Special programme “Focus Lituania” at Concorto Film Festival
19th Concorto Film Festival kicks off this Saturday! In partnership with the festival, Lithuanian Shorts agency presents a special programme of Lithuanian short films “Focus Lituania”. The audience will have a chance to watch six new short films of promising Lithuanian filmmakers.
“This intersection between traditional auteur cinema and Lithuanian cinematography shows new stylistic and thematic trends that we want to highlight with this Focus.” – says the curators of the programme.
Concorto Film Festival will take place on 22 – 29 of August in the town of Piacenza, Northen Italy.
Focus Lituania
Curated by Simone Bardoni and Emma Baruffaldi
Community Gardens
dir. Vytautas Katkus, 2019, fiction, 15 min.
It is a story about a cold relationship between a father and his son. Their bond, plagued by indifference, disintegrates completely.
Commission
dir. Vytautas Oškinis, 2019, documentary, 11 min.
For at least a few years, The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language is at the center of tough political and public discussions in Lithuania. For some, it’s an institution which safeguards and spreads the most important principles of the language. For others, it’s an anachronism of the Soviet regime, trying to legitimize itself using bureaucratic levers. This film offers a first-time glimpse into the commission’s work; it allows to observe and listen to the people who are the flesh and blood of the institution. Is it possible to say which of the contradicting points of view is closer to the truth?
The Contest
dir. Saulė Bliuvaitė, 2019, fiction, 26 min.
It’s the first Christmas without her husband for a recently divorced Silvija. When her two grown-up children gather for a Christmas Eve dinner, she announces that her new boyfriend will join them. Although greeting a strange man is not very pleasant, the children try to accept these changes in their mother’s life. However, her children come to realize that Silvija’s “new beginning” is just a mask for loneliness.
The Ship
dir. Jokūbas Lapinskas, 2018, fiction, 24 min.
After the death of their relatives, two brothers are trying to survive in a decaying family house. Deprivation and inability to make peace with the past becomes a test for their brotherly love.
Still Water
dir. Dagnė Gumbrevičiūtė, 2018, fiction, 17 min.
A young couple comes to a remote lake. Apparently, this place is full of unforgettable memories from the woman’s childhood. While she tries to approach the water that drowned her father, her partner finds himself in actual danger.
One Life
dir. Marija Stonytė, 2019, documentary, 19 min.
On a private farm, butterflies are raised only to be sold as props for a classical concert performance. We follow one of these fragile creatures on its short-lived journey to the music hall as it struggles to survive ‘civilization’.
