Laila Pakalnina (born 1962) is one of the most prolific contemporary Latvian directors. She finished her studies of television journalism in Moscow and went on to study at the famous Moscow VGIK film school from which she graduated in 1991. She made dozens of documentaries well received at international festivals. Her documentary film Udens was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin festival in the short film category. In the film Leiputria, the film crew look for new, mutated animal forms living at garbage dumps. This documentary film received the European Film Award. Her feature length films usually have the form of comic, absurd mystification. She lives and works in Riga.

Filmography:

Vela (10´, Latvia, 1991)
Doms (19´, Latvia, 1991)
Anna Ziemassvetki (15´, Latvia, 1992)
Baznica (37´, Latvia, 1993)
Pramis/ The Ferry (16´, Latvia, 1996)
Pasts/ The Mail (20´, Latvia, 1996)
Ozols/ The Oak (29´, Latvia/Estonsko, 1997)
Kurpe/ The Shoe (83´, Latvia/Germany/France, 1998)
Tusya (Latvia/Germany, 2000)
Papa Gena (10´, Latvia, 2001)
Mostieties! (22´, Latvia, 2001)
Martins (28´, Latvia, 2002)
Pitons/ The Python (88´, Latvia, 2003)
Visions of Europe (140´, Europe, 2004) - segment It´ll be fine
Buss (58´, Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia/Finland, 2004)
Leiputrija/ Dream Land (35´, Latvia/Germany, 2004) Theodore/ Theodors (29´, Latvia, 2006)
Udens/ The Water (12´, Latvia, 2006)
Kilnieks/ The Hostage (74´, Latvia, 2006) Par dzimteniti/ Three Men and a Fish Pond - with Maris Maskalans (52´, Latvia, 2008)