Private Project

All These Walls

A fence crosses a landscape, people in camouflage clothes guard it. The documentary „All These Walls“ moves along the Baltic border with Russia. Moves trough landscapes under permanent surveillance.

A storm is prophesied by the voice that accompanies the film like a storyteller. She speaks of weather changes, of an approaching wind. All protagonists seem to be waiting for something. Even the Special Unit of the Latvian Border Patrol practice the fight against an undefined danger. The Latvian NATO pastor answers fragmentary what he thinks the Baltic states are fighting for. He speaks about fears and worries raised by the Ukrainian War. About Christian values which commit the soldiers to protect their fatherland. A young border guard, however, describes the Baltic border as the spine of Europe. He declares that it is our duty to protect it with all of our strength.

While the possibility of a war is being negotiated, endless boredom stretches along the border. The uncertainty whether the worries of a war are justified accompanies the border guards at every step. Even the NATO doesn’t want to answer this question. Instead, the NATO press spokesman talks about meetings, contracts and years.

The annexation of Ukraine leaves traces in the Baltic landscapes, leaves behind noticeable concerns and raises fears of the past. „All These Walls“ captures a transitory state, a moment between the before and the after. Between an invisible border and the physical construction of it. Between security and danger and finally between war and peace.

  • Agnese Kusnere
    Director
  • Hanna Kaihlanen
    Director of Photography
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    All These Walls
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 19, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Latvia
  • Country of Filming:
    Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland
  • Language:
    English, German, Latvian, Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Agnese Kusnere

Agnese Kušnere, born in Latvia, studied fine arts, time-based media and film at the Universities of fine arts in Braunschweig, Hamburg and the LUCA School of Art in Brussels. In her documentary and theoretical work, she mainly deals with the transformation processes of post-soviet spaces, writes about contemporary artistic positions and works with the languages German, Latvian, Russian and English.

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Director Statement

My documentary "All These Walls“ moves along the Baltic border with Russia. A young border guard describes the Baltic border as the spine of Europe, he declares that it is our duty to protect it with all our strength. The Latvian NATO pastor speaks about the war in Ukraine, the fears and worries in the Baltic states, about Christian values. In contrast to this presentation Images of a boredom, a never ending state of waiting gives a different perspective on their daily grid. It remains unclear whether the concerns of an invasion are justified. Even the NATO doesn’t want to answer this question. Instead, the press spokesman of the baltic NATO forces talks about meetings, about contracts and years. The annexation of Ukraine leaves traces in the Baltic landscapes, leaves behind noticeable concerns and raises fears of the past.

The opque political situation and the lack of medial attention motivated me to devote myself intensively to the topic. At the same time I wanted to convey precisely this feeling of opacity through an experimental, doumentary format. A personal perspective should emerge, taking at the same time note of the view of those who are directly involved in the process of border security. I wanted to get as close as possible to the border, to document as quickly as possible this transformational condition. It was the last moment when the before and the after were still clearly visible, because the frontier construction had only been completed halfway. In the end it was no longer important for me to find concret answers, but to document the the unclear, queasy feeling that the Ukrainian war has provoked, drawing an image of a state of powerlessness, between security and danger, war and peace.

After a tedious organization and development phase, the biggest hurdles seem to have been overcome. Nevertheless, a small financial support would be necesary to enable a solid and professional post-productio. On the other hand, I hope for content-related support, in the form of feedback and consultations regarding the story. Upon completion of the film, I wish to find ways to make it available to a wider audience. The East Doc Platform, and thus the Documentary Film Association as well as the One World International Human Rights Festival, seem to deliver the best sipport in content. I would be very thankful for a cooperation and a personal meeting.