Vilnius Diary 5
Screening day of Lithuanian documentaries for eventual recommendation for DOKLeipzig. 5 films to watch since my visit one year ago. Public funding for film is minimal in Lithuania at this moment. So competition is strong among the established filmmakers and there is no real incentive for young people – like the Lithuanians at the Summer Film Academy that I attend – to go for a job in the documentary field.
For 20 years I have followed the documentary scene in this country and have had the great pleasure to get acquainted with a language of originality based more on imagery and less on words. Documentaries in Lithuania by Janina Lapinskaite, Rimantas Gruodis, Diana and Kornelijus Matuzevicius, Giedre Beinoriute, Audrius Stonys, Arunas Matelis and others constitute an important part of the nation’s cultural heritage and memory. To quote the documentarian Patricio Guzman: A country without documentaries is like a family without a photo album.
Even in difficult financial times: Funding action needs to be taken, otherwise something valuable in Lithuanian culture will disappear.
