DOCUMENTARY

Inspired by this film, the cinematographer and director Eitvydas Doškus created today’s paraphrased Once Upon a Vilnius (Čia buvo Vilnius, 2022). It weaves a dialogue with Grikevičius’ work as both of them interpret the change of time and city in their own way. This film testifies to the strength of the Lithuanian poetic cinema tradition as it is creatively continued from generation to generation.

Breaking Generation

The so-called breaking generation arrived in Lithuanian cinema during the first years of Lithuania’s independence in the 1990s: Šarūnas Bartas, Audrius Stonys, Arūnas Matelis, Rimvydas Leipus, Valdas Navasaitis and others. They conveyed post-Soviet reality through their own experiences.

By allowing a free associative flow of images with careful observation, this generation attempted to capture the real time they experienced. Their films’ visual form, mostly in black and white, reflects their inner feelings. Images, the true language of cinema, are far more effective than words in this context, to the point where they are almost non-existent.

The film directors and cameramen of this generation felt limitless creative freedom because they entered the film industry at a young age, just as reality was changing dramatically due to the complete collapse of the Soviet film financing and production system.

Poetic & Authentic

Documentary filmmaking ihas always played an important role in Lithuanian cinema. The strong traditions of poetic cinema, the search for an authentic relationship with reality, an exceptional visual language, interesting narrative forms, creative courage, as well as a wide range of topics and topical issues, are all preserved in Lithuanian documentary.

Time Passes Through the City (1965)

by Almantas Grikevicˇius

They developed their own cinematic language and a distinct vision of reality without imitating anyone. This was perfectly timed: Lithuania had just regained its independence, and a new sense of hope filled the air.

Many of the early films of the breaking generation were made at Kinema, the first independent studio founded by director Šarūnas Bartas. He is without a doubt the most prominent name of the generation of changes that brought Lithuanian cinema true international recognition. He began with documentaries before focusing on feature films. Tofolariya (Tofolarija, 1984) is a short film that depicts the contrast between the desolate existence of the disappearing Tofolar people in Siberia and the surrounding natural beauty. In Memoriam of the Day Passed (Praėjusios dienos atminimui, 1990) explores the irreversible passage of time: past day, past time, past life. The camera carefully observes events on a cold winter day in places where general attention is not focused.

Earth of the Blind (1992) and Woman and the Glacier (2016)

by Audrius Stonys

Užupis, the currently thriving but back-then abandoned district in Vilnius, is the main star of director Arūnas Matelis’ film Ten Minutes Before the Flight of Icarus (Dešimt minučių prieš Ikaro skrydį 1992, Main Prize at the International Oberhausen Short Film Festival).

The film, regarded as a manifesto of the time, is a testament to an extremely authentic relationship with a new-found freedom-filled reality, a state in which something significant is about to occur. Reality pauses for a moment, and the bright marks of the past fill the screen: the wind of change can be seen on people’s faces, dotted in their lives, and alive in their homes.

The exploration of the intimate relationship with reality and time is perhaps the most important aspect in Matelis’ works. The magnificent event, whether it is the global upheaval in Baltic Way (Baltijos kelias, 1990), the preserved ancient religious rituals in a Lithuanian village experienced in Not Yet Finished Tales of Jerusalem (Iš dar nebaigtų Jeruzalės pasakų, 1996), the expected lunar eclipse in Sunday. The Gospel of Albert the Elevator Driver (Sekmadienis. Evangelija pagal liftininką Albertą, 2003), the lives of terminally ill children Before Flying Back to Earth (Prieš parskrendant į Žemę, 2005, Directors Guild of America Award), or the experience of never being a winner in Wonderful Losers: A Different World (Nuostabieji lūzeriai. Kita planeta, 2017), is not the main focus after all. Time is the true main character in Matelis’ films, as evidenced by the titles.

Audrius Stonys’ films also explore the concept of time: Open the Door to Him Who Comes (Atverti duris ateinančiam, 1989), Earth of the Blind (Neregių žemė, 1992, European Film Academy Award), Antigravity (Antigravitacija, 1995), FlightsintheBlueField (Skrajojimai mėlynam lauke, 1996), Woman and the Glacier (Moteris ir ledynas, 2016), Bridges of Time (Laiko tiltai, co-directed with Kristine Briede, 2018). These films look at how time changes and evolves, forcing people to adapt. The films of Stonis investigate the inner workings of individual realities, raising ethical, philosophical, and existential concerns. His films are distinguished by their strong visual expression and poetic humanistic worldliness.

Autumn Snow (Rudens sniegas, 1992), and Spring (Pavasaris, 1997, Cinéma du Réel prize in Paris) are two films directed by Valdas Navasaitis that expertly capture the relationship between nature, man, and time. Idyllics of Kirtimai (Kirtimų idilės, 1991) by Artūras Jevdokimas explores the gloomy slums in Vilnius’ Roma district, where the director sees abandoned people and their occasional idyllic moments.

Ramunė Kudzmanaitė’s more romantic films, such as The Sun Rises to the West (Teka saulė vakaran, 1989) and Raspberry Fields (Aviečių laukai, 1997) allow

Baltic Way (1990) by Arunas Matelis the audience to feel the inextricable connection between man and nature, which is evident in ethnographic works and folk songs, raising questions about memory preservation.

This generation, however, was involved in more than just poetic time-based cinema. Algimantas Maceina’s film Black Box (Juoda dėžė, 1994) which documents the transfer of the director’s grandfather’s remains from Siberia to Lithuania, remains one of the most original experiments in Lithuanian documentary cinema to this day. Domantas Vildžiūnas’ recording of historical events - protests and demonstrations - in the film The Real Sound of the Nation’s Rebirth 1989-1993 (Tikras garsas valstybės atgimimo, 1989–1993, 2010) is another ironic testament to time. Here, the camera seems to point to the side - a yard, a shop window, passers-by, and the film becomes an ironic document of times gone by, rather than an orderly chronicle of historical events.

Independence Brings New Energy

Antigravity (1995) by Audrius Stonys

Following Lithuania’s independence, the older generation worked in documentary filmmaking as well. The family duo Julija Gruodienė and Rimantas Gruodis (Ona and Mykolas, 1990), Sauna (Pirtis, 1997), The Family (Šeimyna, 2001), and The River (Upė, 2009) are works which incorporate poetic and social documentary, journalism, and philosophical metaphor. The director couple Diana Matuzevičienė and Kornelijus Matuzevičius maintain thematic and stylistic consistency, a calm narrative tone, and a respectful relationship with the heroes of their films such as Forever (Per amžiųamžius, 1991), Over the Threshold (Už slenksčio, 1995), Returns (Sugrįžimai, 1996) and Waiting (Laukimas, 1997).

Janina Lapinskaitė’s films From the Life of Ants (Iš skruzdėlių gyvenimo, 1994), From the Life of Elves (Iš elfųgyvenimo, 1996), VenuswithaCat,orFromtheLife of Butterflies (Venera su katinu, arba Iš peteliškių gyvenimo, 1997), The Life of Venecijus and The Death of Caesar (Venecijaus gyvenimas ir Cezario mirtis, 2002), etc. tell tales of eccentric hermits, whose lives the director captures in a unique style, highlighting the contrast between poetry and reality.

A new generation entered Lithuanian cinema at the turn of the century. Their documentaries’ thematic scope expanded as their focus shifted to social themes and current issues.

Inesa Kurklietytė places a strong emphasis on the portrayal of women in her films. Her 2005 film Kristina in Christ (Kristina Kristuje, 2005) is about a woman who wants to become a Protestant priest but faces many obstacles in Catholic Lithuania. Women’s Secrets (Moterų paslaptys, 2004) and Light Witchcraft (Lengvas raganavimas, 2004) are both touching stories about midwives.

The most interesting works of the director Agnė Marcinkevičiūtė concern portraits of various artists. The subjects of her films are from different fields of art: music, cinema, but mostly literature: Red on White (Raudonu ant balto, 2003), Almost Happy (Beveik laimingas, 2004), We Managed to Talk in Time, (Laiku spėjomepasikalbėti, 2006), A Dance in the Desert (Šokis dykumoje, 2009), etc.

Giedrė Beinoriūtė’s work delves into various documentary genres. Trolleybus City (Troleibusų miestas, 2002) is an ironic story about public transportation passengers who do not have tickets. Following a filming expedition in Crimea, the film Vulkanovka. After the Great Cinema (Vulkanovka. Po didžiojo kino, 2005) follows in the footsteps of Bartas’ film Seven Invisible People (Septyni nematomi žmonės, 2005). Grandpa and Grandma (Gyvenosenelisirbobutė, 2007) is an animated documentary film based on the true story of the director’s grandparents, who survived their exile in Siberia. Conversations on Serious Topics (Pokalbiai rimtomis temomis, 2012) grew out of discussions with children about their surroundings.

In her films Back to the Dreamland (Kelionės namo, 2019) and Back from New York (Sugrįžę iš Niujorko, 2021), director Ramunė Rakauskaitė delves into the experiences of Lithuanian Americans. Back to the Dreamland is a comic documentary about Lithuanians living in America who decide to visit Lithuania during the Soviet era. Back from New York investigates the phenomenon of many young people, particularly artists, fleeing the country to the West shortly after the Iron Curtain fell. Over the course of a year, the heroes

Mariupol learn to see the colourful and complex world around them through communication with Jonas Mekas.

Shanghai Banzai (Šanxai banzai, 2010) by Jūratė Samulionytė is an ironic film that captures the multi-ethnic community of a Vilnius district located in the heart of the city but largely unaffected by the city’s development changes. In the touching film What We Leave Behind (Močiute, Guten Tag!, 2017), the director and her sister are on the hunt for their German grandmother. The journey leads to the unravelling of family dramas and the discovery of a newfound sisterhood.

Artists from other disciplines, such as sculpture, painting, scenography, or video art, contribute to the diversity of Lithuanian cinema: Deimantas Narkevičius (Visiting Solaris, (Aplankant Soliarių, 2007), Gintaras Makarevičius (Winter Parallels, Žiemos paralelės, 2007). The film about people sentenced to life in prison, Exemplary Behaviour (Pavyzdingas elgesys, 2019), was made by Audrius Mickevičius and philosopher Nerijus Milleris. The film investigates the thin and perilous line that exists between us and lethal crime, which is sometimes determined solely by circumstances beyond our control.

Exploring A New Worldview

When it comes to those who rose from an academic background, Mantas Kvedaravičius, who came to cinema after finishing his studies in social and cultural anthropology, is a well-known name. The first film, Barzakh (2011), continued his ongoing investigation into missing and tortured Chechens. According to an old Sufi legend, Barzakh is a place between life and death, belonging to neither. It is echoed by the families of the missing, who are tormented by uncertainty while still holding out hope. Mariupol (2016) by Mantas Kvedaravičius appeared while the director was preparing for his first feature film.

When he arrived in this Ukrainian industrial port in the Donetsk region, which was once a Greek settlement, he made another film about a city in limbo - a war tears through the city, but daily life must go on. The story is pieced together from human experiences, urban spaces, and conversation fragments.

After the outbreak of large-scale war in Ukraine, the director returned to Mariupol. Unfortunately, Kvedaravičius was killed during this journey. Mariupol 2 (2022) was completed with the help of his comrades from footage shot there. It depicts people coping in a city during a terrible war. The director is not interested in the cruel events of the war, but in the people who must endure them. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize for Documentary Film and was named the Best Documentary of 2022 by the European Film Awards.

Mindaugas Survila came into cinema after studying biology and environmental studies, and with the true diligence and foresight of a scientist, he captured the last surviving areas of the old forest in Lithuania in the film The Ancient Woods (Sengirė, 2017) – an immersive journey through the thick of the forest, observing its flora and fauna. Another Survila’s film Field of Magic (Stebuklų laukas, 2011) is a documentary poem about people living in a landfill.

Giedrė Žickytė’s films represent a significant crea- tive breakthrough in Lithuanian documentaries. The director finds a narrative form that engages the audience while maintaining a high level of aesthetic. How We Played the Revolution (Kaip mes žaidėme revoliuciją, 2011) transports us to the days of Lithuania’s singing revolution, when the rock band Antis, formed as a New Year’s joke, played an important role. The 2014 film Master and Tatjana (Meistras ir Tatjana, 2014) examines the love story of Vitas Luckus, a famous Lithuanian photographer with a tragic fate. The Jump (Šuolis, 2020) tells the incredible story of Simas Kudirka, a Soviet ship radio operator who jumped onto a US Coast Guard ship and requested political asylum in 1970, only to be forcibly returned. This sparked widespread political outrage and public protests.

El Padre Medico (2019) by Vytautas Puidokas revolves around the life story of Lithuanian doctor, priest, and famous missionary Aleksandras Ferdinandas Bendoraitis, who worked in South America, in which fame and altruistic acts are intertwined with dark secrets. Before They Meet (Pasienio paukščiai, 2021) investigates the borders and boundaries that separate people while observing migrating birds between Lithuania and Kaliningrad ornithological stations.

Linas Mikuta is drawn to the medium of film to investigate the lives of borderline people. Dinner (Pietūs Lipovkoje, 2013), Dead Ears (Šaltos ausys, 2016), Roman’s Childhood (Romano vaikystė, 2020) demonstrate this tendency, in which the director maintains a hopeful outlook on a complex subject. It is especially noticeable in his most recent film, Moncys. Samogitian from Paris (Mončys.ŽemaitisišParyžiaus, 2022), about the Lithuanian sculptor Antanas Mončys, who lived and worked in France.

Acid Forest (Rūgštus miškas, 2018), a film by the young director Rugilė Barzdziukaitė, is shot in a cormorant colony and examines how people, despite their positive attitude, find themselves drifting away from nature and losing touch. This is also a theme in Aistė Žegulytė’s film Animus Animalis. A Story About People, Animals and Things, (Animus Animalis (Istorija apie žmones, žvėris ir daiktus, 2018), in which the action takes place in a zoo taxidermist’s workshop. Marija Stonytė’s film Gentle Warriors (Švelnūs kariai, 2020) explores portraits of young women who voluntarily choose to serve in the Lithuanian army. EF

Questions

What are you currently working on? Your expectations for this year’s Berlinale?

Diana Mikita

PRODUCER, NAFTA FILMS

1Commander Pirx is an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s short story “The Inquest”. When Lem wrote the Tales of Pirx the Pilot at the end of the 1960s, the moral questions related to artificial intelligence were intellectual mind games. Today, they have become questions that affect our reality. We have developed the story Commander Pirx, and consulted with professionals from military experts to futurologists. Currently we are looking both for Estonian and European directors to form a creative partnership to bring this ambitious and yet universal story alive.

The trilogy of medieval detective stories Melchior the Apothecary turned out to be very popular. The first two parts of the film have collected more than 200 000 viewers in Estonian cinemas, and the third part will be premiered in spring 2023. The trilogy has also been remarkably successful among international audiences – for instance, it is now dubbed in German and will soon reach the markets of Amazon and Deutsche Telekom. One of the keys to success is its flexible format – Melchior the Apothecary can be watched both as full-length features as well as a 6-part TV series.

Currently, we are working on the next trilogy of Melchior the Apothecary. The co-production partners from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all confirmed their willingness to continue the collaboration. Today we are looking for a German co-production partner.

Veenus.Me is an experimental film that uses the mediums of dance and music to tell a story about self-expression, freedom and the power of unity in the context of queer club culture and social media. Film directors Rene and Carmel Köster are representatives of the queer community, and therefore the message of the story and related themes can be authentically studied and mediated to the audience.

2The fact that the Baltic states will be in focus at this year’s Berlinale, one of the largest film markets in Europe, is certainly remarkable and the fantastic result of the enormous work and effort of local film professionals and the representatives from our film institute. I hope that our film projects will find inspired co-production partners, and I will have an opportunity to get to know new talents; but my greatest wish is that the Baltic countries could show the rest of the world the uniqueness of the talents and filmmakers of our region. And why not to also have a bit of fun, since it was not so long ago when the excitement of going to festivals was out of reach.