This autumn, the history and culture of the Baltic countries will be celebrated at Stanford University through a series of film screenings, featuring movies from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The series begins on 19 October with the screening of “Those who dare” (2015). The film outlines the Baltic nations’ struggle for the restoration of their independence, from 1986-1991, and will be introduced by Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, the former foreign minister of Iceland.
Following this opening event, the Baltic Film Series will feature three Baltic films, all focusing on various aspects of Baltic history and culture: “Dangerous Summer” (Latvia, 2000), “In the Crosswind” (Estonia, 2014), and “Land of Songs” (Lithuania, 2015). The full listing of films, event times and locations, and synopses is available on the series’ website on Stanford Events.
“Those Who Dare” recaptures the dramatic course of events in the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn in January 1991 when the Soviet military attempted to brutally suppress the independence movements. At that moment, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, the minister of foreign affairs of Iceland, was the only western foreign minister to travel to the Baltic capitals to show his support, thus inscribing Iceland in golden letters in the minds of the Baltic people.
All screenings are free and open to public, aiming to bring together Stanford faculty, staff and students, the local Baltic community as well as other people interested in Baltic heritage. The series is co-sponsored by the Stanford University Libraries and the Stanford Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.
I
Cover: Still from “In the Crosswind” (Estonia, 2014)
