Documentary film „The Children of Siberia”
On June 14, 1941, more than 15,000 Latvian inhabitants, including approximately 4,000 children of Latvian, Jewish, Polish and
Russian extraction were deported to Siberia. During this period of deportation, the men were separated from their families and sent to the Gulag. Some were sentenced to the highest punishment, death and the rest were kept in labor camps.
The women and children were sent to the remote Krasnojarska and Tomska districts. The first two years were the most difficult and
many perished from the harsh conditions.
In 1946 and 1947 as a result of the relentless efforts of a few people who worked for the Latvian Ministry of Education in the department for orphaned children, more than 1,000 children were able to return to Latvia. They were subsequently reunited with their extended families or placed in orphanages. Unfortunately many were later deported back to Siberia and did not manage to return to Latvia until the 1950’s.
Today some 400 deported children still live in Latvia and Siberia. This documentary describes the fate of these children.
Author and director: Dzintra Geka
Cameramen: Aivars Lubānietis, Igors Tūns, Ingars Leitis
Film and sound editor: Armands Zvirbulis
Music in film comes from “Symphony” by Arturs Maskats and “Musica
Doloresa” by Pēteris Vasks
Producer: Dzintra Geka
2001.
53 min.
Latvia