Varis Brasla

Varis Brasla (b. 1939, Riga) comes from an artistic family: his father was an actor and theatre director, his mother an actress. He graduated from the Leningrad Theatre, Music and Film Institute in 1962 and took the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors in Moscow (1968). He has been working in film since 1965, and has cooperated on television and theatre projects, at present directing for the theatre in Valmiera. He is one of the most important Latvian filmmakers, and has made eleven feature films, of which four have won an annual award at home (the Big Christopher). Some of his work has been based on classic Latvian literary models. His films for children have won the most awards: Emil's Pranks (Emīla nedarbi, 1985) and especially Christmas Confusion (Ziemassvētku jampadracis, 1993). Other prize-winning works include Wish Me Bad Weather for the Flight (Novēli man lidojumam nelabvēlīgu laiku, 1980) and We Won't Talk Now of Love (Par mīlestību pašreiz nerunāsim, 1988).

MFF Karlovy Vary