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OSCARS 2018 Latvia

The Latvian Oscar entry is The Chronicles of Melanie

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- Latvia has put the black-and-white deportation film forward for a nomination for the Oscar for Best Foreign-language Film

The Latvian Oscar entry is The Chronicles of Melanie
The Chronicles of Melanie by Viesturs Kairish

Latvian producers submitted two feature-length motion pictures to the Oscars committee this year – Viesturs Kairish’s The Chronicles of Melanie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 and Swingers [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Andrejs Ēķis (both from 2016). The committee’s vote for the former, an arthouse drama, was unanimous. The film was produced by Mistrus Media.

The decision was made by a committee of professional experts, appointed by the National Film Centre of Latvia. It justified its decision with the following words: “This is an epic and stylistically uniform work, significant for the history and culture of Latvia, presenting a strong central character, expressive visuals and outstanding acting performances. The film is distinguished by its ability to accentuate sensations and emotional experience, rather than facts and dates.”

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The Chronicles of Melanie tells the story of a journalist who is sent to Siberia in the mass deportation of June 1941, when over 40,000 people were deported from the Baltic states. The movie premiered domestically on 1 November 2016 and racked up 75,000 admissions in its first two months.

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