"Anarchy in Žirmūnai" a film by Saulius Drunga caused confusion at the international film festival "Baltic Debuts" and Lithuanian film director was awarded with a special prize. Such award was set up for the first time in festival history after jury members led by famous Russian film director Bahtier Hudoynazarov were divided into opposite camps on the possible winners. Confusion and stormy quarrel were among festival audience too – after the film screening viewers discussed does "Anarchy in Žirmūnai" reflect only Lithuanian reality or all Baltic region life as well. It even became an emotional word fight and angry pushing between festival filmgoers. Annual international film festival "Baltic Debuts" is takes place in Svetlogorsk town (Kaliningrad region) and represents debut works from promising filmmakers from Baltic Sea region. This year's eight festival was held in July 23 – 30 and attracted 20 000 viewers.
Saulius Drunga’s debut film "Anarchy in Žirmūnai" became The Best “Perspectives” Program Film at 33rd Moscow International Film Festival. At solemn festival’s closing ceremony film director and script writer Drunga was awarded with silver St.George statue. Prize was presented by the competition program "Perspectives" jury chairman, the Serbian film critic Miroljub Vučkovič. Others jury members were acclaimed film directors Alexander Kott (Russia) and Ermek Šinarbajev (Kazakhstan).
33rd Moscow International Film Festival was held in June 23rd – July 2nd and attracted about 60000 viewers. For feature films festival included two competition programs – main competition and “Perspectives” competition. This year’s “Perspectives” program selected eight films from different countries.
6/6/2011
Feature film "Anarchy in Žirmūnai" directed by Saulius Drunga is selected to competition program "Perspectives" at Moscow International Film Festival in Russia. This year Moscow Film Festival will take place from June 23rd to July 2nd. It will be 33rd festival in a row.
Film "Anarchy in Žirmūnai" got a nominee for the Best Film at annual Lithuanian cinema awards "Silver Crane". Film was presented at Berlin and Cannes film festivals' markets where was sold all over Europe (Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, France and French-speaking countries – Monaco, Andora, Luxembourg and Corsica) and – after this year's Cannes Film Festival market – with USA. It made "Anarchy in Žirmūnai" as best selling abroad Lithuanian film since 1991.
In Moscow Film Festival's program "Perspectives" Lithuanian movie was selected among 8 other films from France, Germany, Austria, South Korea, China, Romania, Lebanon, Kazakhstan and Iceland. Film will be presented by director and scriptwriter Saulius Drunga, producer Ieva Norvilienė and two main actresses Toma Vaškevičiūtė and Severija Janušauskaitė.
7/3/2011
Workshop "SCRIPT+" will be organized during film festival "Kino Pavasaris" on March 25 th – 28 th. This is the second year in a row going training intended for film dramaturgy.
This year workshop will be managed by Christian Routh, dramatist consultant, lecturer, screenwriter, script editor and Head of Studies at FOUR CORNERS and SCRIPTEAST, a European Union MEDIA supported programmes. He takes part in development hundreds of European films including "Breaking The Waves" (by Lars von Trier), "Toto Le Heros" (by Jaco Van Dormael), "Orlando" (by Sally Potter) and "Elizabeth" (by Shekhar Kapur).
On the 28 th of March a public lecture "Development Hell" from Ch.Routh will be given and it will be opened for all visitors.
"SCRIPT+" application should include the following:
Synopsis (1-2 pages) or story treatment (3-10 pages);
Author's biography.
5-6 projects, which will participate in the marathon of workshop's activities, will be chosen from the received applications.
All willing people are invited to participate at workshop. There is no participation fee.
The trainings will be held in English.
E-mail for further information or sending of applications: info@tremora.com
Deadline for applications: March 20th.
The project is organized by the production company "Tremora" in cooperation with film festival "Kino Pavasaris", cinema theatre "Pasaka" and Media Desk Lietuva, sponsored by Lithuanian Culture Support Fund.
Saulius Drunga's controversial film debut ironic and MEDIA New Talent award gained drama "Anarchy in Zirmunai" has been acquired in key Europe territories. Film was picked up by Atlantide Entertainment for Italy and Pro Fun for Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland at the European Film Market. Movie is distributed by Paris based sales and co-production company REEL SUSPECTS.
"Anarchy in Žirmūnai" was produced by Ieva Norviliene ("Tremora") along with Hungarian film making company "Katapul Film". The major backer of the film is The Lithuanian Culture Support Fundation.
13/9/2010
“Anarchy in Žirmūnai” – film, based on the script awarded by MEDIA New Talent prize at Cannes film festival, starts to be shown in the national cinemas from September 9th.
Full length ironic drama about mixed up Lithuanian reality was directed by script writer Saulius Drunga. Main roles were shared among the young generation actors Toma Vaškevičiūtė, Severija Janušauskaitė, Martynas Nedzinskas and Lithuanian cinema legend Jūratė Onaitytė.
Film soundtrack was created by famous Latvian alternative music band Satellites LV. Title song “No sākuma” also appeared on Satellites LV album “Vadu” which won the prize for the best rock music album in 2009 at Latvian Music Awards “Gada balva”.
“Anarchy in Žirmūnai” was produced by Ieva Norviliene (“Tremora”) along with Hungarian film making company “Katapul Film”. The major backer of the film is The Lithuanian Culture Support Fundation.
22/2/2010
Workshop “SCRIPT+”, intended for the film dramaturgy, will be organized during the 15th anniversary film festival “Kino Pavasaris” on March 30th – 31st. All live workshop’s participants will be introduced with refinements of film’s dialogue writing, film’s plot design and development.
David Wingate, the board member of film script development program EU Media SOURCES 2 and dramatist – consultant of film script development course SOURCE 2, will manage the workshop. He has contributed with his experience and providence to such well-known in Europe films as “Fucking Åmål” (directed by Lukas Moodysson), “Short Order” (directed by Anthony Byrne) “ Mouth To Mouth” (directed by Bjorn Runge) and “Daybreak”(directed by Bjorn Runge)
David Wingate, is also a well-known pedagogue, who has lectured at film schools in Norway and Sweden. On the 1st of April a public lecture about the technique of script reading-evaluation will be given and it will be opened for all visitors,.
“SCRIPT + ” workshop will differ from other similar type trainings, which have recently become popular, because each participant in two-day period will work with his own film plot or script. The trainings will be held in English.
All willing people are invited to participate at film dramaturgy workshop. There is no participation fee.
4-5 projects, which will participate in the marathon of workshop’s activities, will be chosen from the received applications.
“SCRIPT+” application should include the following:
E-mail for further information or sending of applications: info@tremora.com
Deadline for applications: March 10th
The project is organized by the production company “Tremora” in cooperation with the Public Institution “Kino Pavasaris”, the British Council and Media Desk Lietuva.
29/9/2008
“You pick up speed, take a deep breath and turn the lights off. You switch them back on only when you’re out of air” – this is how a night drive in suburban streets begins for the three heroes of Ignas Miškinis’ second full-length feature film Low Lights. His Diringas, introduced to Lithuanian audience a few years ago, brought up a wide response due to its style and topic, as did his short film Easily and Sweetly.
“Diringas was an angry and dirty film. I couldn’t say the same about the Low Lights. Although the setting of it is rather darkish the central idea beams with light, warmth and hope. What’s important here is the moment and the mystery in it. The heroes of the film turn to each other for a new start, discover real experiences and feelings” – said the director of the film.
Even though the opening of the film in Lithuanian cinemas is not until the 23rd of October, the film has already received a Silver Crane award for the Film of the Year and its lead actor Dainius Gavenonis has been awarded as the Best Actor of the Year. Other than these awards, the film has been screened at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where it competed for the best film in a program of the best Eastern European feature cinema. Moreover, it participated in the Kinoshock festival that took place in a Russian resort Anapa in September 13-20, as well as the Hamburg International Film Festival. A fair share of festivals are awaiting in the near future, with the Warsaw International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea among the better known ones.
An Oskaras Koršunovas theatre actor Dainius Gavenonis, who has starred in both Diringas and a short film Ieva, might appear to be Ignas Miškinis’ favourite as he plays the leading role in the Low Lights, too. The director claims to have known who was going the play one of the main characters at the early stages of writing the film. Choosing an actress for the female part was a bit harder. Only two weeks until the beginning of shootings, a German actress Julia Maria Kohler was selected. She is familiar to the Lithuanian movie goers from this year’s Vilnius International Film Festival Cinema Spring, as a member of the competition program jury.
Meanwhile Jonas Antanėlis, having played Linas in the film, is a debutant in the world of Lithuanian cinema. With no previous experience in cinema at all, Jonas Antanėlis played one of the three leading roles. According to the director, the debutant set aside his everyday business and took a very serious and intense preparation for the film.
“I believe this experiment proved to be a great success. Jonas has put a lot of himself into this film and just plunged into the creative process” – the directore expressed his joy.
Low Lights is a story of people doomed for loneliness and trapped by the routine of a modern city life, longing for closeness, romance and sincerity. Fictitious rituals of night driving provoke to recreate their world. A usual and banal maze of streets reveals fresh new sensations that are humane and warm. Short as a blink of an eye, the night journey allows them to immerse into adventures yet unexperienced, discover forgotten love and hope… Be it for one short summer night.
13/7/2008
5/6/2008
Feature film “The Collectress” directed by Kristina Buožytė is invited to participate in competition program „East of the West“ in 43rd international film festival Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic.
This prestigious and the most important film festival of Central and East Europe will take place from 4th to 12th of July. Karlovy Vary launched in 1946 and since then it is being visited by thousands of cinema lovers, professionals and politicians from all over the world.
During Lithuanian cinema awards “Silver Crane”, film “The Collectress” was acclaimed as the best film of the year.
1/6/2008
Internet television channel MINI MOVIE INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL bought one – out of four – novel “At Least Never” (directed by Marius Kunigėnas) from feature film “At Dawn”.
1/6/2008
Director Saulius Drunga starts filming feature film „Anarchy in Žirmūnai” this July. Script „Anarchy in Žirmūnai” was awarded with Media New Talent prize during international Cannes film festival in 2007. Culture Support foundation. Support Fund granted 200 000 litas for production of the film. Actresses of young generation Toma Vaškevičiūtė, Severija Janušauskaitė and Lithuanian cinema legend Jūratė Onaitytė will be acting in the film.
1/6/2008
Ignas Miškinis starts filming drama motion picture „Low Lights“ in August. It is going to be a Lithuanian -German co-production – supported by Ministry of Culture of Republic of Lithuania with 1 400 000 litas and Germany’s fund Filmstiftung NRW with 863 000 litas. Dainius Gavenonis and Jonas Antanėlis will be acting in the film. Also it is planned that a german actress will be playing one of the main roles.
Designed by Paulius Zavadskis 2008