Juris Podnieks was born in Riga, Latvia in 1950. He graduated from the celebrated Soviet film school, VGIK, in 1975.

He went to work at the Riga studio, first as assistant cameraman, then as cameraman before finally becoming a director in 1979. His first production "The Cradle" won a prize at the Leipzig Festival, and shortly afterwards "The Brothers Kokari” took first prize at the Kiev Youth Festival in 1981. In the same year he received wide recognition inside and outside of the Soviet Union for his film „Constellation of Riflemen” which won honours in the 17th All State Festival in Leningrad, and also the Latvian Kosovo prize.