Krāslava bridge is the first bridge over the river Daugava in the territory of Latvia - gate for the Daugava river from Belarus to Latvia. Every film is about time, but ours maybe a bit more than others as it was shot on Kodak Eastman Plus-X Negative Film 5231, acquired in the year 1997 and discovered intact in 2018. So, we are dedicating The First Bridge to film stock.

Dir. Laila Pakalniņa - 12min - 2020 - Latvia

"a film about borders, barriers, the ways to cross over and see what goes on, on the other side" - Visions du Reel

"Filming on 35mm film has also served as the film’s creative and visual solution. It influences the structure of the image as well as the way in which we work. And I would like to say that this good feeling has nothing do to with a nostalgia for old technologies; instead, it’s a joy that we feel for having the opportunity to work in a technique that’s now considered unique. And I do not think that this joy has in any way negatively affected our ability to work. On the contrary, the awareness that you’re filming on rolls of film stock sharpens this feeling of the moment / risk / uniqueness. To use a banal phrase, it makes you think and feel more sharply." - Laila Pakalniņa, Director