Combining 16 mm film and analogue Betacam formats, the film documents the creativity exuding from the four actors as they put together performances and compose songs. The director has followed the actors for a few years capturing the essence of their performances and the contemporary legacy of circus tradition. Along with the four actors, the film also includes Slava Polunin, a world-famous Russian performance artist and clown, who has been an influential figure in the field of pantomime and performance arts since the late 1960s.

“This isn’t a film about how to endure life, but a film about life that is broad, mysterious and exhilarating. It’s a film about people who let in and give themselves to the Creative Spirit. This film will be a visually saturated, hypnotic journey in the world of theatre and youth, of what is common to an actor and shamans, what is a mission of an actor and a clown, and how to live an authentic artist’s life in these interesting times”, Birkova comments on the film’s idea.

Signe Birkova has directed short fiction, experimental and documentary films and TV programmes, and she also created analogue film performances. Birkova uses 16mm and Super 8 film for her experimental films, as well as different animation techniques. In 2021 she was granted financing from the National Film Centre of Latvia for her debut feature Lotus (Studio Lokomotīve).

The film’s total budget is 128,000 EUR, including 63,000 EUR from the National Film Centre of Latvia.

Ring of Fire will premiere at the Riga International Film Festival (14 - 24 October 2021).

Production Information:

Producer:
VFS Films (Latvia)
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Credits:
Director: Signe Birkova
Scriptwriter: Signe Birkova
DoP: DāvidsSmiltiņš
Editor: Andris Grants
Music: Kvadrifons & Friends
Cast: Ance Strazda, Reinis Boters, Klāvs Mellis, Āris Matesovičs, Slava Polunin