Audiovisual Chronicle

A significant part of the collection in the Latvian National Arhives dealing with visual documention, cine photography, still photography and sound, are the result of audio-visual documents held by Latvians in exile. Collections of documents from exile have come into the Archives in the last 25 years. The most important collections concerning organizations in exile and personal private lives in the Archives are those of Zane Jekste-Freivalde(USA) active in film and social questions. Included in this collection is an American Latvian Association documentary film produced by Albert Jekste, Latvia’s 50 Years. Along with the film are its working materials and remains of mounting. Also a collection dealing with the Latvian community in Germany(film documentarian Valfrids Leimanis’ films taken showing Latvian life in exile, advertising films, working film material(1930-1970)), a collection of documentary films of journalist and film maker Ilgara Linda(Sweden), a collection of documents of the Toronto Latvian Association, etc.

The documentary film, Kas viņi ir un ko viņi spēj darīt? (Who they are and what they can do, whose fragments are included in the exhibit. The film came into existence in 1947 in Germany in the displaced persons’ camp in Blomberg. The film’s cinematographer was Vilis Lapenieks. As the producer of the film, A. Jekste later wrote, “The pupose of the film is to show the world what Latvians really are and what are they doing to dispel the false impression that we are a mass of dirty and lazy people, sitting around unemployed and waiting for someone to take care of us.”

The documentary film, Displaced Persons of the Baltic(1944-1949), cinematographer Aleksanders Kruka(Aleksandrs Krūka), arrived in the archives in 2000. The film’s author, grafic artist, and art analist Aleksanders Kruka(1898-1988) was a soldier in in the regiment of Imants in the time of World War I. After World War II he was involved with research of ancient Baltic peoples and the analysis of art priciples in New York in the United States. With a camera gotten during the Second World War, the recorded film images of A. Kruka show a visual representation of Latvian life in the camps of displaced persons.

The film periodical Ostland Woche used in the exhibit was gotten from the studio Ostland Film. From 1942 this studio was engaged with the preparation and mounting of film perodical material. The film perodical Ostland Woche was published from June, 1942 until September, 1944.

Nr. 1319
Fragment. Cinema journal "Ostland Woche" No 115, year 1944. Rīga port. On the way to Germany.
Author unknown.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 1319.
Fragment. Cinema journal "Ostland Woche" No 115, year 1944. Rīga port. On the way to Germany.
Author unknown.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 1319.
Nr. 1323
Fragment. Cinema journal "Ostland Woche" No 118, year 1944. "Folk assistance" Rīga division provides assistance to refugees. 09.09.1944.
Author unknown.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 1323.
Fragment. Cinema journal "Ostland Woche" No 118, year 1944. "Folk assistance" Rīga division provides assistance to refugees. 09.09.1944.
Author unknown.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 1323.
Nr. 5340
Fragment. Documentary "Displaced persons of the Baltics", years 1944-1949,
Operators Aleksandrs Kruka.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5340, Aleksandrs Kruka document collection.
Fragment. Documentary "Displaced persons of the Baltics", years 1944-1949,
Operators Aleksandrs Kruka.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5340, Aleksandrs Kruka document collection.
Nr. 5340
Fragment. Documentary "Displaced persons of the Baltics", years 1944-1949,
Operators Aleksandrs Kruka.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5340, Aleksandrs Kruka document collection.
Fragment. Documentary "Displaced persons of the Baltics", years 1944-1949,
Operators Aleksandrs Kruka.
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5340, Aleksandrs Kruka document collection.
Nr. 5340
Fragment. Documentary "Who they are and what they can do?", year 1947.
Author Vilis Lapenieks
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5335, journalist and cinema employee Ilgar Linde’s (Sweden) document collection.
Fragment. Documentary "Who they are and what they can do?", year 1947.
Author Vilis Lapenieks
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5335, journalist and cinema employee Ilgar Linde’s (Sweden) document collection.
Nr. 5340
Fragment. Documentary "Who they are and what they can do?", year 1947.
Author Vilis Lapenieks
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5335, journalist and cinema employee Ilgar Linde’s (Sweden) document collection.
Fragment. Documentary "Who they are and what they can do?", year 1947.
Author Vilis Lapenieks
LNA LVKFFDA archive, No 5335, journalist and cinema employee Ilgar Linde’s (Sweden) document collection.
Nr. 5340
Film Documentary: Ghetto Without a Fence: Loss of the Homeland, a New One Found?
Produced by Heinich Anschlag, Winfried Greber, Uwe Maciey, AntonetteTornsdorf, Heinz-Juergen Truetken-Kirsch
A series by the Wilhelm-Hittorf Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany
Made possible by the LWL-Media Center of Westphalia/Media Service for Muenster
All rights reserved. Muenster, August 2009
Film Documentary: Ghetto Without a Fence: Loss of the Homeland, a New One Found?
Produced by Heinich Anschlag, Winfried Greber, Uwe Maciey, AntonetteTornsdorf, Heinz-Juergen Truetken-Kirsch
A series by the Wilhelm-Hittorf Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany
Made possible by the LWL-Media Center of Westphalia/Media Service for Muenster
All rights reserved. Muenster, August 2009