Jãnis Abele: The Last Will

A copy-paste from FNE (FilmNewEurope) about a film that I have seen close to final cut thanks to the producer Guntis Trekteris, loved it:

RIGA: Latvian director/writer Jānis Ābele is currently in postproduction with his documentary The Last Will, which is expected to be released in the autumn of 2024.

Anatols Imermanis, a poet, founder of the Latvian detective genre and a famous bohemian, draws us in his last detective story 20 years after his death. He could call himself a successful, financially stable Soviet writer. But he wanted more. Being free in the West, especially in Paris, was a life-long dream for Imermanis. As he was never allowed to leave the Soviet Union, he created his own personal Paris: bohemian lifestyle, sexual freedom, ignoring all the puritan norms of the Soviet world. He died alone without fulfilling his dream about Paris.

“Anatols Imermanis was one of the most genuine dissidents in the Baltics. His unique life gave rise to the desire to study it more profoundly, because such stories about unusual personalities who, despite the pressure of the regime, dared not to fit into the normality, are of great importance. The personality of Imermanis clarified the intention of the authors to create an unusual film in form and content, evidenced by the applied detective story genre and shameless game elements. In our perspective, this is a great way to appeal to the audience of today”, producer Guntis Trekteris told FNE.

Guntis Trekteris and Dita Birkenšteine are producing through Latvian company Ego Media with the support of the National Film Centre of Latvia.

The article is signed by Alexander Gabelis, photo-credit: Toms Šķēle.

The total budget is 181,447 EUR.

The film was shot in Latvia and France in 2023.

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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