Begike

11 novembre > SALA 5 ore 17

Lithuania, Czech Republic – 2021 – colore – 87’

CREDITS

Direction: Andrius Blaževicius

Screenplay: Marija Kavtaradze, Tekle Kavtaradze, Andrius Blaževicius

Cinematography: Narvydas Naujalis

Editing: Ieva Veiveryte

Set design: Aurimas Akšys

Music: Jakub Rataj

Costumes: Fausta Naujale

Cast: Žygimante Elena Jakštaite, Marius Repsys, Laima Akstinaite

Producer: Marija Razgute in coproduction with Vratislav Šlajer, Jakub Koštál

Production: M-Films in coproduction with Bionaut

World Sales: Alief

SYNOPSIS

After her boyfriend has a psychotic episode and disappears, Maria is decided to let nothing stop her from helping him. Grabbing at every clue about his whereabouts she embarks on a fast-paced odyssey through the city. Always one step behind and against all odds, she fights for both, her love and her freedom.

THE DIRECTOR: ANDRIUS BLAŽEVICIUS

Andrius Blažeivicius was born in Vilnius in 1985 to a Lithuanian-Polish family. After high school, he studied Cultural History and Anthropology at Vilnius University and, after a year, switched to the Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy where he earned his Master’s degree in Film Directing in 2011. Andrius completed six short films during his studies, including Ten Reasons (2011), winner of two Lithuanian Film Academy Awards. His debut feature film The Saint (2016) premiered at the Busan and Warsaw Film Festivals and received six Lithuanian Film Academy Awards. Andrius works as a freelance director and has also been a programmer for the Vilnius International Short Film Festival since 2010.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“I’m interested in a person’s free will and choice to sacrifice their freedom for something extremely important to them. Maria, the protagonist, is constantly on the move. She runs, races and solves the many problems that have befallen her that day. She is permanently struggling with her surroundings. The pace of the film will be very fast and chaotic – many short sequences, with the camera constantly moving. In this way, I wish to convey the state our protagonist is in, and to portray the modern person’s pace of life, someone who is always in a hurry and never on time. The aspect ratio will be 2.35:1, chosen with the importance of movement in mind. We will see very little of Maria’s boyfriend, who is suffering from a psychotic episode. His illness is important for two reasons. Firstly, other people’s reactions to his illness perfectly reflect our society’s illnesses – indifference, rejection and fear of the unknown. Secondly, I think that a character who is capable of a breakthrough to total freedom will bring poetry to the film. Lastly, there is the paralysis of Maria herself – she becomes imprisoned in her own body. There are many layers to this, the main one being that she becomes a metaphor for our ill, immobile society.”

FILMOGRAPHY

2009 Bergenas (short)

2011 Dešimt priežasciu (Ten Reasons, short)

2016 Šventasis (The Saint)

2021 Begike (Runner)

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

2021 Karlovy Vary IFF – East of the West Competition