In Liepupe, documentarian Ivars Zviedris juggles a trimmer and a camera while dreaming of a film village
Documentary filmmaker Ivars Zviedris and his wife, journalist Zane Mača, have lived for five years in Liepupe, Limbaži municipality, where Ivars conceived the idea of a cinema village. Although a screening hall already operates on their property showcasing Latvia's best documentaries, Ivars himself often ends up holding a grass trimmer rather than a camera.
Documentary filmmaker Ivars Zviedris and his wife, journalist Zane Mača, have spent the past five years living in Liepupe, in the Limbaži municipality. Arriving at their picturesque property on the banks of the Liepupe River, Ivars developed a vision of creating a genuine film village.
That vision has already partly taken shape: the couple's property now includes a cinema hall where audiences can watch the best of Latvian documentary filmmaking. Yet Ivars himself finds he gets to pick up a camera less often than he would like.
Summer belongs to the trimmer
At least during the summer months, Ivars's hands are frequently occupied not with filming equipment but with a grass trimmer, as maintaining the property and cutting the grass takes up a considerable amount of his time. Still, the documentarian doesn't see this simply as a chore.
Ivars admits that working in the garden also serves as a form of meditation for him, offering a way to unwind and find inner calm between creative projects. In this way, the Liepupe property has become not only a hub for cinema and culture but also a space where everyday labor blends with artistic ambitions and the daily care of the land.
