STUDIJA KOKLES
THE NORTHERN STAR - family feature film in production
At a time when the residents of Riga look at the ideas of the Enlightenment with suspicion, the young pharmacist Himsel decides to fight against the closure of Riga. He must convince the ignorant head of the city, Strauss, that contacts with the outside world benefit the city and its people. To achieve this, the young man sets out to find answers on a Grand Tour to the cradle of Western civilisation – Italy.
Director: Kārlis Vītols / Animation Technique: 2D / Lenght: 72′ / 2025
Financial Support: National film Centre of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation
IN DEVELOPMENT - Animated Short by Ella Mežule MY WAVE
The short film explores the depths of an isolated self-perception and its unreliable nature through the autobiographical story of the director. Driven by inner loneliness, the protagonist avoids social life and seeks comfort in time spent by herself, but the changing surroundings and unexpected warm encounters awaken the courage in her to face fears, therefore, making her question so far comforting beliefs. Director: Ella Mežule / Animation Technique: 2D / Lenght: 3-5′ / 2024 Financial Support: National film Centre of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation
THE END
11:00 min
Technique: 2D Cutout
Latvia, 2019
Writer / Director / Art / Animation / Edit: Kārlis Vītols
Producer: Sniedze Kāle, Studija Kokles
Music: Kauli
Sound: Kauli
The crisis of a middle-aged man who finds himself trapped in his memories, trying to cope with the physical and mental feeling of the impending end. The End was made as the last part of a trilogy of non-narrative films, in which a Count experiences three different settings and moments from his life.
GET IN TOUCH
Imantas 7. linija 7-2, Riga, Latvia
LV-1083
studija.kokles@gmail.com
+37129218766
STUDIJA KOKLES is a film studio born during the Covid-19 economical crisis. It is headed by producer Sniedze Kāle, while its creative work is carried out by director and screenwriter Kārlis Vītols. A multi-layered story, cultural and historical references and unique visuals are the values that drives studio toward the animated film industry.
THE ANIMATION TRILOGY
Being a professional in two fields – as director and artist, Kārlis Vītols creates hybrid interdisciplinary forms and their most vivid result is the first trilogy in Latvian animation. In 2006 and 2010, he organised solo painting exhibitions Garden of Fetish and Eclipse, where the main message of the exhibition was revealed by a non-narrative short film of the same title. In late 2018, the concluding part of the trilogy, The End, was made – this time, without the accompanying paintings, directing full attention to the moving image projected on the wall. The film earned recognition in the art scene and the Latvian National Museum of Art added it to their collection, while its life in the field of film began in late 2019, when it premiered in the international competition programme at the Riga International Film Festival. The film currently continues its tour of festivals.
ECLIPSE
10 min
Technique: 2D
Latvia, 2010
Writer/Director/Art/Animation/Edit: Karlis Vitols
Producer: Karlis Vitols, Viesturs Graždanovičs
Music & Sound: Totem
A transcendental ritual takes place in nature during a solar eclipse. Two worlds collide, and a sacred gate is opened for a male to reach a female.The film participated in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France (2010).
STATES OF DECONSTRUCTION
Ieva Viese, film critic, animation researcher on the trilogy
Kārlis Vītols has been investigating the interaction of two rather distinct media, painting and animation. Three of his short animation films were created to be viewed specifically in the setting of an exhibition and constitute a trilogy that explores turbulent states of existence. The rhythm of the films is characterized by the tension between the stillness of the painted components and the dynamics of the drawn movement.
In Vītols' work there are mythical creatures that act with seemingly timeless determination and kitschy signs of pop culture. In a play of signifieds and signifiers, the naked body can be a superficial promise of youth, while the heavy eyelids of a mask represent unmasked vulnerability. Meaning is only achieved in states of transgression, when a previously established order is questioned and deconstructed. These are the states of identity crisis or an encounter with something or someone that is perceived as an other.
THE GARDEN OF FETISH
10 min
Technique: 2D
Latvia, 2006
Writer/Director/Art/Animation/Edit: Karlis Vitols
Producer: Karlis Vitols
Music & Sound: Totem
It analyses the abstract components that make up a work of art as well as the fetishes cultivated by the artist while creating it. The film participated in the Oberhousen Short Film Festival in Germany (2007).