Screening of the film “The Red Shed”

Zuzeum invites you to a special screening of Pēteris Krilovs’ documentary film “The Red Shed” during the week of the national holidays.

• 📅Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 PM, in the Zuzeum Living Room

🗣️ The film is in Latvian and English

• 🎟️Ticket price: 5 EUR. Limited seats available. Tickets here.

Pēteris Krilovs’ documentary film “The Red Shed” connects the life story of the outstanding painter and playwright Raimonds Staprāns (1926–2026) with the dramatic turning points in Latvia’s 20th-century history. Staprāns, who went into exile in 1944 and spent most of his life in San Francisco, focused in his painting on the relationship between color, light, and form, while in drama he persistently returned to the decisive events of Latvian history, questioning familiar assumptions and raising uncomfortable questions about power, democracy, and personal responsibility.

The film’s title is taken from one of Staprāns’ paintings, and the red shed depicted in it was built by the filmmakers on the seaside in Sārnate and taken down after filming. This temporary structure becomes the film’s central metaphor and a distinctive stage on which historical figures from different eras and the characters from Staprāns’ plays meet. The film weaves together documentary footage from San Francisco, conversations with the artist and his wife Ilona, family archive materials, and staged historical episodes. Krilovs does not seek to offer a single final interpretation of the past, but by revealing Staprāns’ independent perspective, he invites viewers to reassess historical events and our own attitude toward them.

The film was made by VFS Films in cooperation with the foundation Art Needs Space and is part of the Raimonds Staprāns centenary program Staprāns 100, initiated by the foundation, which over several years has brought together painting, theater, film, literature, and public discussions.

Creative team

Director: Pēteris Krilovs

Screenwriters: Pēteris Krilovs, Ieva Struka

Director of Photography: Valdis Celmiņš

Production Designer and Costume Designer: Kristīne Abika

Editor: Paula Ločmele

Set Designers: Dāvis Līcītis, Mārtiņš Blanks, Krists Zankovskis

Sound Designer: Pēteris Pāss

Music by: Aleksandrs Tomass Matjussons

Poster Design by: Kristaps Staprāns-Mednis

Producer: Uldis Cekulis

Associate Producers: Katrīna Jaunupe, Māris Medinis

Executive Producer: Agne Skane

Featuring: Raimonds Staprāns, Ilona Staprāne, Pēteris Krilovs, Gints Apals, Oto Brantevics.

Cast: Imants Strads, Arturs Krūzkops, Pēteris Gaudiņš, Anda Albuže, Kaspars Zvīgulis, Jēkabs Reinis, Kaspars Znotiņš, Toms Harjo, and others.