Principal shooting begins on 8 July 2019 in Riga and is expected to run until 11 August. Shooting will take place in Riga and its surroundings. In the Mirror is a modern take on the classical Snow White story, using visual and narrative forms in exploring contemporary preoccupations with self-representation.
The film’s narrative is based on the fairy tale of Snow White and her evil stepmother. The contemporary take on the story will have its characters obsessed with their looks; the step mother’s main preoccupation is fitness and CrossFit, the seven dwarfs do extreme sports. Equally important will be the film’s visual style. It will be shot in black and white, using special lenses and using different optical tricks to achieve the style of selfie photography in each frame. The film’s DoP is Gints Bērziņš, who filmed Pakalnina’s 1998 break-out film The Shoe / Kurpe.
In the Mirror will be Pakalniņa’s sixth full-length feature film. Her latest documentary The Spoon / Karote premiered at the Karlovy Vary IFF last week.
The film is produced by Laila Pakalniņa at Hargla Company (Latvia) and Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė of Just a Moment (Lithuania). The main roles will be played by upcoming dancer Madlēna Valdberga (Snow White) and ballet dancer Elza Leimane (stepmother), as well as Lauris Dzelzītis (Snow White’s father). The film is supported by the film institutions in Latvia and Lithuania, with the largest financing amount from the National Film Centre of Latvia, 568,315 EUR. The estimated budget is 800,000 EUR.
The expected release date is mid-2020.
Production information:
Hargla Company (Latvia)
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Just a Moment (Lithuania)
Credits:
Producer: Laila Pakalniņa, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė
Director: Laila Pakalniņa
Screenwriter: Laila Pakalniņa
DoP: Gints Bērziņš
Editor: Ieva Veiveryte
Production Desinger: Aldis Meinerts
Costume designer: Liene Dobrāja
Make-up artist: Maija Gundare
Original music: Vygintas Kisevičius, Paulius Kilbauskas
Cast: Madlēna Valdberga, Elza Leimane, Lauris Dzelzītis, Gatis Gāga, Kaspars Gods, Ģirts Krūmiņš
