World premiere
Lotus
A dreamlike musical carousel, partly shot on an analogue camera from the 1920s.
The rebellious director Signe Birkova has created an avant-garde tale of history and fantasy, combining different film techniques in an unprecedented way. The surreal cinematic world of “Lotus” includes interpretations of real people and material from historical archives from the years 1900-1950. The soundtrack features works by Latvian composers, and to top it all off, the cinematography incorporates 8mm, 16mm and 35mm film to create an otherworldly visual spectacle.
“Lotus” contains references to iconic filmmakers such as Méliès and Hitchcock. It stars the chameleon-like Lithuanian actress Severija Janušauskaitė as Alice von Trotta, an underdog silent film director. The character forms a close bond with the vampiric Madam Falstaff, who has a hidden agenda: to use Alice’s artistic talents to create a propaganda film. Alice embarks on an uphill battle in the film industry, striving to write a phenomenal screenplay and fighting against government censorship.
Edvinas Pukšta
Signe Birkova (1973) is a Latvian filmmaker from Riga, who first studied philosophy and journalism, and later received her master’s degree from the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture. She has directed short, experimental, and documentary films, including works utilizing analogue technology and animation, as well as produced TV programs. Signe Birkova’s short film “Upon Return I’ll Be a Flaming Rose”, for which she also wrote the script, received a special FIPRESCI award in 2014. Notable among her works are the short sci-fi film “He Was Called Chaos Berzins”, which premiered in 2019 at both the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and PÖFF, as well as the documentary “The Ring of Fire” (2021), which tells the story of the Riga Circus.
Lotus (2024)