The Latvian Institute’s promotional video “Sounds Like Latvia” has won the grand prize at the 40th Annual Tourfilm Festival in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The video, produced by Rīga-based Style Master Studios, was judged the best country promotional film of 2007.

The film was chosen from a record number of 775 entries representing 138 countries, Tourfilm organizers said in a press release. Slovenia won the prize last year.

The jury singled out the Latvian Institute video for its originality, creative direction, humor and storyline, Ojārs Kalniņš, director of the Latvian Institute, told Latvians Online. Especially noted were the “talking Jugenheads” (animated version of the heads often seen in the Art Nouveau architecture in Rīga), which have become a popular symbol for the city of Rīga. Kalniņš attended the event Oct. 3-4 and accepted the award on behalf of the institute.

The Latvian victory was one of several surprises in the competition, given that its entries had not fared well in the past, Tourfilm said.

Kalniņš, who served as executive producer of the film, praised director Ivo Kalpenieks, art director Eriks Bozis and music composer Girts Biss for offering an original idea that managed to stand out in a crowded and highly competitive field.

“Ironically, the LI’s video was not created to just promote tourism,” Kalniņš said. “We decided to expand on Latvia’s existing tourism slogan (“The Land that Sings”) and explored the country through its many distinctive sounds.”

Kalniņš said use of “talking Jugenheads” in the film was not necessarily an original concept, but simply a natural creative evolution of an idea that had been developing in Rīga in recent years. Advertising executive Ēriks Stendzenieks had toyed with the idea before his Zoom agency adopted the “Talking Stones” installation for the “Surprising Latvia” project in France. Pop group Prāta Vētra considered using singing “Jugenheads” for a music video.

“To me, the fact that so many people were thinking in the same direction indicated that this idea had a life of its own, and we simply needed to develop it further,” Kalniņš said.

The Latvian Insitute has recommended to the Rīga City Council that it adopt the “talking Jugenheads” has part of its marketing plan.

The 6-minute, 30-second film may viewed or downloaded through the Latvian Institute’s Web site, www.li.lv.

The planned June 16 start of a festival of Russian culture in Latvia is “demeaning and unacceptable,” the American Latvian Association says in an open letter to Helēna Demakova, Latvia’s minister of culture.

The Oct. 5 letter, signed by ALA Chairman Mārtiņš Duhms, comes in response to an announcement that a protocol has been signed by Latvian and Russian officials for a cultural exchange. Latvia’s “culture days” in Russia are scheduled to start Oct. 16 with guest performances in Moscow by the Latvian National Opera. Events will continue through April.

Russia’s “culture days” are scheduled to begin June 16 with a guest performance by the Russian State Academic Grand Theatre during the Rīga Opera Festival.

“The ALA board considers that the scheduled dates of the Russian Culture Days in Latvia are very close to the dates of tragic events in the history of the Latvian state,” Duhms wrote, adding that the association in principle supports the idea of cultural exchange between the two countries.

However, the date is unacceptable and should be changed, the ALA said.

June 14 marks the start of the 1941 deportations from occupied Latvia at the hands of Soviet troops. June 15 is the date of the 1940 attack by Soviet forces on the Latvian border post at Masļenki. June 16 is the date in 1940 when the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum demanding its troops be allowed to enter Latvia. And June 17, 1940, marks the start of the illegal occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union, the ALA board said in the letter.

“Latvians in the United States still are painfully aware of the effect these events had on the state of Latvia and the fate of the Latvian people,” Duhms wrote, “and view this time as a time of sorrow.” The arrival of Russia’s delegation on June 16 would be an insult to Latvians who suffered during the Soviet occupation, especially because the Russian government still has not officially recognized or apologized for the occupation of the Baltic states, Duhms added.

Russian officials have gone as far as acknowledging the Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states in 1940, but argue that if the countries were annexed then they were not occupied.

Two popular music groups from Latvia, Tribes of the City and Double Faced Eels, are among five bands nominated for Best Baltic Act in the MTV Europe Music Awards.

The awards ceremony is scheduled Nov. 1 in Münich, Germany, and will be hosted by American rapper Snoop Dogg.

Both Latvian groups have had good success at home and outside the country. Tribes of the City, an alternative group originally known as The Movies, released the album For the Sleepy People in 2006. The six-member band is fronted by lead singer Ksenija Sundejeva. Double Faced Eels is a four-member band that describes its music as alternative pop rock even though it often sounds like punk. The band earlier this year released its second album Kurš gribēja nogalināt Džūliju? Nezinu, bet trāpīja mums.

It may tough for either of the Latvian groups to win the award because the award last year was won by the Latvian group Prāta Vētra (Brainstrom) and because this year there is tough conmpetition from the Estonian band S.U.N., whose leader is Tanel Padar, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001.

Also in the competition for Best Baltic Act are Lithuanian singer-songwriter Jurga (Jurga Seduikyte) and the popular trio Skamp, also from Lithuania.

In the competition New Sounds of Europe, the Latvian alternative band Astro’n’out is among 18 acts nominated. Astro’n’out, which released its first album Kuš kuš last year, is fronted by Māra Upmale.

For further information on the music awards, and to vote for favorite musical acts, visit ema.mtv.tv.