As already reported, on May 28, the Latvian hockey team achieved the greatest achievement in the history of Latvian hockey, defeating the mighty USA in Tampere in the battle for bronze medals, winning 4:3 in extra time. But that was not all – the Latvian goalkeeper Artūrs Šilovs was recognized not only as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, but also as the most valuable player of the tournament.
Director Aigars Grauba, who made the historical drama about the Latvian success in the 1935 European Championship in Switzerland, is sure that the feature film about the dream team of the new times should start on the current wave of uplift: “In this case, life has written an ideal dramaturgical situation, because from the beginning, when the teams the captain doubts whether to participate in this championship at all, and until he decides, and the most important goal is also the equalizer in the third third against Switzerland. When he comes out and does what is expected of him.”
Although feature films about sports have the potential to appeal to a wide audience, there are not many of them in the history of Latvian cinema, and basketball has always dominated. Hockey has earned more attention from documentarians.
Journalist and director Sandijs Semjonovs, who filmed a story about the beginnings of hockey in Latvia, admits that it is not easy to make films about hockey. According to him, in the context of today’s dream teams, you can collect magnificent material for both a documentary and a feature film: “If I were to make a film, I would make it about how to get such a team, how to get this feeling that one is fighting for the other, because it is something phenomenal , it doesn’t come out of the blue.”
Funding for the National Cinema Center for next year is modest. A film development competition is expected in the fall, where an application about the success of the hockey team could also appear. Currently, there is no special competition for ideas to make a film about the success of hockey players, reports “lsm.lv”.
“It is clear that a documentary film should be made, which would be more of a testimony of time, which would remain for other generations. I think we are experiencing some kind of phenomenon,” says Sandy Semyonov. “It’s important to show it, to tell it, so that new such dream teams appear, so that people really dream about big things and someday fulfill them.”
“Films are never directly about sports, and this victory is not about sports either,” emphasizes Aigars Grauba. “Those words when Daugavins said at the Freedom Monument that we would give this metal so that everyone would support this country, the way they feel, it’s really inspiring. We expect this inspiration from our athletes, which helps us get on with our things at the end.”
