January

Riga, 1991. Latvian film school student Jazis searches for his identity against the backdrop of rising tensions between the USSR and the newly proclaimed Baltic states. When his girlfriend Anna gets a career break, embittered Jazis takes his camera to the barricades. With effective archive footage and delicious Latvian new wave music. 
 
Jazis is a 19-year-old Latvian film student dreaming of a career like Ingmar Bergman and Jim Jarmush. Meanwhile Latvia, along with the other Baltic states, has declared independence and the Soviet Union reacts with force. Jazis tries to capture the unrest with his camera, more out of a search for thrills and a love of filming than out of political activism. 
 
At school he falls in love with rebellious rich-kid Anna. When Anna gets a job with their hero, legendary Latvian director Juris Podnieks, Jazis becomes jealous and embittered. He considers joining the Soviet army, but at the same time, the people of Latvia take to the streets. An alternately dreamlike and energizing blend of visual styles by veteran Latvian director Viesturs Kairiss. Winner of the Best International Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Dedicated to the filmmakers who devote their lives to document oppression and violence.