From Cannes shorts to Karlovy Vary competition: Lithuania’s Vytautas Katkus on his feature debut ‘The Visitor’

6 Min Read
6 Min Read

Visitors This is the expected feature debut from Lithuanian director Vitautas Katus. He is also known for his work as a cinematography director. His first short film Community Garden His second short film (2020), premiered at Cannes Critics Week, was his third short film, premiered in Venice Cherry (2022) was part of Cannes Court Metrage’s official selection. Katkus was also the winner of Locarno 2024 Golden Leopard Toxic.

Marija Kavtaradze (co-written by Sundance’s Best Director for her films slow), the film tells the story of Danielius, 30, played by Darius Silnas. Living abroad with his wife and children, he returns to his hometown in Lithuania to sell his parents’ apartment. However, the visit lasts longer than he thought, as he tries to reunite with people and his past in a city that he no longer feels is his.

The film is produced by M-Films from Lithuania. slow 2021 Karlovy will change the premiere runner. It is co-produced by Norwegian Stær Films and Swedish Garage Film International. International sales are handled by French costumes Totem Films. World premiere at Carlo Vary’s Crystal Glove Competition (July 7th).

what’s wrong Visitors come?

Vytautas Katkus

Marija Kavtaradze has been my very close friend for many years. We have always shared ideas with each other at different stages. Sometimes I ask for advice.

At the time I had some ideas and themes, or rather, some ideas and themes centered around various episodes of loneliness. I was trying to piece them together into a single story, a single film. When I first tried to explain to Marija what I was working on, she offered to help and suggested that we write it together. At first it felt like a game. Write and arrange separate stories based on mood rather than stories or timelines.

See also  Major investor pulls out of Sunderland’s Crown Works Studios

That was just the starting point. As I continued writing, talking and debating, I realized that it was better to focus on a single story and explore ways to expand it.

Visitors may fall under the “slow cinema” genre, but there are also hints of surreal and magical realism. What appeals to you about weakening realism with more “fantastic” moments?

It is the moment when you begin to fully understand the world and environment around you, and you no longer only that, you really live in it. And when it happens, the strangest things can happen – completely real, but when viewed in isolation, they feel surreal or magical.

I think this can be applied to almost anything. For example, if you leave fruit in your kitchen for too long, it will start to rot, rot, and mold will start to grow. It’s a very natural process, but if it’s itself just to see the moment, it might look strangely magical.

Magical moments are everywhere. You have to wait for them and realize. It’s like a reward that comes after you’ve overcome your fantasy, some kind of joy, or boredom. That’s the feeling I wanted to show to the movie. For me, it’s deeply realistic.

Can you expand Darius Silnus casting as Daniels? He is expected to carry most of the film.

Darius is a longtime friend and colleague. We studied about the same time. In fact, some of the first projects I filmed at the academy were with him. He recently works as an editor, but remembers that at the time, students often acted in each other’s films and Darius often played them. So you can say he has a foundation, or at least has experience in acting, and it definitely helped Visitors. We were able to capture his credibility on the screen, and he knew how to manage and present its authenticity in front of the camera.

See also  193 boards international sales on Lynne Ramsay’s Cannes Competition entry ‘Die, My Love’

Which projects do you have in the pipeline?

I am slowly beginning to write down ideas and themes for new scripts, but at this point my main focus is on several projects I have worked as a cinematographer currently in post-production. All my attention is to finish them, color ratings and final touches.

One of them is a documentary of AISTėJegulytė The Holy Destroyer. Without giving too much about the story, working with aistė in the documentary has taught me a lot about observing the world and patiently waiting for the situation to be misunderstood. What I call such attention-grabbing, or the trained way of looking at the reality I learned from documentaries, is something I carry over into fictional filmmaking.

(tagstotranslate) festival

Share This Article
Leave a comment