Soviet-era Lithuanian cinema today testifies that even while working under conditions of multi-layered censorship, the authors of feature and documentary films became an important cultural voice, and their works—often in subtle forms—spoke out against the system. Despite strict restrictions, filmmakers drew on themes relevant to their generation and artistic means of expression to create films that conveyed national identity and the ideas of creative freedom.
The lecture will be delivered by film critic and lecturer at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Rasa Paukštytė. In the lecture, we will look at the works of some of the most important Lithuanian filmmakers, such as Icchokas Meras, Raimondas Vabalas, Algirdas Araminas, Almantas Grikevičius, and Vytautas Žalakevičius. We will discuss different decades of Soviet cinema, each with its own rules, and how they shaped the development of Lithuanian film. How did different stages of censorship—overseeing a film’s concept and forcing changes to already completed works—affect the creations? How did self-censorship manifest itself among the authors? Was the language of Aesop the only way for film directors and screenwriters to speak out against the unacceptable Soviet regime and its ideological institutions?
After the lecture, there will be an open discussion, where we will further explore how cinema was intended to be turned into a tool of ideological indoctrination, and what countermeasures filmmakers devised in response.
Invited guests for the discussion:
- Film critic Rūta Oginskaitė
- Film, theatre, and television director Raimundas Banionis
- Film director and poet Romas Lileikis
Moderator of the discussion:
- Cultural journalist Laisvė Radzevičienė
Venue: Vilnius Town Hall, Chamber Hall (2nd floor)
Time: 18:00
Project organizer: Vilnius Town Hall
Project manager: Giedrė Miller
