Before the Light (2023) [N/A]

Release Date:
February 23, 2023

Original Title:
Svārstības

Genres:
Documentary

Production Companies:
Baltic Balkan Productions
Rucka Art Foundation

Production Countries:
Latvia

Ratings / Certifications:
 N/A

Runtime: 77

Emotionally charged story about three women standing against male dominated church preventing them from following their calling to serve God and their communities. Protestan female ministers who wish to serve God, the Church and people as pastors in today’s Latvia can only do that under the wing of foreign churches. Latvia is the only country in the world whose official Lutheran church has banned ordination of women after successfully practicing it for two decades. While some of the women ministers, refusing to accept this, leave the country to build lives as fully-fledged pastors elsewhere in the world, others carry on serving as second-rate assistants or other church workers. However, today there are female theologians who are ready to fight for a future in more equal society thus ending the discrimination based on ‘other sex’ or ‘wrong’ gender. The road towards changes leads through frustrations, confidence and doubts, obedience and rebellion.

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Co-Producer:
Antra Gaile

Director:
Kristine Briede

Director of Photography:
Jānis Šēnbergs

Editor:
Andris Grants

Music:
Sniedze Prauliņa
Rihards Zaļupe

Producer:
Ieva Ūbele

Sound Director:
Artis Lūsis

Writer:
Kristine Briede

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