Janis Streics

Directing

Janis Streics

Born 1936-09-26 · Anspoki, Republic of Latvia

Jānis Streičs (1936-2026) was a renowned Latvian film director, writer, actor and painter. Streičs is often described as the master of understanding the mentality of Latvians and no stranger to good-hearted irony and humour. His comedy films earned him an unwavering popularity among the people, and three of his films - Theatre (1978), A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve (1981), and The Child of Man (1992) - were awarded the national cinema prize 'Lielais Kristaps' as the best film of the year.

Acting credits

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Chicken Get Counted In The Autumn

1973

Shoot in My Place poster
NR

1917. In Petrograd, a young Latvian boy Jezups signs up to work for the revolution and is sent to central Russia to show films and campaign for joining the Red Army. Jezups is a naive idealist and would rather not touch weapons at all, but life destroys his belief that it is possible to do without violence. In the end, Jezups is forced to understand that the ideals of the revolution must be defended not only with a film projector, but also with a machine gun.

Shoot in My Place

1971

Theatre poster
6.3

The great actress Julia Lambert suddenly realizes that she is, alas, getting old. What can help a woman who has absolutely everything? Only new love. And Julia falls in love with the first person she meets: an ambitious young man who has not a penny behind his soul. So begins a new life - a new romance and new tears. How else could it be?

Theatre

1978

The Child of Man poster
5.9

A six-year-old boy plots to stop his "sweetheart", a grown-up woman in his pre-World War II Latvian village, from marrying.

The Child of Man

1992

The Cage poster
8.0

Edmunds Berzs is an architect who has achieved a comfortable life, but this causes him unease, so he decides to go to the country house where his mother lives. There he wakes up to find himself locked in a cage in the middle of the forest. Edmunds, paradoxically, finds the tranquility he was looking for.

The Cage

1993

Teātris. Filmas arheoloģija poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Teātris. Filmas arheoloģija

2015

Was There Karotin? poster
4.9

The beginning of the 30s of the last century. A leak of classified information was found at the Soviet shipbuilding plant. Arriving under the guise of a scientist, the legendary chekist Karotin begins to unravel the threads of the conspiracy of the fascist spy organization. He is helped by inexperienced but active local detectives. Mastering the basics of the counterintelligence, they fall into a situation the other one funnier.

Was There Karotin?

1990

The Smell Of Cinema poster
NR

“Today you will hear my most honest and truthful story about how I made a movie with Eisenstein and Pudovkin almost 90 years ago, how I shot from a bow in the movie Ivan the Terrible, about how I taught the Red Army to ski, how I built the Riga Film Studio, about Naval ships, about Stalin and life in the Universe."

The Smell Of Cinema

2015

No artwork available
NR

The fourth film in the series about Latvian regional folk costumes – Shrovetide traditions in Latgale – shows clothing, household items and celebrations, as well as games and masquerades. The film features the Upīte village children's folklore group, the Rēzekne folk dance ensemble Dziga, and the Šķilbēni village folklore group. The narration, sometimes in Latvian and sometimes in Latgalian, is by Jānis Streičs.

Latvju pūrs pielocīts. Latgale

1993

Vīrietis labākajos gados poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Vīrietis labākajos gados

1978

Behind the camera

Boys from Liv Island poster
NR

A group of young Latvian boys enroll to a pioneers movement during the first years after WWII.

Boys from Liv Island

1969

Boys from Liv Island poster
NR

A group of young Latvian boys enroll to a pioneers movement during the first years after WWII.

Boys from Liv Island

1969

To Remember or to Forget poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

To Remember or to Forget

1981

Shoot in My Place poster
NR

1917. In Petrograd, a young Latvian boy Jezups signs up to work for the revolution and is sent to central Russia to show films and campaign for joining the Red Army. Jezups is a naive idealist and would rather not touch weapons at all, but life destroys his belief that it is possible to do without violence. In the end, Jezups is forced to understand that the ideals of the revolution must be defended not only with a film projector, but also with a machine gun.

Shoot in My Place

1971

It's Easy to Fall Into an Overgrown Ditch poster
1.0

Latvia, 1980s. While striving for achievements in the Soviet kolhoz competition, people have forgotten to take care of their surroundings and their loved ones. The Latvian countryside is overwhelmed by alcoholism, and the chairman of the kolhoz is keeping the newly built culture hub locked up so that public would not "spoil it". Vitolds, the new secretary of the Young Communist League is ready to combat all the negative issues. However, it's important to do everything with moderation, as otherwise one may fall from one side of a ditch to another.

It's Easy to Fall Into an Overgrown Ditch

1986

It's Easy to Fall Into an Overgrown Ditch poster
1.0

Latvia, 1980s. While striving for achievements in the Soviet kolhoz competition, people have forgotten to take care of their surroundings and their loved ones. The Latvian countryside is overwhelmed by alcoholism, and the chairman of the kolhoz is keeping the newly built culture hub locked up so that public would not "spoil it". Vitolds, the new secretary of the Young Communist League is ready to combat all the negative issues. However, it's important to do everything with moderation, as otherwise one may fall from one side of a ditch to another.

It's Easy to Fall Into an Overgrown Ditch

1986

Captain Enrico's Watch poster
5.3

A young boy finds a watch with an engraving in Spanish saying that the watch belongs to Captain Enrico, and adventures begin...

Captain Enrico's Watch

1967

The Mills of Fate poster
6.8

A love triangle - a terminally ill university teacher, a blind girl and a young bard. In the background of it all - the wild arrival of the capitalism, political conflicts, city life and the beautiful nature of Latvia. In the end love will conquer everything, though not everybody will live to witness that.

The Mills of Fate

1997

The Mills of Fate poster
6.8

A love triangle - a terminally ill university teacher, a blind girl and a young bard. In the background of it all - the wild arrival of the capitalism, political conflicts, city life and the beautiful nature of Latvia. In the end love will conquer everything, though not everybody will live to witness that.

The Mills of Fate

1997

Faithful Friend Sancho poster
8.0

Ten year old Sancho arrives to Leningrad and starts looking for friends.

Faithful Friend Sancho

1974

Theatre poster
6.3

The great actress Julia Lambert suddenly realizes that she is, alas, getting old. What can help a woman who has absolutely everything? Only new love. And Julia falls in love with the first person she meets: an ambitious young man who has not a penny behind his soul. So begins a new life - a new romance and new tears. How else could it be?

Theatre

1978

Theatre poster
6.3

The great actress Julia Lambert suddenly realizes that she is, alas, getting old. What can help a woman who has absolutely everything? Only new love. And Julia falls in love with the first person she meets: an ambitious young man who has not a penny behind his soul. So begins a new life - a new romance and new tears. How else could it be?

Theatre

1978

No artwork available
NR

A family drama circling around a love triangle - a mother, a daughter and a son-in-law. The plot is focusing on the mother's psychological manipulation with the son to "make a man" of him.

Ipolits

2002

No artwork available
NR

A family drama circling around a love triangle - a mother, a daughter and a son-in-law. The plot is focusing on the mother's psychological manipulation with the son to "make a man" of him.

Ipolits

2002

Strange Passions poster
7.0

It is the post-war era on the Latvian border, and the Lithuanian girl Maryte has located her relative, Antanas. Having been a farmhand on a rich farm as well as the lover of the owner's wife, upon his return from the war Antanas hopes to gain as much as he can from the collapse of the old world. The wife's daughter, Ausma, has since grown up and seems much more desirable to Antanas than his former lover. The historical situation makes for a tense atmosphere, because in the nighttime partisans may emerge from the forest, while during the daytime everyone must be careful to follow the new rules of life under Soviet rule.

Strange Passions

1983

Strange Passions poster
7.0

It is the post-war era on the Latvian border, and the Lithuanian girl Maryte has located her relative, Antanas. Having been a farmhand on a rich farm as well as the lover of the owner's wife, upon his return from the war Antanas hopes to gain as much as he can from the collapse of the old world. The wife's daughter, Ausma, has since grown up and seems much more desirable to Antanas than his former lover. The historical situation makes for a tense atmosphere, because in the nighttime partisans may emerge from the forest, while during the daytime everyone must be careful to follow the new rules of life under Soviet rule.

Strange Passions

1983

Master poster
NR

Artūrs comes back to Riga after serving in army and faces changes because of his years of absence- his girlfriend has met another man, his work in a factory in a superior position brings changes to relationships with acquaintances.

Master

1977

Master poster
NR

Artūrs comes back to Riga after serving in army and faces changes because of his years of absence- his girlfriend has met another man, his work in a factory in a superior position brings changes to relationships with acquaintances.

Master

1977

The Child of Man poster
5.9

A six-year-old boy plots to stop his "sweetheart", a grown-up woman in his pre-World War II Latvian village, from marrying.

The Child of Man

1992

The Child of Man poster
5.9

A six-year-old boy plots to stop his "sweetheart", a grown-up woman in his pre-World War II Latvian village, from marrying.

The Child of Man

1992

Roses of Autumn poster
5.0

The film is about a middle-aged couple experiencing a midlife crisis. The husband and wife are tired of life together and start to forget the love they once shared in their youth.

Roses of Autumn

2004

Roses of Autumn poster
5.0

The film is about a middle-aged couple experiencing a midlife crisis. The husband and wife are tired of life together and start to forget the love they once shared in their youth.

Roses of Autumn

2004

A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve poster
6.5

When old auntie Mirta succeeds in a lottery and wins a car which she cannot use herself, all sorts of family members suddenly appear by her side, hoping to get the car after their auntie's death. Until then, they had never helped Mirta, it was only her neighbours who supported her in her old age. Now, her nephew Ēriks with his wife and son, and her ex-daughter-in-law Olita with her second husband and daughter, would all love to get their hands on the car that's in the colour of Midsummer's Eve.

A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve

1982

Ilga-Ivolga poster
NR

The wounded Russian soldier Fyodor, risking his life, was sheltered on a Latvian farm by his grandfather and granddaughter. Ilga fell in love with him, but the war separated them. Fedor went to the partisans, and Ilga is killed by the Nazis. Only many years later Fedor came again. Here he meets a young woman very similar to Ilga.

Ilga-Ivolga

1974