Documenting Voices of Change: Juris Podnieks' 'Homeland' and the Baltic Singing Revolution

• In Event: A Farewell to Communism: Audio and Visual Culture of Perestroika

Abstract

This paper is an examination of the Singing Revolution in the Baltic States (1987-1991) captured through the lens of the documentary Homeland [Krustceļš, 1990] by Latvian filmmaker Juris Podnieks. In Homeland, Podnieks combined personal interviews with footage of the song festivals and protests in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Working in the tradition of the Riga School of Poetic Documentary, Podnieks omits guiding voice-over narration and privileges images, utilizing close-up shots against the aural track of choral music that emphasizes emotional affect. The documentary's release during the period of glasnost in the Soviet Union adds a layer of significance, as it not only documents historical events but also contributes to the larger narrative of political change and social mobilization in the Baltics.

Author

• Samantha Bodamer, U of Pittsburgh