In this interview, director Reinis Kalnaellis takes us behind the scenes of Thelma’s Perfect Birthday (Dem Thelma säi Wonsch), a poetic animated feature that bridges personal memory, symbolic storytelling, and contemporary concerns. From Latvia’s vibrant yet little-known animation landscape to an inspiring international co-production with Luxembourg, Kalnaellis reflects on the film’s long creative journey, its themes of identity, climate change, and resilience, as well as the artistic influences that shaped its dreamlike universe.

What training did you follow in Latvia before making films ?

My path into animation was shaped by both Latvian practice and international study. I completed a Baccalaureate in Audiovisual Media at the Baltic Film and Media School at Tallinn University, studied directing and cinematography during an Erasmus period at FAMU in Prague, and later expanded my toolkit with a Master’s in Virtual Reality and Smart Technologies at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences. These experiences gave me a strong foundation in storytelling, visual language, and the realities of building ambitious animated projects in a small-country ecosystem. 

When did the production of Thelma begin, and can you briefly retrace the key stages?

In a way, Thelma’s Perfect Birthday has been a long journey rather than a single production window. The roots of its spirit and storytelling reach back to my earlier short film When Apples Roll (2009), which helped shape the kind of emotional tone and imaginative world-building I later wanted to expand in a feature-length story. The project grew over several phases, starting with story development and writing, followed by visual research, character design, and extensive storyboarding. The final script was locked in November 2019. From there, animation production already shaped a world that feels playful and cinematic while carrying deeper themes, followed in later years by post-production, sound, and final polish as we kept refining the film's tone and visual clarity.

How did your collaboration with the Luxembourg teams go, and what did it focus on?

Paul Thiltges Distributions was an essential creative and production partner on Thelma’s Perfect Birthday. Our collaboration with the Luxembourg teams was genuinely enriching and helped strengthen both the film’s production foundation and its international pathway. We worked closely on the script with Cécile Somers, and the world-building benefited greatly from the collaboration with Benigno Perez and Thierry Schiel as animation director. The Luxembourg teams brought high-level craft and a thoughtful creative dialogue that supported the final look, rhythm, and emotional clarity of the film.

You depict a totalitarian universe. Is this a way of revisiting Latvia’s Soviet past, or is it more about concerns regarding the present world?

It’s both, but not in a literal sense. Growing up in a post-Soviet society leaves you sensitive to control and systems that suppress individuality. At the same time, the modern world brings new forms of pressure and anxiety. In Thelma’s Perfect Birthday, the totalitarian world is symbolic. It’s an exaggerated version of any system that tries to define who you are before you’ve had the chance to grow. I wanted children to recognize the feeling of overwhelming expectations, and adults to see echoes of both past and present.

Another theme in your film is climate change. How did you approach it so that young viewers could understand it?

Young audiences feel the climate crisis strongly. I didn’t want to present it as a lecture or a threat, but as something emotional and tangible. In Thelma’s world, the stability of ice is part of identity and culture, so change becomes personal. The key was to show consequences without fear-mongering and to leave young viewers with hope. Thelma is small, but her choices matter.

Your film also includes poetic and surreal elements. Why did you choose this form?

I wanted the film to feel like a dream that makes sense only once you wake up – visually playful, symbolic, and open to interpretation. Animation gives you that freedom, and the form echoes the way children perceive reality, where imagination and truth overlap constantly. 

Animation from Latvia is not widely known. Are many animated films produced there, and what makes them unique?

Latvia has a surprisingly rich animation culture for a small country. The tradition goes back many decades, and it focuses strongly on author-driven, handcrafted films. We do not produce large quantities, but we produce works with a very distinct voice.

Latvian animation often blends folklore, philosophy, and visual experimentation. Studios tend to be small, which encourages intimate storytelling and strong artistic identity. In recent years, we’ve been increasing co-productions, which helps our films reach wider audiences.

And 2025 truly felt like a turning point. Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, becoming Latvia’s first-ever Oscar. This achievement gave a very real international spotlight to our scene and confirmed something I’ve long believed and often said: small nation, big animation. The recent developments have clearly positioned Latvia on the world animation map in a way that feels both earned and energizing for everyone working in this field.

Which animation films or directors inspire you?

I’m inspired by a wide range of filmmakers: the emotional clarity of Hayao Miyazaki, the visual poetry of Tomm Moore, the narrative discipline of Pixar, and the bold artistic experimentation of European independent animation.

But I am equally influenced by Latvia’s poetic cinema tradition, especially the documentary legacy of Juris Podnieks. My inspiration comes less from copying styles and more from how other artists search for truth through images.

What would you say to Luxembourg parents and young viewers to encourage them to see your film?

Thelma’s Perfect Birthday is an adventure about courage, friendship, and the tough moments that help you grow. Beneath the humor and fantasy, it’s a story about learning to become yourself rather than chasing an ideal version of life. I hope it sparks conversations between children and parents about kindness, self-worth, and the freedom to be imperfect and still belong.

Is there anything you’d like to add, or would you like to speak about your next project?

I’m currently developing my next feature, which will combine history, mythology, and personal identity. It continues themes I care deeply about: belonging, memory, and the responsibility we carry toward the world and each other.

Thelma’s Perfect Birthday (Dem Thelma säi Wonsch, 2024, Luxembourg/Lettonie,1h11), by Reinis Kalnaellis, presently on view in theaters.