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Poster for Before the Light
Baltic Balkan Productions

Before the Light

2023 77 min Latvian

Emotionally charged story about three women standing against male dominated church preventing them from following their calling to serve God and their communities. Protestan female ministers who wish to serve God, the Church and people as pastors in today’s Latvia can only do that under the wing of foreign churches. Latvia is the only country in the world whose official Lutheran church has banned ordination of women after successfully practicing it for two decades. While some of the women ministers, refusing to accept this, leave the country to build lives as fully-fledged pastors elsewhere in the world, others carry on serving as second-rate assistants or other church workers. However, today there are female theologians who are ready to fight for a future in more equal society thus ending the discrimination based on ‘other sex’ or ‘wrong’ gender. The road towards changes leads through frustrations, confidence and doubts, obedience and rebellion.

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Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.

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Kristine Briede Director · Rihards Zaļupe Composer

First release February 23, 2023 · Produced in Latvia · Production Rucka Art Foundation

Production

B

Baltic Balkan Productions

Production

R

Rucka Art Foundation

Production

Latvia

Produced in

Languages

Original title

Svārstības

Original language

Latvian

Release dates

Latvia · February 23, 2023

Premiere · Splendid Palace (Lielais Kristaps opening screening)

No release date listed for United States.

Germany

November 3, 2023 · Premiere · Nordic Film Days Lübeck

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