The Lithuanian Film Week, the most extensive presentation project of Lithuanian cinema in Poland over the last few years, kicked off Friday night in Warsaw’s Iluzjon cinema. The occasion crowns the year-long series of events celebrating Lithuanian cinema and the centenary of Lithuanian statehood. The opening of the Lithuanian Film Week invited members of Poland’s cultural community, film lovers and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions residing in Warsaw to see Mindaugas Survila’s celebrated documentary The Ancient Woods. The guests were greeted by the Lithuanian Minister of Culture Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson.
“The Lithuanian Film Week has enriched the cultural exchange between our countries celebrating centenaries of their statehood restoration. This anniversary gave us a good sense that we share not just historical, but also very strong cultural ties. I am sincerely happy about this continuous and developing partnership between Lithuanian and Polish filmmakers and film industries, about active cooperation with Wajda School, about the restoration of Lithuanian film classics with the help of Polish specialists,” Minister Ruokytė-Jonsson said.
The week-long retrospective of over thirty Lithuanian films is a result of strategic cooperation of the Lithuanian Film Centre, Embassy of Lithuania in Poland and the Polish National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (FINA). The programme is curated by the film critic Sonata Žalneravičiūtė whose selection spans six decades, between 1959 and today. The film programme is accompanied by a special publication in Polish.
The programme focuses on classic fiction films and documentaries, animation for children and adults as well as internationally acclaimed titles of more recent vintage, including a number of Lithuanian-Polish co-productions: Šarūnas Bartas’ Frost, Eglė Vertelytė’s Miracle, Andrius Blaževičius’ The Saint, Kristijonas Vildžiūnas’ Back to Your Arms, etc.
Rasa Rimickaitė, Cultural Attaché of Lithuania in Poland, says: “We are able to present great Lithuanian films thanks to successful cooperation between the Lithuanian Film Centre and the Polish National Film Archive. After the Lithuanian Film Week in Warsaw, we are taking Lithuanian cinema to other cities across Poland, since many cultural institutions have already expressed their enthusiasm to show Lithuanian films in their respective cities.”
Polish audiences will also meet guests from Lithuania: filmmakers Arūnas Matelis and Mindaugas Survila, the programme’s curator Sonata Žalneravičiūtė, the actor Andrius Bialobžeskis, the screenwriter Teklė Kavtaradzė. Each of them will speak about various movements and periods in Lithuanian cinema.
The Lithuanian Film Week is a continuous project launched in 2015 and aimed at bringing closer Lithuanian and Polish film industries. It has fostered film and talent exchanges in film festivals of Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdynia and Warsaw.
THE LITHUANIAN FILM WEEK PROGRAMME
2018 11 23–29, Cinema Iluzjon, Warsaw
Classic documentary films
Time Passes Through the City („Laikas eina per miestą“), dir. Almantas Grikevičius, 1966
The Dreams of Centenarians („Šimtamečių godos“), dir. Robertas Verba, 1969
A Trip Across Misty Meadows („Kelionė ūkų lankomis“), dir. Henrikas Šablevičius, 1973
No Foe Can Scare Us („Mums nebaisūs jokie priešai“), dir. Edmundas Zubavičius, 1978
Baltic Way („Baltijos kelias“), dir. Audrius Stonys, Arūnas Matelis, 1990
Earth of the Blind („Neregių žemė“), dir. Audrius Stonys, 1992
Classic feature films
Adam Wants to Be a Man („Adomas nori būti žmogumi“), dir. Vytautas Žalakevičius, 1959
Nobody Wanted to Die („Niekas nenorėjo mirti“), dir. Vytautas Žalakevičius, 1966
Feelings („Jausmai“), dir. Algirdas Dausa, Almantas Grikevičius, 1968
The Beauty („Gražuolė“), dir. Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1969
Flight Over the Atlantic („Skrydis per Atlantą“), dir. Raimondas Vabalas, 1983
Children from the Hotel “America” („Vaikai iš „Amerikos“ viešbučio“), dir. Raimundas Banionis, 1990
New documentary films
The Ancient Woods („Sengirė“), dir. Mindaugas Survila, 2017 | Opening film
What We Leave Behind („Močiute, Guten Tag!“), dir. Jūratė Samulionytė, Vilma Samulionytė, 2017
Wonderful Losers: A Different World („Nuostabieji lūzeriai. Kita planeta“), dir. Arūnas Matelis, 2017
New short documentary films
The River („Upė“), dir. Rimantas Gruodis, Julija Gruodienė, 2009
I Am Not from Here („Aš čia tik svečias“), dir. Giedrė Žickytė, Maite Alberdi, 2016
Dead Ears („Šaltos ausys“), dir. Linas Mikuta, 2016
New feature films
Back to Your Arms („Kai apkabinsiu tave“), dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2010
Vanishing Waves („Aurora“), dir. Kristina Buožytė, 2012
Together For Ever („Amžinai kartu“), dir. Lina Lužytė, 2016
The Saint („Šventasis“), dir. Andrius Blaževičius, 2016
Miracle („Stebuklas“), dir. Eglė Vertelytė, 2017
Frost („Šerkšnas“), dir. Šarūnas Bartas, 2017
Animated films for children
Laima Determines the Destiny („Taip Laima lėmė“), dir. Jūratė Leikaitė-Aškinienė, 2011
Woods („Miškas“), dir. Ignas Meilūnas, 2015
Running Lights („Kaukai“), dir. Gediminas Šiaulys, 2017
The Goat Luck – Bad Luck („Ne ožkoje laimė“), dir. Ilja Bereznickas, 2017
Last Stop Is the Moon („Paskutinė stotelė – Mėnulis“), dir. Birutė Sodeikaitė, 2017
Animated films for adults
Grandpa and Grandma („Gyveno senelis ir bobutė“), dir. Giedrė Beinoriūtė, 2007
Independence Day („Nepriklausomybės diena“), dir. Urtė Budinaitė, 2012
Non-Euclidean Geometry („Neeuklidinė geometrija“), dir. Skirmanta Jakaitė, Solveiga Masteikaitė, 2013
The Rap of Lithuanian History („Lietuvos istorijos repas“) / Šventinis bankuchenas, dir. Aistė Papartytė, Andrius Alčiauskas, Lukas Šidlauskas, 2016
Ragnarok („Nuopuolis“), dir. Urtė Oettinger, Johan Oettinger, 2016
Shine („Šviesa“), dir. Gediminas Šiaulys, 2018
