Storyline

A story about Emīlija Benjamiņa, the “queen of the press” in interwar Latvia, whose wealth and tragic fate have since become folklore. The film’s narrative covers the period from the beginnings of Emīlija’s magazine Atpūta (Recreation), to her arrest and slow demise in a train en route to Siberia. The most prominent clairvoyant of the time - Eugene Fink’s prophecy that Emīlija would die from starvation in a foreign land (which served to be true) weaves through the narrative as a red thread. With this strong woman at the centre of the story, the film shows Latvian society in all its richness and gives the audience the opportunity to meet many well-known historical figures.

First Aired

2021-09-23
Last Aired

2021-10-21
Creator
Genre

Drama
Seasons

1
Episodes

7
Status

Ended
Language

Latviešu
Network

LTV1, Tet TV+

Keywords:

journalist office based on true story writer riga latvia 20th century

Stream and watch Emily. Queen of the Press

Season 1

1. 'Atpūta'

1924. Publisher Emily Benjamiņa announces an ideas competition for a new weekly magazine in the editor...More

1924. Publisher Emily Benjamiņa announces an ideas competition for a new weekly magazine in the editorial office of "Jaunākās Ziņas". Not everyone, including her husband Anton Benjamiņš, is enthusiastic about the idea, but Emilia is determined to have her way, no matter what it takes.Less

53mins 2021-09-23

2. Heir

Emilia's sister, actress Annija Simsone, has come to Riga from Germany for a visit. Emilia is determin...More

Emilia's sister, actress Annija Simsone, has come to Riga from Germany for a visit. Emilia is determined to persuade her sister to let her adopt her son Žoržs, who lives with his grandmother and rarely sees his mother. Emilia is in love with the boy and wants to make him the heir to her family name and her successful business.Less

53mins 2021-09-23

3. Castle

The Benjamins have just moved into Fābu House, a grand townhouse on Krišjāņa Barona Street, which has ...More

The Benjamins have just moved into Fābu House, a grand townhouse on Krišjāņa Barona Street, which has been decorated to Emilia's taste without sparing any expense. She proudly shows it off to the editorial staff of "Jaunākās Ziņas". Meanwhile, the newspaper, without checking its facts, published an article denigrating the Latvian government and a Swedish company, causing a scandal of the highest level.Less

44mins 2021-09-30

4. Court

ntoxicated by her wealth and power, Emilia has lost a little ground. She thinks she can influence ever...More

ntoxicated by her wealth and power, Emilia has lost a little ground. She thinks she can influence everything and everyone... The Benjamins are quietly preparing to celebrate Christmas when a new scandal rocks them: the son of Anton Benjamins, Jānis, called Junior, is accused of raping a young actress.Less

50mins 2021-10-07

5. A Coup

The 1934 coup d'état of Ulmanis was accompanied by drastic press censorship imposed by the Minister of...More

The 1934 coup d'état of Ulmanis was accompanied by drastic press censorship imposed by the Minister of Public Affairs, Bērziņš. Unable to accept it, Anton quit his editorial job and turns to farming.Less

50mins 2021-10-14

6. Betrayal

Less

58mins 2021-10-21

7. Destinies

The documentary series uses unique, previously unpublished photographs from the family archives of Emi...More

The documentary series uses unique, previously unpublished photographs from the family archives of Emilia and Anton Benjamins and Juris Benjamins. The grandchildren of Emilia Benjamiņa, Pēteris Benjamiņš, Ilze Stokvuda-Benjamiņa, Emilia's grandson Pēteris Aihers, great-granddaughter of Anton Benjamiņš Kristīne Čakste, daughter of writer and "Jaunāko Ziņu" employee Jūlijs Lācis, Lalita Muižniece, and granddaughter Māra Ķimele, and other descendants of the former newspaper editorial staff participate in the documentary episode with their stories.Less