Lithuanian Films at the Riga IFF: From Nostalgic Tales to Powerful Documentaries

The Riga International Film Festival, which opened last week, is set to become an important platform for Lithuanian filmmakers. Competing for awards are feature and short films as well as music videos; new projects will be presented, and special attention will be given to the region’s animation industry.

Two Lithuanian-directed films – The Visitor by Vytautas Katkus and Back to the Family by Šarūnas Bartas – have been selected for the main feature film competition, alongside two Lithuanian co-productions: Solomamma and Special Operation.

Set at the end of summer, The Visitor follows thirty-year-old Danielius, who returns to his hometown after living in Norway for more than a decade. There, he has everything – a job, a family, friends – but his father’s death forces him to sell his childhood home. In the small resort town, Danielius finds himself in a strange limbo between past and present.

The world premiere of The Visitor took place at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Best Director Award. The film was produced by Marija Razgutė and Brigita Beniušytė (M-Films), in collaboration with partners from Norway and Sweden.

Šarūnas Bartas’ Back to the Family tells the story of Simona, a young woman who returns to her rural childhood home after learning that her grandmother is on the deathbed. There, she once again faces the harsh realities of her past – marked by her parents’ alcoholism, poverty, violence, and constant arguments.

The film was produced in Lithuania by Šarūnas Bartas, Jurijus Stančikas, Jurga Kaye, and Alina Lu (Studija Kinema). It was made together with France, Poland, and Latvia.

Solomamma (dir. Janicke Askevold) portrays a forty-year-old journalist, Edith, as she struggles with the challenges of single motherhood. After discovering the identity of her son’s sperm donor, she contacts him under the pretext of conducting an interview, but soon becomes entangled in a web of lies that threatens to destroy her life. The Norwegian-Latvian-Lithuanian co-production was co-produced in Lithuania by Gabija Siurbytė and Viktorija Rimkutė (Dansu).

The Ukrainian-Lithuanian documentary Special Operation (dir. Oleksiy Radynski, co-prod. Jurga Kaye) is based on footage from surveillance cameras, providing a detailed account of one of the most infamous episodes of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: from the armed seizure of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on February 24, 2022, to the hasty withdrawal of Russian troops following their defeat in the Battle of Kyiv.

In the Short Film International Competition, Sujip by Gintarė Parulytė (prod. Greta Akcijonaitė, Magic Film) tells the story of Alexandras’ first day at a new workplace. When the phone rings, a stranger on the other end declares his intention to end his life. The film, which won this year’s national Silver Crane Award for Best Short Film, was made in collaboration with filmmakers from Luxembourg and Norway.

Also competing in the same section is Cemetery by Karolis Vilkas (prod. Vitalijus Gylys), a story about a young couple torn apart by a sudden and tragic death. Months after the incident, the man’s fragile mental state deteriorates as he begins to see visions of his deceased beloved.

Aurelijus Čiupas (Estonian Academy of Arts) will present his experimental essay Diffusion Pilot, where the author becomes a pilot, steering the film – his mode of transport into another world where an eternal movie is continuously being created.

In the Short Film National Competition, the Latvian-Lithuanian co-production Big Loop Small Loop (dir. Žanete Skarule and Tomas Vengris, prod. Rūta Petronytė, Smart Casual) follows architecture student Paulius, who faces a moral dilemma upon discovering that his beloved professor is one of the wanted creatures being hunted by Paulius’ zealous friends.

For younger audiences, the Kids’ Reel program will feature Ignas Meilūnas’ animated film Hoofs on Skates (prod. Ignas Meilūnas, Justė Beniušytė, Kadrų skyrius), a touching story about tolerance, breaking stereotypes, and unconditional friendship.

In the Baltic Music Video Competition, directors Gediminas Šiaulys (for Oda by Solo Ansamblis), Lena Klyukina (for Švelnūs jausmai by Solo Ansamblis), and Robertas Nevecka (for Dragas by Lapkričio dvidešimtosios orkestras) will compete for the award.

Alongside the festival, several industry events are taking place. As part of the Short Riga Test Screenings program for works in progress, three Lithuanian short films will be presented: On Conductor Street (dir. Gintė Regina, prod. Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan, Artišokai), Last Days (dir. Kornelijus Stučkus, prod. Ieva Norvilienė, Tremora), and Lucid Dreams (dir. Montis Norvaišis, prod. Lineta Lasiauskaitė, Plopsas).

Four other projects have been selected for the Riga IFF Showcase program: Gintarė Parulytė’s Alpha Amen, Meinardas Valkevičius’ The House that Ran Away (prod. Akvilė Bliujūtė-Janušė, Meinart), Nuruzzaman Khan’s Where it Rains (prod. Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan), and Ukrainian director Denys Kolesnikov’s Romance Apocalypse or The Long-Distance Train, presented by producer Justė Michailinaitė (Broom Films).

Justė Michailinaitė will also participate in Meet the Festivals, representing the BLON Animation and Games Festival and the Tik be dramų comedy film festival.

Special attention will be given to the Baltic animation industry during the Baltic Animation Meet-Up, where regional animation studios will present their projects. The event will also include case studies, such as that of the Oscar-winning Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis), discussions on the challenges of contemporary animation, and networking sessions.

Participants from Lithuania will include producers Agnė Adomėnė (Art Shot), Giedrė Burokaitė (Akis bado), Justė Beniušytė, and Justė Michailinaitė; director Ignas Meilūnas; Lithuanian Film Centre director Laimonas Ubavičius and Head of Department of Film Production Deimantas Saladžius, among others.

The Riga International Film Festival runs from October 16 to 26.

On the cover – a still from The Visitor.