Blizzard of Souls is a reminder that Latvia's freedom was never a given - director

RIGA - The new feature film Blizzard of Souls (Dveselu Putenis) is a reminder that the freedom of Latvia was not a given, that it was won in hard battles and came at a high price as many people lost their lives fighting for it, the film's director Dzintars Dreibergs said at a press conference before the premiere of the film today.

"Freedom concerns every resident of Latvia. It is our duty to preserve it and pass it on to future generations. The difficulties we had to overcome while shooting the film is nothing, compared to what Latvian riflemen had to endure during the war," said Dreibergs.

Oto Brantevics from Turlava, who plays the lead role in the film, said he hoped the film would sow a seed of patriotism in the hearts of young people. "Unfortunately, young people are indifferent about the future and the past of Latvia," said Brantevics, adding that it was because of this film that he became interested in Latvia's history. "The film has helped me become more mature, responsible, and learn from my past mistakes," said Brantevics.

The film crew thanked former Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis (Greens/Farmers) for supporting the shooting of Blizzards of Souls and for appearing in a cameo role in the film.

The current Defense Minister Artis Pabriks (For Development/For), who appears as an extra in the film, said that several hundred Latvian soldiers participated in shooting the film, believing it was their "sacred duty".

"I hope that the film will be a successful national project that will help promote patriotism in young people. I wish the film every success, because it is a story of our nation," said Pabriks.

Blizzard of Souls is an adaptation of Aleksandrs Grins' novel, the story was literary written in the trenches as the author of the novel was a Latvian rifleman in World War I.