At the European Film Forum Scanorama - Premières of Four Lithuanian Films
The eleventh European Film Forum Scanorama that starts 7 November will confirm the strength of Lithuanian documentary. Premières of four documentary films will take place at the festival. Three of them are works by Lithuanian directors ("Cenotaph", "Final Destination", "Tricolour"), and one is a joint German-Lithuanian production effort ("Julia").
"Creators of the films boldly speak about the painful events of the past and today's complex human dramas. I am glad that the films selected into program are already enjoying success at international film festivals. This proves how strong and interesting they are,"- says Gražina Arlickaitė, director of the European Film Forum Scanorama.
Two days after the festival opening, on 9 November, Audrius Stonys will present the long-awaited documentary "Cenotaph". This is the story of a grave beneath the roots of a huge oak. During the war, three unnamed soldiers - two Russians and a German - were buried in it. After more than 70 years, the film director with a group of archaeologists start to unearth this grave.
"We wanted to find out the secret of the grave, to dig to the truth", - states A. Stonys, the film director.
In his new film, the master of Lithuanian documentary, recognized and prized in Europe, remains true to himself in both the topic and the form. Exploring themes of time and memory, the director does this poetically, talks reserved language of cinema, without rush, with great inner strength.
German director J. Jackie Baier will return to the Scanorama. Two years ago, screenings of her documentary film "House of Shame: Chantal All Night Long" were sold out and could not fit all those wishing to see the film. This year, on 11 November, director will present the documentary film “Julia”, which raised big interest and discussions at the Venice Film Festival. This is a very open and thrilling story about a transsexual girl Julia from Lithuania. During adolescence, she was forced to run away from home and ended up in Germany, where she got involved in prostitution, and now she wanders through the streets of Berlin – alone, mentally and physically exhausted, trying to find human warmth. In the film we are observing how, after many years, she returns to her hometown Klaipėda.
“Working with J. Jackie Baier and the character, Julia, was one of the most difficult and unique experiences. It is a shocking and posing a lot of questions journey of an individual towards self-destruction”, – tells director’s assistant Tomas Smulkis.
On 10 November, Ričardas Marcinkus will present his documentary film “Final Destination”, that just few weeks ago was selected for the competition program at the Amsterdam Documentary Film festival (IDFA). Film tells a story about 55 year-old Povilas and his odyssey. From prison to retirement home, from retirement home to the streets, where he seemingly irreversibly sinks into the drug addiction. The only way for Povilas to get out from the bottom is to seek help at the rehab, but he is procrastinating.
“Povilas is a multifaceted person. One second you feel sorry for him, another - you hate him. Through the film, I wanted to convey these contradictory feelings”, – tells film director R. Marcinkus.
Latest film by the poet, singer and theatre and cinema director Vytautas V. Landsbergis is “Tricolour”- a portrait of the freedom fighters, which is drawn by twelve former partisans and signallers. According to the director, he wanted to create authentic, true and realistic portrait of a post-war individual, to tell the entire tragic story – from leaving home till first battles and betrayals. The film will be premièred at Scanorama on 13 November.
The 11th European Film Forum Scanorama will be held 7-24 November in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai.
Trailer of the film "Julia" http://youtu.be/yZHhKrfqtdk
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