Tautas Dziesmas is an experimental documentary that uses archive and mixed media to illustrate the cultural history of Latvia in the time period surrounding the fall of the USSR. This poetic piece serves as testimony from my family on the importance of a cultural bond by including accounts given by those who experienced these events, my reflection on the intensity of homesickness and a brief inquiry into how the oppressive regime tried to minimise individuality.
At the core of this documentary stands “dainas” or “tautas dziesmas” – folk poetry that has been preserved in Latvia throughout the complex history of the Baltic states. My work is inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s film “Nostalghia” and Emīls Dārziņš’ orchestral piece “Melanholiskais Valsis” which offer a slow, steady pace and focus on the emotional pull of homesickness. The archive footage gained from The National Archives stands in contrast to family photographs and cinemagraphs as I encourage everyone to enquire into their own feeling of nostalgia.
Having specialised as an editor and camera operator earlier in my studies, I’ve spent the last two years working in London as a Content Editor for Little Dot Studios, a digital content agency, alongside my final year of film and freelance photography.
My grad project, ‘Tautas Dziesmas’, is a reflective experimental documentary that delves into the complex history of my homeland – Latvia. The title “Tautas Dziesmas” refers to a collection of around 1.2 million traditional folk song texts that celebrate hundreds of years of Latvian history in short quatrains. The documentary makes use of archive footage, as well as family photographs and cinemagraphs to explore nostalgia and homesickness, which became an overwhelming part of my life during the global lockdown away from my family. Moreover, it also investigates the time period surrounding the fall of the USSR in poetic testimonials and hazy memories, focusing on the country’s cultural history and the way it can shape a person. My personal goal for this film was to strengthen my storytelling skills, alongside boosting my training in pre-production and production to match my experience in post-production.
The variety of projects I worked on during my time at F&DA allowed me to develop a “jack of all trades” skillset and attitude. Over the past few years, I’ve become highly experienced in creating content for digital networks, including Amazon Prime and Netflix UK & Ireland, working across all social platforms. These include channel management of 1 million + subscribers, weekly podcast productions, social media promotions and original brand content creation, all of which have allowed me to become a multifaceted creative in the industry with proficiency in Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, Audition and InDesign, as well as other complementing software.
Throughout my time at university I also found interest in curation, which led to the eventual creation of the Instagram submission profile @loversonfilm, focusing on intimate storytelling, as well as the art of film photography.
BA (Hons) Film & Digital Art 
Karolina Zadroga | Fine Art
