‘Blizzard Of Souls’ Composer Lolita Ritmanis On Fulfilling A Dream

For much of her career, composer Lolita Ritmanis dreamed of tackling an “epic” Latvian film, in tribute to her heritage as a Latvian-American. In 2019, she finally was able to do so with Blizzard of Souls, penning deeply affecting music, which landed her on the Oscars’ shortlist for Best Original Score.

Directed by Dzintars Dreibergs, the adaptation of Aleksandrs Grīns’ 1934 novel of the same name centers on Arturs (Oto Brantevics), a 16-year-old who enlists as a rifleman in the Imperial Russian Army, going on to witness the horrors of World War I. For the historical drama, Ritmanis wrote 75 minutes’ worth of music, which would be performed by a full symphony orchestra and the award-winning State Choir Latvija.https://deadline.com/2021/03/blizzard-of-souls-composer-lolita-ritmanis-film-movement-interview-news-1234702091/