Anna the Flyer


The documentary film “Anna the Flyer” shows the Latvian Easter-time custom of “tying the hawk”. This tradition belongs to the spring cycle of traditions ensuring protection, fertility, and success for the coming year. The hawk is symbolically tied up in the forest so that it won't kill chickens in the summer. The hawk must be tied up every year before sunrise on Good Friday. The hero of the film, Anna Dintere, agreed to allow another person assist her in the execution of the ritual, although according to tradition it must be done with no one watching, otherwise the ritual will not provide protection.

This is the first time this particular tradition has been documented on film; until now the ritual had been recorded only as a folk belief that had once been practised but then died out. For three years (2007, 2009, 2010) researchers filmed the same person, in the same place, performing this ritual before sunrise on Good Friday.


Aigars Lielbardis

Filmography:

„Anna the Flyer“, 2010, director;„Latvian language in diaspora. Belorussia“, 2007, director and cameraman; „Vera and Janis Lacis”, 2007, director and cameraman; „Timofejyevka. Siberia”, 2004, director and cameraman.

Biography:

- Doctoral studies of Folkloristic in Univesrity of Latvia, since 2007;
- Univesrsity of Latvia, Institute or Literature, Folklore and Art, Research Assistant since 2005