in 2014, but the master’s thesis of the Academy of Culture “It was called Haoss Bērziņš”, a short film made in the style of low-budget science fiction participated in has been shown in syphilis shows in many countries. Signe is also a co-founder and member of Baltic Analog Lab.

Signe Birkova is the author and director of the film’s script, cinematographer – Mārtiņš Jurevics, artist – Mārtiņš Straupe, costume designer – Jurate Silakaktina.

“Lotus” tops in “Lokomotīve” Studio, the producers are Roberts Vinovskis and Dominiks Jarmakovičs, the film is co-produced by “Studio Uljana Kim” on the Lithuanian side.

The film is expected to be screened in 2023.

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