The Latvian film "The Sign Painter" at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival in Canada

The Embassy of Latvia in Canada presents the Latvian feature film “The Sign Painter” (“Pilsēta pie upes”) at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival on June 8 to 9, 2021.

The screening is dedicated to the memory of the victims of June 14, 1941 deportations to Siberia by the Soviet regime – the very grim day in the Latvian history 80 years ago when Latvia lost many thousands of citizens, including children and seniors.

Based on the novel by Latvian writer Gunārs Janovskis, the film tells a story of Ansis, a young and naive Latvian sign painter in 1940s Latvia, who has a simple dream - to marry the beautiful and free-spirited daughter of a local Latvian Jewish merchant and to pursue a career as an artist. Ansis dreams are soon shattered as Latvia’s turbulent history (Soviet and Nazi occupations) during the Second World War defines its people’s faith. Filmmaker Viesturs Kairišs paints Latvia’s portrait in 1940s with an intelligent brushstroke of humour and tragedy.

The 29^th Toronto Jewish Film festival runs from June 3 to 13, 2021. The festival program is available for online viewing in Ontario. To watch the film, visit the Festival website: www.tjff.com/films/the-sign-painter/.

The screening is the part of the Latvian Centenary public diplomacy program.