Besides
working as art director, illustrator & graphic designer, Gints
Apsits has been directing and animating internationally award-winning
commercials and short movies. Based in Riga (Latvia), he freelances
for local and international clients such as Benetton, Kessels
Kramer, and McCann-Erickson. Currently, Gints is setting up
his own specialized studio, with ambitions for non-traditional
motion and edgy, illustrative graphics.
The film looks ancient, complete with classic woodcut illustrations
and ragged artifacts at the edges of the frame. It is bewildering
and disturbing, but very engaging and artistic nonetheless.
It has led to many heated online discussions about its very
inscrutibility, but that suits director Apsits just fine;
he feels audience discussion is the point.
"'Ministry Messiah' began life as a one-minute Diesel
Dream advertisement, called 'My Angel's Wings Are Broken',
The work was commissioned by Italian mega fashion brand Diesel,
and top Dutch creative agency Kessels Kramer in 2004. Apsits
added the second part, to create an extended festival version
with a three-minute running time, which became 'Ministry Messiah.'
Since the project was called Diesel Dream, the original request
was to create a dream world. To me, a dream world is hard
to identify meaning with objects. As soon as meaning comes
up in your mind, objects disappear like fog and leave you
alone with more questions than answers.
"People
bring their own interpretations of a movie. This is
the best kind of reaction that can happen."
- Gints Apsits
Similarly,
if you don't follow the film carefully enough, you may think
it has no message behind it; no script and no story. But
I built it like a dream where there is a universal story
behind it, but it is unobtrusive. It gives you hints that
you can interpret your way, based on your own experience,
the events in your own life.
I was surprised to find several forums discussing the meaning
of 'Ministry'. The ideas I came across varied widely. People
bring their own interpretations of a movie. This is the
best kind of reaction that can happen."
