Dog of God (Case study)

Brothers Lauris and Raitis Ābele co-directed the experimental rotoscope-animated film Dog of God, which is currently enjoying a successful festival run following its premiere at the Tribeca Festival. In a behind-the-scenes talk, they will share what inspired them to explore the stories and myths of the Livonian werewolf — and how these differ from Hollywood portrayals. They will also discuss their passion for pushing creative boundaries, both narratively and visually, highlighting specific choices in animation techniques and the artistic influences that shaped this wickedly captivating rotoscope horror film. In addition, they will reflect on their early pre-production experiments with AI and why they are ultimately grateful for deciding against its use, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of over-reliance on technology.

Speakers

Raitis & Lauris Ābele

Raitis Ābele is a Latvian film director and producer. He was born in Riga, where he currently lives. He earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Latvia and studied film at the New York Film Academy. Over the past five years, Raitis Ābele has participated as a screenwriter in the creation of two feature films and three short films.

Lauris Ābele is a film director who studied at the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the University of Latvia (bachelor’s degree) and obtained a master’s degree in film directing at the Academy of Culture.

The brothers work both as a duo (mostly known feature film: documentary Baltic Tribes, fiction Troubled Minds, and most recent – animation Dog of God), as well as on individual projects.