Rūta Znotiņa (Latvia)
Rūta Znotiņa is a film director and screenwriter based in Riga, Latvia. In 2022, she graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture with a bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Arts. In the first year of Academy, she made her first nationally recognized documentary short ''Dream Spring'', which was nominated for the National film award of Latvia ''Lielais Kristaps'' as the best student film. Her bachelor's thesis film 'Let's Start From the Beginning'', a rock & roll infused mockumentary short, was nominated for the same award in two categories - the Best Student Film and the Best Fiction Short.
“Bound Together” – Feature Documentary
A story of growing up and letting go.
A coming-of-age story about a solo mother, Solvita, and her autistic son, Jurģis, capturing their relationship over nine years throughout Jurģis’ adolescence, leading up to the most transformative time of their lives—Jurģis’ graduation from school and his transition into early adulthood. During this time, both protagonists must face the many challenges that come with the passage of time. Will they learn to accept these changes, despite Solvita's close attachment to her child and Jurģis's love for routine?
What began in 2019 as a short documentary portrait Jurģis, has now taken the course to become a feature film. After completing the short film in 2020, we have returned to document the lives of the characters, and plan to continue to follow their ever-evolving relationship for the next four years.
