An inspiring story about one of Vladimir Putin's greatest opponents, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The everyday life of the inhabitants of a Greek village is full of sincere smiles, where tomatoes grow with music and new recipes appear. Intriguing behind-the-scenes and candid confessions of the world of art collectors. The films of the main program of the 24th International Vilnius Documentary Film Festival (VDFF), which will be held in the "Skalvija" cinema center from September 4 to October 17, will provide content for discussions and reflections.
The main program this year consists of 7 films of various moods and themes. Most of them can be seen during the festival in the recently presented virtual hall of "Skalvija".
"When selecting films for the main program, we are always guided by several criteria. We are looking for a high level of direction, and an original idea and chosen form are also important. Of course, we also think about relevance - we aim to make the topics covered interesting for Lithuanian viewers. We also do not avoid subjectivity, which is dictated by the experience, intuition and personal taste of the program creators," says Vilma Levickaitė, one of the program creators.
According to Eglė Maceinaitė, the creator of the program, this year's main program shows love in various colors. "She is both beautiful and dangerous in the movies, she brings excitement or pain - from the disappointment of losing her beloved hat to a political prisoner who has lost his freedom and home. However, films are extremely inspiring with bright, sincere and stubborn heroes who are determined to topple any mountains for their love - be it tomatoes, a close friend, or a Rembrandt painting," E. Maceinaitė presents the program.
A look at contemporary Russia and the backstage of the art market
Named by Esquire magazine as one of the most important documentary filmmakers of our time JAV directed by Alex Gibney in a journalistic documentary film Citizen K ("Citizen K") will introduce M. Khodorkovsky. "It seemed to me that ideologically V. Putin is ours. A person of our generation who basically understands everything and wants to lead Russia in the same direction as us - towards openness and democracy. Oh, how wrong I was!", says the main character in the film.
From the richest man in Russia and V. Putin's enemy to a prisoner and forced emigrant. Telling about the controversial personality of M. Khodorkovsky, the "Oscar" winner reveals the history of modern Russia. The film is based on archival material, supplemented by the testimonies of former BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith and Derk Sauer, founder of The Moscow Times.
Dutch director Oeke Hoogendijk in the film "My Rembrandt" (My Rembrandt) reveals the world of collectors, restorers and dealers of Rembrandt's work. It turns out that there are passions boiling here, close to Shakespeare's dramas. In the film, the Louvre and Amsterdam museums compete for the right to purchase a pair of paintings by the master. And the businessman who has the largest collection of paintings admits that he kissed a portrait of a woman painted by Rembrandt on the lips. The director invites us to rethink the relationship between a person and a work of art.
A love of life and an intimate ode to friendship
Marianna Economou reveals the sincere everyday life of the inhabitants of a tiny Greek village. In the movie "When Tomatoes Heard Wagner" ("When Tomatoes Met Wagner") not only creates and tastes tomato recipes, but also constantly looks for new opportunities for a more abundant harvest. Even playing Wagner's music to tomatoes and growing them organically. The director takes the viewer to a place where every moment of life is enjoyed and nostalgically looking at the old generation of Greece.
Last year, at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the film was awarded the FIPRESCI prize for the best Greek documentary film.
A subtle and intimate ode to friendship. This is the name of the film by two friends Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández "Screaming Letters" (In a Whisper).Patricia and Heidi grew up in Cuba in the XNUMXs, where they both studied film. After escaping from their homeland, which restricted their freedom, they separated, but they did not stop filming. After many years, they meet again in the form of video messages and talk about ambitions to create, emigration, body and love.
Masterfully edited from almost twenty years of archives, the film was recognized as the best at this year's Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), last year it was selected as the feature documentary film at the Havana Film Festival.
Portrait of an enigmatic woman and life's losses
A film by Alexis Delgado Búrdal "This is a movie about me" (This Film is About Me) resembles a riddle. The strikingly good looking actress is in prison for murder, she was once an artist's muse. Now Renata is creating her portrait with the film director. While talking on the phone, they discuss what should not be missed in the movie. Both try to pull the film like a blanket on their side: the actress tends to act and create herself, the director wants to get into her soul.
"Despite the restrictions and difficulties in prison, we filmed with strength and determination. Our time there was limited, we knew it would end soon. But we were obsessed with filming with a strange sense of freedom and playfulness. I haven't experienced such a feeling since childhood," says the author of the film.
The Spanish director Nuria Giménez will involve the viewer in a stylish and gourmet fictional narrative "My Mexican Bagel" (My Mexican Pretzel). Throughout the film, she expertly manipulates the viewer, and only at the end does it become clear to what extent.
The piece opens with black-and-white footage of World War II pilots and excerpts from Vivian Barrett's diary. She tells about herself and her husband, Leon, who suffered hearing damage in a plane crash and was unable to fly. The luxurious life of the couple unfolds in Leon's footage.
The film received appreciation at international film festivals - this year it won an award for archival material at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and it won the audience award at the Barcelona Original Film Festival.
Canadian director Jean-François Lesage reminds viewers that life is a process of constant adaptation to loss. "Ode to a Lost Glove" ("Prayer for a Lost Mitten") is like a therapeutic attempt to talk about loss in a light way.
The film takes us to Montreal's transportation foundry department, where people come looking for lost items to the sound of jazz music. Later, they open the doors of their homes and share thoughts about other dear losses, such as deceased loved ones or broken relationships. "The main idea of my work is that anyone can become the subject of a documentary film. Everyone has something interesting to say. You just need time to listen," says J.-F. Lesage.
The International Vilnius Documentary Film Festival will take place from September 24 to October 4 at the "Skalvija" cinema center, from October 2 to 4 Beautiful and October 9-11 Klaipėda. During the festival, most of the films will also be available in the "Skalvija" virtual hall.
