Raitis Abele

Raitis Abele is a Latvian filmmaker, born on a snowy October day in 1983 in Riga, Latvia. He studied filmmaking at the New York Film Academy and later earned a Master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Latvia, where he is now a PhD student. Raitis collaborates with his brothers Lauris (director) and Marcis (cinematographer), forming a creative trio. In 2014, Raitis and Lauris co-directed Castratus the Boar, which won the Grand Prix at the Tampere Short Film Festival in 2015. His feature film Troubled Minds (2021) explores mental health and artistic identity. Raitis also composes and performs in the rock bands Soundarcade and Sonntags Legion, blending his artistic and psychological insight into all his work.

Wagner and Satan

LIM 2025

In 1837 Riga, Peter is part of a mysterious Latvian Masonic lodge that safeguards an ancient sheet of music said to drive listeners mad. The lodge recruits charismatic yet narcissistic conductor Richard Wagner, who charms Peter and infiltrates the group. Wagner, driven by greed and ambition, betrays them by stealing the forbidden music. Peter embarks on a relentless foot chase across the Baltic, resembling the wounded and haunted figure from Dead Man.

As Wagner manipulates those around him, Peter’s pursuit becomes a descent into obsession and madness. Wagner flees across the sea, enduring a harrowing voyage plagued by starvation, storms, and near-death experiences that reshape his vision and inspire The Flying Dutchman. The chase culminates in tragedy and revelation, with Wagner achieving escape and glory, while Peter is left broken, consumed by the shadow of the man he once hunted.