The film tells the story of three young and aspiring filmmakers who are enjoying the first years of their adulthood and trying out their initial steps in filmmaking when the political upheaval of the early 1990s – resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Union – turns their lives upside down. Their plans, friendships, as well as family ties are rocked, as they witness a totalitarian political system end and their country regain its independence.

Viesturs Kairišs, who was 19 at the time when the events pictured in the film took place, describes this period of European history as the moment when he decided to become a film director. One of the producers of January, Inese Boka-Grūbe notes, the protagonists' young age is a key aspect in helping to translate the historical events to the younger generation.

Filming took place in the Latvian capital Riga, the country's eastern city Rēzekne, as well as Vilnius, Lithuania, in the first quarter of 2021, gathering a team of international professionals and a Pan-Baltic cast. The film's cinematographer is Wojciech Staron (Poland), while the script authors include writers from Latvia (Viesturs Kairišs) and Estonia (Andris Feldmanis, Livia Ulman).

January is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 10 June, in the International Narrative Competition section.

The film is a tri-country coproduction between Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, represented by Mistrus Media from the Latvian side, Artbox from Lithuania, as well as Staron Film from Poland. It has received support from the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the Lithuanian Film Centre, the Polish Film Institute, Eurimages, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, Latvian Television, Latvian Foundation, Culture and Sports Department of the Riga City Council.

Production information:

Producers:
Mistrus Media (Latvia)
Inese Boka-Grūbe: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Gints Grūbe: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Artbox (Lithuania)
Kestutis Drazdauskas: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Staron Film (Poland)
Malgorzata Staron: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cast & crew:
Director: Viesturs Kairišs
Scriptwriters: Viesturs Kairišs, Andris Feldmanis, Livia Ulman
Production designer: Ieva Jurjāne
Cast: Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Alise Danovska, Rūdlofs Cīrulis, Baiba Broka, Juhan Ulfsak, Aleksas Kazanavicius