Liepāja Becomes Latvia's Hollywood: Filmmakers Pay to Spend Money Here

Liepāja City Council has discovered a revolutionary economic model that will make even the Nobel Prize committee think twice. Give away 50 thousand so someone spends 100 thousand here. Economics and Strategic Planning Department head Arnis Vītols explains it so simply that even Riga municipal clerks understand - they live, eat and rent equipment here, not in Riga!

So far, four projects have been filmed in Liepāja, including 'Jumprava' and 'Uninvited Guests.' Local residents are already laughing: 'Finally someone understood that our Karosta is better than any Hollywood set!' True, no one has filmed a romantic comedy at the tram stop yet, but that's just a matter of time.

Interestingly, every euro invested brings back four. That's better than any Riga bank's offer! Maybe that's why Riga producers are increasingly coming to Liepāja - not just to film, but also to learn how to handle money properly.

Meanwhile, local makeup artists and lighting technicians are already planning career changes from fishing to the film industry. 'If we can catch fish, we can definitely catch a good shot too,' philosophically admits a local cameraman who last week filmed both a documentary about the port and an ad for the local bakery.