Dawn/Ausma (Latvia, Poland, Estonia, 2015)

Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival is proud to present Dawn (Ausma) as part of its inaugural edition. Directed by Laila Pakalniņa, one of Latvia's most prolific and internationally acclaimed directors , Dawn is a visually arresting film, which has been awarded the Jury Prize for the Best Cinematographer at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2015.

Dawn is based on a famous Soviet propaganda legend about a “Young Pioneer” (Soviet equivalent to the boy scouts) Pavlik Morozov, who denounced his father to Stalin’s secret police and was in turn killed by his family. His fate exemplified the moral duty of all good Soviet citizens: the good of the state as the highest value.

78 years later, in Laila Pakalniņa's film, Pavlik is called little Janis. He is a young pioneer who lives in the Soviet collective farm called ‘Dawn’. His father is the enemy of the collective farm, and the Soviet system as such, who plans to burn down the farm's headquarters. Little Janis betrays his father, and the father takes revenge on his son.

Samizdat is supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI. It is jointly funded by the European Cultural Foundation (Culture of Solidarity Fund — Ukraine Special Edition).

Accessibility

Financial support to attend the festival is available to eligible applicants via Samizdat's Access Fund.

Content Notes: Depictions and discussions of violence and state oppression.

Access Notes: Black and white cinematography, bright images.