08-08-2010

Documentary Afghan Freedom is shooting in Lithuania

By Auksė Kancerevičiūtė

    Director Juozas Koreivais shooting the documentary film Afghan Freedom („Afganų laisvė"). Filming is scheduled tp be completed by the beginning of November.

    The film, based on the director's personal experiences, looks at Lithuanian citizens who participated in the Afghan war in 1979-1989. Nearly five thousand Lithuanians were sent to the Afghanistan war, resulting in 96 have deaths and 98 invalids.

    "This is a movie about a war syndrome and the problems associated with war, which examines Russian and U.S. scientists and medics. The meat-chopper of war affected soldiers psychologically and spiritually. Some of them become murderers, alcoholics, or drug addicts, while others held out, but none of them could forget the war. For the participants of the Afghan war, the war will never end," Koreiva said of his film.

    Koreiva studied at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow under Andrei Gerasimov, Andrei Dobrovolsky, Tonino Guerra, Krzysztof Zanussi, Nikita Mikhalkov, Andrei Konchalovsky and others.

    Afghan Freedom is funded by the Afghanistan Veterans union in Vilnius ( www.afganai.lt), Lithuanian Ministry of Culture (www.lrkm.lt) and private sponsors.

    The film is budgeted at 300 thousand Litas.

    The premiere is set for 2011.

    Production information:

    Afghanistan Veterans union

    Pamėnkalnio g. 13, LT-01114, Vilnius

    Phone: (5) 2623976

    Credits:

    Director and producer: Juozas Koreiva

    Camera: Samvelas Gandžumianas

    Music and Sound: Viktoras Juzonis