Herz Frank

Herz Frank studied law in Moscow and began his career in the late 1950s in the Riga film studio as a photographer and writer.

From 1965, Frank worked as a film director. His films reflect his ability to delve into the depths of the human soul and to explore the relationships between people and their environment. The tragedy of existence and the fate of mankind are the main themes of his work.

The best-known works of the director includes the films "10 minutes older", "235 million faces" and "Armageddon."

Herz Frank is one of the founders of the "Riga School of Poetic Documentary". In 1975 he published in the Moscow publishing house "Iskusstvo" the book "The map of Ptolemy." In this book, the director describes his search for the essence of the man in front of the camera.

This year the Riga International Film Festival ‘Arsenals’ has chosen to honour Latvian documentarist Herz Frank on the occasion of his 85^th birthday. Sporting his signature knitted beret and Leica camera, Frank attended the opening of an exhibition on his life and work at Riga’s small but modern Film Museum, where he signed copies of his book, Turn Back on the Threshold (Uz sliekšņa atskaties, Kino Raksti Library).