There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that of Music and Theatre. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal There is a scene in our film where the main character re- experiences that influenced the film’s aesthetic decisions, Interview with ceives an award as the best doctor. The reward is a mug I should mention several aspects. Working in advertis- with symbols of the Ministry of Health, and ten packs of ing has taught me several important lessons: first of all, Ignas Jonynas an energy candy bar called Hematogen. How should the ability to adapt a corresponding style to a particular he feel? As the protagonist of Kafka’s “Der Process”? As story and not get into “empty rhetoric” with images, The film “The Gambler” tells a story about a someone who is involved in an absurd social game, and secondly, to achieve maximum visual results with a leading doctor who starts to gamble on the where he is just a meaningless element? If he had at modest budget. On the other hand, my theatre experi- death of his patients. How did things become least some hope, maybe he would resolve to start a ence has allowed me not to fear the short filming time this way? revolution. But he has already seen revolutions and and limited amount of shifts, and to try to improvise knows that it is just another meaningless game parody. bravely with actors on the filming site for maximum It is an old truth that play is fundamental to our nature And namely this sense of the absurd is the start for ma- authenticity. and culture. During play the human being perceives cabre self-determination. If you all are already playing himself, transmits knowledge, learns, and creates art. with me, I will also join the game. Only this time – till the While playing he constitutes social dimension, symbolic end. systems, institutions. Kristupas Sabolius, a philosopher who worked together with me on this script, brought in Is “The Gambler’s” story real? Is it based on ideas by Huizinga, Gadamer, and especially Roger Cail- real events? lois, who claims that there are four types of play – Agon or competition, alea or chance (e.g., dice, roulette, etc.), Almost. I have worked as an orderly at the psychiatric mimicry or mimesis, ilinx or desire for dizziness (e.g., hospital on Vasaros street in Vilnius, and Kristupas has drugs). worked with disabled people in Italy. When writing the script we did extensive research. We met quite a lot of Though there are many nuances, all of them share one people and heard startling stories. And these experi- thing in common – the game or play gives hope to tran- ences, as well as consultations with practising doctors, scend oneself, to escape from the current situation, to helped us to understand not only how the patient rescue surpass human being. Man plays because he wants free system functions, but also how ambiguous the moral himself from what is going on here and now, because decisions are that people can make. he dreams and yearns for happiness or even divinity and eternity. And here, surprisingly, merge the rules, that are rational and thought-out with what is irrational and
impossible – dizziness, ecstasy, trance. While tightly regu- We discovered a lot of even more horrible stories. Some lated, game appeals to passion. In the deepest sense, it of them were widely publicized. Therefore, we are confi- Ignas Jonynas is associated with passion for life. dent that such a game could easily happen. It might be going on at this moment. LošeJaS Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in Casinos, lotteries, TV game shows, NBA, the football The Gambler industry, and show business have learned to use this am- However, this is not a film about the problems of the theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, biguity, this combination of passion and reason, to make medical sector. Just the ambulance or hospital intensive and actor. Graduated from A.Vienožinskis Art School, Digital cinema, 109 min., fiction, 2013 money. The game allows us to manipulate our vital forc- care section are rich with human dramas and critical situ- successfully obtained a bachelor’s degree in TV Direc- es, while constantly finding reasonable excuses. People ations. “The Gambler” talks about us, people of today tion and a Master’s degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian have played and will continue to play, even if they are living in this era and in this society. It is inevitable that Academy of Music. He has worked as a construction persistently shown the merciless statistics proving that it is when you find yourself in an extreme situation, each worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a Synopsis almost impossible to win anything. Research shows that of us would have to reconsider our value system. In a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved for the vast majority of lottery winners their lives end up sense, everyone is Vincentas. with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency in tragedy. Some are sent to prison, separated from their theatre productions and directed one documentary and services station, whose passion is one – gambling in families or simply disappear without a trace. In the film, elements of thriller, crime film or two short films. “The Gambler” is his debut feature film. different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult tragicomedy can be detected, however, basis of situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something In addition, in the current consumer society there is storytelling is the traditional dramatic structure. radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An a certain model of happy life, which belongs to the How did you choose the genre? idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related winner. A successful businessman is the one who wins to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency against the others, wins the race, and wins his millions. While making the film, various versions of the script were services are the only ones to be attracted to this ma- Look, even when we are buying lemonade, we are repeatedly rewritten, various plot structures tested, and cabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea being offered to win - in the hope that something very different genres tried. Some of the scenes were born in kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic important is hiding under the cap. So capitalism exploits an attempt to experiment with the possible choices of colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas the constant euphoria of victory by forcing us to gamble the characters, not according to what would please the takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on continuously. creators of the film or would cause “audience-catering” improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. effect. We were just listening to the actual circumstances. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her Our film is trying to understand what happens when one and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making such human-gambler is placed in a borderline situation, A thriller or crime film would require regular Man- a fateful choice – the game or love. confronting life and death. With only a slight change of ichaeism of the characters, in which it is clear what coordinates, passion for life turns into lust for death. Or represents good and evil. Comedy or tragicomedy goes is it the same? After all, Freud had something like this directly to social and anthropological criticism where
in mind talking about Todestrieb. Besides, this person is through parody it all gets inevitably exaggerated. Mean- Director’s a post-Soviet individual, which means he is cynical and while, classic drama is the pure genre, perfect when desperate and does not believe in the major games of you want to tell a coherent and intriguing story, limiting statement ideologies anymore. He is searching for his own game, the “comments” of the screenwriters sitting backstage or because he does not want to conform to the absurdity of aesthetic ornamentation. My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated the games of those more powerful. This is the man that from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double stan- is steered by post-apocalyptic morale – for him the world You have worked in film-making, in theatre, and dard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. has already collapsed, so all that remains is to play the in advertising. The film is also a combination of Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves game for the last time. Thus the banal phrase “Life is various traditions of aesthetics and cinematogra- in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed a game” becomes its own ironic paraphrase: “Death is phy. What led you to such decision? collective egalitarianism was replaced with market also a game”. economy rules, in which you get as much as you man- I wanted the film to be visually rich, but not removed age to earn for yourself. This inevitably raises the question of morality. from reality. In addition, it had to be intriguing by not It looks like with your film you are trying to diag- only the story itself, but also by being sufficiently criti- This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral di- nose the crisis of morality. cal towards our social environment. In solving visual lemma that arises within the individual who was formed problems of similar “sharp documentaries”, I drew in the junction of different regimes. The main character Morality, ethics, conscience - these are the categories experience from the classics of the twentieth century of “The Gambler”, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. which, in the twenty-first century, are more and more reportage photography – Weegee (Arthur Fellig) and He belongs to the two conflicting systems. difficult to perceive without ambiguity. Religious and Enrique Metinides. They both, like no one else, could political devaluation, TV influence, pursuit of well-being see philosophical and aesthetic implications in dramatic His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which solely for oneself, and the universal search for entertain- street events. Through their mutilated physicality and are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens ment are continuously erasing limits, violation of which somewhat creepy pictures, an undoubtedly multi- to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and earlier would have been treated as a “transgression”. We layered resonance of meanings permeates. In the film life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he cre- are forced to confront the cruel ethical paradox and this we wanted to achieve a similar effect - something that ates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view confrontation causes a lot of disappointment and ag- displayed documentary images as the “second bottom”, of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner gression. This universal and global dilemma is revealed or realism through which metaphors and symbols of converge. in Lithuania in a specific way. Historic distrust of ideolo- human existence permeate. That’s why the film was shot gies, special hypocrisy formed in the Soviet system, by the sea and in the port of Klaipeda. It’s like a mar- This is an explosive mix for any moral system. makes us top-class anti-idealists. ginal situation between the water and the land, from which from the geographical reference point moves to Ignas Jonynas the inner state of the characters. Speaking of personal CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaCaSStt CCRReeWW CCRReeWW CaCaSStt
VytautasVytautas KaniusonisKaniusonis JanisJanis eeglitisglitis aarturasrturas PugaciauskasPugaciauskas VVIInnCCentaentaSS directordirector ofof photographyphotography soundsound directordirector // soundsound designerdesigner
BornBorn inin Murmansk,Murmansk, Russia,Russia, inin 1963.1963. InIn 19871987 successsuccess-- JanisJanis EglitisEglitis waswas bornborn inin 1968.1968. HeHe studiedstudied paintingpainting andand BornBorn inin 1964.1964. SoundSound director,director, soundsound designer,designer, producerproducer VincentasVincentas fullyfully completedcompleted thethe directingdirecting studiesstudies atat thethe UniversityUniversity acting,acting, butbut endedended upup workingworking inin aa documentarydocumentary filmfilm stustu-- ofof audioaudio recordings,recordings, asas wellwell asas audioaudio post-productionpost-production ofof VYTAUTASVYTAUTAS KANIUŠONISKANIUŠONIS ofof Klaipeda.Klaipeda. InIn 19921992 graduatedgraduated fromfrom thethe LithuanianLithuanian diodio asas anan assistantassistant cameracamera operator.operator. EglitisEglitis hashas beenbeen forfor-- films.films. AcademyAcademy ofof MusicMusic andand TheatreTheatre (LMTA),(LMTA), wherewhere hehe studiedstudied tunatetunate enoughenough toto havehave workedworked withwith thethe legendarylegendary filmfilm-- IevaIeva acting.acting. ShortlyShortly afterwardsafterwards hehe leftleft forfor Sweden,Sweden, wherewhere makersmakers JurisJuris Podnieks,Podnieks, AndrisAndris SeleckisSeleckis andand DavisDavis Simanis.Simanis. StartedStarted hishis careercareer inin 1987,1987, asas aa specialistspecialist ofof electronicelectronic OONAOONA MEKASMEKAS establishedestablished anan enterpriseenterprise andand ranran itit forfor 1010 years.years. DuringDuring LaterLater on,on, EglitisEglitis workedworked asas anan assistantassistant onon fictionfiction films,films, musicmusic instrumentsinstruments andand creatorcreator ofof synthesizersynthesizer sounds.sounds. thatthat timetime hehe hadhad nothingnothing toto dodo withwith theatre.theatre. However,However, inin quicklyquickly movingmoving onon toto doingdoing thethe filmingfilming himself.himself. HeHe thenthen BogdanasBogdanas 2004,2004, hehe returnedreturned toto LithuaniaLithuania andand completedcompleted mastermaster attendedattended thethe LatvianLatvian AcademyAcademy ofof CultureCulture andand gradugradu-- Later,Later, hehe workedworked withwith musicmusic recordingsrecordings rangingranging fromfrom ROMUALDROMUALD LAVRYNOVICLAVRYNOVIC studiesstudies inin directingdirecting underunder thethe academicacademic guidanceguidance ofof atedated withwith aa degreedegree inin cinematography.cinematography. EglitisEglitis continuescontinues pop,pop, rock,rock, andand jazzjazz toto classicalclassical symphonysymphony orchestras.orchestras. JonasJonas Vaitkus.Vaitkus. AsAs aa freelancefreelance actor,actor, hehe workedworked inin almostalmost toto dodo aa lotlot ofof filming,filming, workingworking withwith leading leading advertisingadvertising HisHis careercareer inin cinematiccinematic soundsound departmentdepartment startedstarted inin KaziukasKaziukas allall ofof thethe LithuanianLithuanian theatres,theatres, andand asas aa director,director, hehe andand musicmusic videovideo directorsdirectors inin Latvia,Latvia, LithuaniaLithuania andand RusRus-- TVTV films,films, later later –– cinematiccinematic featurettes.featurettes. Arturas’Arturas’ worksworks VALERIJUSVALERIJUS JEVSEJEVASJEVSEJEVAS workedworked onon numerousnumerous playsplays atat thethe “Menas”“Menas” theatre.theatre. SinceSince sia.sia. He’sHe’s filmedfilmed musicmusic videosvideos forfor suchsuch high-profilehigh-profile groupsgroups werewere highlyhighly acclaimedacclaimed byby filmfilm directorsdirectors andand producers,producers, 20092009 hashas beenbeen lecturinglecturing atat thethe LMTA,LMTA, wherewhere hehe teachesteaches asas MumiMumi Troll,Troll, B2,B2, Zemfira,Zemfira, KastaKasta andand Brainstorm.Brainstorm. ManyMany thereforetherefore hehe receivedreceived manymany proposalsproposals forfor designingdesigning thethe PoviliukasPoviliukas acting,acting, andand hashas beenbeen thethe artisticartistic directordirector ofof thethe “Menas”“Menas” ofof hishis filmsfilms andand commercialscommercials havehave receivedreceived awards.awards. soundsound ofof featurefeature films.films. LUKASLUKAS KERŠYSKERŠYS theatretheatre inin Panevežys.Panevežys. “The“The Gambler”Gambler” isis hishis firstfirst leading leading AlexeyAlexey Mizgerev’sMizgerev’s (Russia)(Russia) filmfilm “Convoy”“Convoy” participatedparticipated in in rolerole inin cinemacinema –– upup untiluntil now,now, hehe hashas playedplayed severalseveral thethe PanoramaPanorama programprogram atat thethe BerlinBerlin FilmFilm Festival,Festival, whilewhile ForFor impeccableimpeccable soundsound andand soundsound design,design, hehe waswas nominomi-- SkirutisSkirutis smallsmall partsparts inin bothboth LithuanianLithuanian andand foreignforeign films.films. AikAik Karapetian’sKarapetian’s filmfilm “People“People OutOut There”There” waswas featuredfeatured atat natednated forfor severalseveral nationalnational “Silver“Silver Crane”Crane” awards,awards, asas wellwell JONASJONAS VAITKUSVAITKUS thethe KarlovyKarlovy VaryVary FilmFilm Festival.Festival. asas thethe LatvianLatvian “Christopher”“Christopher” awards,awards, andand inin 20052005 hehe waswas awardedawarded atat thethe internationalinternational Clermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand shortshort filmfilm aantanasntanas festivalfestival (Prix(Prix dede lala MeilleureMeilleure CreationCreation Sonore).Sonore). AdditionAddition-- ARTURASARTURAS ŠABLAUSKASŠABLAUSKAS ally,ally, hehe hashas beenbeen nominatednominated forfor andand awardedawarded withwith severalseveral nationalnational “Bravo”“Bravo” musicmusic awards.awards. LiubartasLiubartas SIMONASSIMONAS LINDEŠISLINDEŠIS ForFor filmography,filmography, seesee imdb.com/Arturas imdb.com/Arturas PugaciauskasPugaciauskas
CaCaSStt CCRReeWW CCRReeWW CCRReeWW ooonaona MekasMekas nnerijuserijus nnarmontasarmontas UljanaUljana KimKim IeIeVVaa productionproduction designerdesigner producerproducer
TheThe daughterdaughter ofof filmmakerfilmmaker JonasJonas MekasMekas andand photogphotog-- BornBorn inin 1980.1980. StudiedStudied InformationInformation SocietySociety StudiesStudies atat BornBorn inin 1969.1969. GraduatedGraduated fromfrom thethe InstituteInstitute ofof CinemaCinema-- DirectorDirector CostumeCostume DesignerDesigner rapherrapher HollisHollis Melton,Melton, OonaOona beganbegan herher lovelove affairaffair withwith VilniusVilnius UniversityUniversity (2005-2006)(2005-2006) andand ArtsArts // SetSet DesignDesign atat tographytography inin MoscowMoscow (VGIK)(VGIK) inin 19931993 andand isis aa filmfilm criticcritic IGNASIGNAS JONYNASJONYNAS AUŠRAAUŠRA KLEIZAITEKLEIZAITE cinemacinema atat aa veryvery earlyearly age.age. SomeSome ofof herher firstfirst memoriesmemories VilniusVilnius FineFine ArtsArts AcademyAcademy (2000-2004).(2000-2004). byby education.education. SheShe beganbegan herher careercareer inin cinemacinema asas thethe ScriptwritersScriptwriters Make-upMake-up DesignerDesigner areare ofof darkdark theaterstheaters illuminatedilluminated byby thethe lightlight ofof aa projecprojec-- executiveexecutive producerproducer ofof thethe documentarydocumentary filmfilm “Pavasa“Pavasa-- tor,tor, watchingwatching filmsfilms byby everyoneeveryone fromfrom StanStan BrakhageBrakhage andand KRISTUPASKRISTUPAS SABOLIUSSABOLIUS EGLEEGLE MIKALAUSKAITEMIKALAUSKAITE HasHas beenbeen activelyactively workingworking onon commercialscommercials andand shortshort ris”ris” (Spring)(Spring) byby ValdasValdas Navasaitis,Navasaitis, whichwhich wonwon thethe bestbest IGNASIGNAS JONYNASJONYNAS HarryHarry SmithSmith toto BusterBuster KeatonKeaton andand SergioSergio Leone.Leone. SheShe films.films. shortshort filmfilm prizeprize in in thethe CinemaCinema dudu ReelReel in in 1997,1997, Paris,Paris, eeditorditor startedstarted herher filmfilm careercareer in in NewNew YorkYork City,City, programmingprogramming andand thethe mainmain prizeprize inin thethe OberhausenOberhausen inin 1998.1998. HerHer firstfirst DirectorDirector ofof PhotographyPhotography STASYSSTASYS ŽAKŽAK andand co-foundingco-founding aa seriesseries calledcalled FreshFresh FilmFilm forfor AntholAnthol-- “The“The Gambler”Gambler” isis hishis firstfirst fullfull length length featurefeature film.film. producedproduced full-lengthfull-length featurefeature filmfilm “Kiemas”“Kiemas” (Courtyard)(Courtyard) JANISJANIS EGLITISEGLITIS ogyogy FilmFilm Archives,Archives, aa filmfilm theatertheater andand archive,archive, wherewhere sheshe byby thethe samesame directordirector waswas presentedpresented inin CannesCannes inin 19991999 ScriptScript eeditorditor servesserves onon thethe board.board. TheseThese days,days, sheshe callscalls LosLos AngelesAngeles (Quinzaine(Quinzaine desdes realisateurs).realisateurs). TheThe secondsecond featurefeature filmfilm sheshe ProductionProduction DesignerDesigner FRANZFRANZ RODENKIRCHENRODENKIRCHEN homehome andand continuescontinues herher journeyjourney bothboth inin frontfront andand bebe-- producedproduced -- “Nuomos“Nuomos sutartis”sutartis” (The(The Lease)Lease) byby KristijonasKristijonas NERIJUSNERIJUS NARMONTASNARMONTAS hindhind thethe cameracamera asas anan actor,actor, writerwriter andand director.director. VildžiunasVildžiunas –– waswas includedincluded inin thethe VeniceVenice OfficialOfficial selectionselection ProducerProducer “Upstream““Upstream“ inin 2002,2002, andand anotheranother featurefeature film,film, whichwhich sheshe ooriginalriginal MusicMusic byby ULJANAULJANA KIMKIM THETHE BUSBUS produced,produced, entitledentitled „You„You amam I“I“ byby thethe samesame directordirector waswas Co-ProducerCo-Producer presentedpresented inin Cannes,Cannes, thethe officialofficial selectionselection “Un“Un CertainCertain SoundSound DirectorDirector // ROBERTSROBERTS VINOVSKISVINOVSKIS Regard“,Regard“, inin 2006.2006. SoundSound DesignerDesigner ARTURASARTURAS PUGACIAUSKASPUGACIAUSKAS eexecutivexecutive ProducerProducer SheShe hashas beenbeen runningrunning “Studio“Studio UljanaUljana Kim“,Kim“, whichwhich isis aa KRISTIJONASKRISTIJONAS PUIPAPUIPA leadingleading companycompany inin thethe productionproduction ofof full-lengthfull-length featurefeature SoundSound RecordistRecordist filmsfilms in in Lithuania.Lithuania. SAULIUSSAULIUS URBANAVICIUSURBANAVICIUS CastingCasting DOVILEDOVILE GASIUNAITEGASIUNAITE SinceSince 2004,2004, sheshe hashas beenbeen runningrunning thethe projectproject “Lithua“Lithua-- niannian FilmFilm PromotionPromotion andand informationinformation agency”.agency”. www.lfc.ltwww.lfc.lt
CCRReeWW CCRReeWW CCRReeWW
WithWith thethe supportsupport ofof ProductionProduction KristupasKristupas SaboliusSabolius tthehe BusBus RobertsRoberts VinovskisVinovskis STUDIOSTUDIO ULJANAULJANA KIMKIM AntakalnioAntakalnio 9494 –– 25,25, LT10202LT10202 VilniusVilnius | | LithuaniaLithuania scriptwriterscriptwriter originaloriginal musicmusic co-producerco-producer TheThe Culture Culture T/FT/F +370+370 5252 3434 7070 6060 SupportSupport MM +370+370 6969 9292 6565 5252 FoundationFoundation [email protected]@lfc.lt
MinistryMinistry of of KristupasKristupas Sabolius,Sabolius, bornborn inin 1979,1979, isis anan activeactive publicpublic intelintel-- TheThe BusBus isis aa LithuanianLithuanian musicmusic duoduo composedcomposed ofof PauliusPaulius RobertsRoberts VinovskisVinovskis waswas bornborn inin 1975,1975, inin Riga.Riga. HeHe studiedstudied CultureCulture of of the the LOCOMOTIVELOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONSPRODUCTIONS RepublicRepublic of of lectual,lectual, aa writerwriter andand anan AssociateAssociate ProfessorProfessor ofof PhilosoPhiloso-- KilbauskasKilbauskas andand DomasDomas Strupinskas,Strupinskas, bothboth ofof whomwhom havehave appliedapplied designdesign andand painting,painting, andand thenthen philosophyphilosophy atat LithuaniaLithuania BruniniekuBruninieku ielaiela 28-57,28-57, LV-1011,LV-1011, RigaRiga | | LatviaLatvia phyphy atat VilniusVilnius University.University. HeHe recentlyrecently publishedpublished “Furious“Furious aa historyhistory ofof producingproducing successfulsuccessful projects.projects. ToTo namename aa few:few: thethe UniversityUniversity ofof Latvia.Latvia. FromFrom 19911991 toto 19941994 hehe workedworked TT +371+371 2929 2929 8686 6767 Sleep”Sleep” (2012),(2012), aa bookbook onon imaginationimagination andand phenomphenom-- Empti,Empti, Dublicate,Dublicate, MIRMIR project,project, BangoBango Collective,Collective, NoNo DogDog atat JurisJuris Podnieks’Podnieks’ studio.studio. VinovskisVinovskis foundedfounded “Locomotive“Locomotive FF +371+371 6767 2929 8585 3838 enology.enology. SaboliusSabolius alsoalso wrotewrote severalseveral theatretheatre playsplays andand Barking,Barking, Overtone,Overtone, Dykumos,Dykumos, Snapsounds,Snapsounds, etc.etc. CurrentlyCurrently Productions”Productions” inin 19991999 andand continuescontinues toto workwork therethere today.today. [email protected]@locomotive.lv aa novelnovel (“Bad(“Bad Book”,Book”, 2006).2006). HeHe hashas collaboratedcollaborated withwith thisthis creativecreative collaborationcollaboration isis involvedinvolved inin makingmaking moviemovie VinovskisVinovskis hashas mademade severalseveral documentarydocumentary films,films, butbut in in contemporarycontemporary artists,artists, workedworked asas aa consultantconsultant forfor OskarasOskaras && gamegame soundtracks,soundtracks, butbut isis alwaysalways openopen toto newnew artisticartistic thethe lastlast fewfew yearsyears hashas activelyactively workedworked asas aa producerproducer WorldWorld SalesSales KoršunovasKoršunovas theatre,theatre, andand initiatedinitiated severalseveral culturalcultural projectsprojects challenges.challenges. TheirTheir soundsound isis recognizablerecognizable byby heavilyheavily disdis-- forfor bothboth fictionfiction andand documentarydocumentary filmsfilms thatthat havehave beenbeen (“One(“One MinuteMinute FilmFilm Festival”,Festival”, “Haiku“Haiku ToTo Vilnius”,Vilnius”, “Freshmen“Freshmen tortedtorted reverberantreverberant guitars,guitars, complexcomplex rhythms,rhythms, deepdeep warmwarm shownshown inin numerousnumerous internationalinternational festivals.festivals. TheThe featurefeature InternationalInternational SalesSales && Awards”).Awards”). HeHe alsoalso hostedhosted aa TVTV showshow onon LithuanianLithuanian andand analoganalog synthsynth lineslines andand hugehuge organicorganic soundscapes.soundscapes. filmfilm “The“The Gambler”Gambler” isis hishis firstfirst co-productionco-production with with Lithu Lithu-- ProductionProduction EuropeanEuropean TheatreTheatre atat LithuanianLithuanian NationalNational Broadcaster.Broadcaster. HisHis ania.ania. RobertsRoberts isis currentlycurrently workingworking onon aa LatvianLatvian –– GermanGerman 9,9, ruerue BleueBleue 7500975009 –– newestnewest bookbook onon cinemacinema andand imaginationimagination isis projectedprojected toto MoreMore info:info: www.thebus.ltwww.thebus.lt co-production,co-production, inin remembranceremembrance ofof thethe 100th100th anniveranniver-- ParisParis | | FranceFrance EntranceEntrance DoorDoor codecode 45804580 BB bebe publishedpublished inin NovemberNovember 2013.2013. sarysary sincesince thethe startstart ofof WWI.WWI. RobertsRoberts isis aa membermember ofof SecondSecond DoorDoor codecode 16021602 bothboth thethe LatvianLatvian FilmmakersFilmmakers UnionUnion andand thethe LatvianLatvian FilmFilm StairwellStairwell AA –– 3rd3rd floorfloor ProducersProducers Association.Association. TT +33+33 11 5353 9595 0404 6464 MM +33+33 66 7171 3434 3838 2222 FF +33+33 11 5353 9595 0404 6565 [email protected]@widemanagement.com
PressPress Inquiries Inquiries / /Media Media Relations Relations [email protected]@losejas.lt
TheThe GamblerGambler EmbassyEmbassy ofof Lithuania Lithuania inin Spain Spain www.losejas.ltwww.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
Press Inquiries / Media Relations [email protected]
The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt CaSt CReW CReW CaSt
Vytautas Kaniusonis Janis eglitis arturas Pugaciauskas VInCentaS director of photography sound director / sound designer
Born in Murmansk, Russia, in 1963. In 1987 success- Janis Eglitis was born in 1968. He studied painting and Born in 1964. Sound director, sound designer, producer Vincentas fully completed the directing studies at the University acting, but ended up working in a documentary film stu- of audio recordings, as well as audio post-production of VYTAUTAS KANIUŠONIS of Klaipeda. In 1992 graduated from the Lithuanian dio as an assistant camera operator. Eglitis has been for- films. Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), where he studied tunate enough to have worked with the legendary film- Ieva acting. Shortly afterwards he left for Sweden, where makers Juris Podnieks, Andris Seleckis and Davis Simanis. Started his career in 1987, as a specialist of electronic OONA MEKAS established an enterprise and ran it for 10 years. During Later on, Eglitis worked as an assistant on fiction films, music instruments and creator of synthesizer sounds. that time he had nothing to do with theatre. However, in quickly moving on to doing the filming himself. He then Bogdanas 2004, he returned to Lithuania and completed master attended the Latvian Academy of Culture and gradu- Later, he worked with music recordings ranging from ROMUALD LAVRYNOVIC studies in directing under the academic guidance of ated with a degree in cinematography. Eglitis continues pop, rock, and jazz to classical symphony orchestras. Jonas Vaitkus. As a freelance actor, he worked in almost to do a lot of filming, working with leading advertising His career in cinematic sound department started in Kaziukas all of the Lithuanian theatres, and as a director, he and music video directors in Latvia, Lithuania and Rus- TV films, later – cinematic featurettes. Arturas’ works VALERIJUS JEVSEJEVAS worked on numerous plays at the “Menas” theatre. Since sia. He’s filmed music videos for such high-profile groups were highly acclaimed by film directors and producers, 2009 has been lecturing at the LMTA, where he teaches as Mumi Troll, B2, Zemfira, Kasta and Brainstorm. Many therefore he received many proposals for designing the Poviliukas acting, and has been the artistic director of the “Menas” of his films and commercials have received awards. sound of feature films. LUKAS KERŠYS theatre in Panevežys. “The Gambler” is his first leading Alexey Mizgerev’s (Russia) film “Convoy” participated in role in cinema – up until now, he has played several the Panorama program at the Berlin Film Festival, while For impeccable sound and sound design, he was nomi- Skirutis small parts in both Lithuanian and foreign films. Aik Karapetian’s film “People Out There” was featured at nated for several national “Silver Crane” awards, as well JONAS VAITKUS the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. as the Latvian “Christopher” awards, and in 2005 he was awarded at the international Clermont-Ferrand short film antanas festival (Prix de la Meilleure Creation Sonore). Addition- ARTURAS ŠABLAUSKAS ally, he has been nominated for and awarded with several national “Bravo” music awards. Liubartas SIMONAS LINDEŠIS For filmography, see imdb.com/Arturas Pugaciauskas
CaSt CReW CReW CReW oona Mekas nerijus narmontas Uljana Kim IeVa production designer producer
The daughter of filmmaker Jonas Mekas and photog- Born in 1980. Studied Information Society Studies at Born in 1969. Graduated from the Institute of Cinema- Director Costume Designer rapher Hollis Melton, Oona began her love affair with Vilnius University (2005-2006) and Arts / Set Design at tography in Moscow (VGIK) in 1993 and is a film critic IGNAS JONYNAS AUŠRA KLEIZAITE cinema at a very early age. Some of her first memories Vilnius Fine Arts Academy (2000-2004). by education. She began her career in cinema as the Scriptwriters Make-up Designer are of dark theaters illuminated by the light of a projec- executive producer of the documentary film “Pavasa- tor, watching films by everyone from Stan Brakhage and KRISTUPAS SABOLIUS EGLE MIKALAUSKAITE Has been actively working on commercials and short ris” (Spring) by Valdas Navasaitis, which won the best IGNAS JONYNAS Harry Smith to Buster Keaton and Sergio Leone. She films. short film prize in the Cinema du Reel in 1997, Paris, editor started her film career in New York City, programming and the main prize in the Oberhausen in 1998. Her first Director of Photography STASYS ŽAK and co-founding a series called Fresh Film for Anthol- “The Gambler” is his first full length feature film. produced full-length feature film “Kiemas” (Courtyard) JANIS EGLITIS ogy Film Archives, a film theater and archive, where she by the same director was presented in Cannes in 1999 Script editor serves on the board. These days, she calls Los Angeles (Quinzaine des realisateurs). The second feature film she Production Designer FRANZ RODENKIRCHEN home and continues her journey both in front and be- produced - “Nuomos sutartis” (The Lease) by Kristijonas NERIJUS NARMONTAS hind the camera as an actor, writer and director. Vildžiunas – was included in the Venice Official selection Producer “Upstream“ in 2002, and another feature film, which she original Music by ULJANA KIM THE BUS produced, entitled „You am I“ by the same director was Co-Producer presented in Cannes, the official selection “Un Certain Sound Director / ROBERTS VINOVSKIS Regard“, in 2006. Sound Designer ARTURAS PUGACIAUSKAS executive Producer She has been running “Studio Uljana Kim“, which is a KRISTIJONAS PUIPA leading company in the production of full-length feature Sound Recordist films in Lithuania. SAULIUS URBANAVICIUS Casting DOVILE GASIUNAITE Since 2004, she has been running the project “Lithua- nian Film Promotion and information agency”. www.lfc.lt
CReW CReW CReW
With the support of Production Kristupas Sabolius the Bus Roberts Vinovskis STUDIO ULJANA KIM Antakalnio 94 – 25, LT10202 Vilnius | Lithuania scriptwriter original music co-producer The Culture T/F +370 52 34 70 60 Support M +370 69 92 65 52 Foundation [email protected]
Ministry of Kristupas Sabolius, born in 1979, is an active public intel- The Bus is a Lithuanian music duo composed of Paulius Roberts Vinovskis was born in 1975, in Riga. He studied Culture of the LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCTIONS Republic of lectual, a writer and an Associate Professor of Philoso- Kilbauskas and Domas Strupinskas, both of whom have applied design and painting, and then philosophy at Lithuania Bruninieku iela 28-57, LV-1011, Riga | Latvia phy at Vilnius University. He recently published “Furious a history of producing successful projects. To name a few: the University of Latvia. From 1991 to 1994 he worked T +371 29 29 86 67 Sleep” (2012), a book on imagination and phenom- Empti, Dublicate, MIR project, Bango Collective, No Dog at Juris Podnieks’ studio. Vinovskis founded “Locomotive F +371 67 29 85 38 enology. Sabolius also wrote several theatre plays and Barking, Overtone, Dykumos, Snapsounds, etc. Currently Productions” in 1999 and continues to work there today. [email protected] a novel (“Bad Book”, 2006). He has collaborated with this creative collaboration is involved in making movie Vinovskis has made several documentary films, but in contemporary artists, worked as a consultant for Oskaras & game soundtracks, but is always open to new artistic the last few years has actively worked as a producer World Sales Koršunovas theatre, and initiated several cultural projects challenges. Their sound is recognizable by heavily dis- for both fiction and documentary films that have been (“One Minute Film Festival”, “Haiku To Vilnius”, “Freshmen torted reverberant guitars, complex rhythms, deep warm shown in numerous international festivals. The feature International Sales & Awards”). He also hosted a TV show on Lithuanian and analog synth lines and huge organic soundscapes. film “The Gambler” is his first co-production with Lithu- Production European Theatre at Lithuanian National Broadcaster. His ania. Roberts is currently working on a Latvian – German 9, rue Bleue 75009 – newest book on cinema and imagination is projected to More info: www.thebus.lt co-production, in remembrance of the 100th anniver- Paris | France Entrance Door code 4580 B be published in November 2013. sary since the start of WWI. Roberts is a member of Second Door code 1602 both the Latvian Filmmakers Union and the Latvian Film Stairwell A – 3rd floor Producers Association. T +33 1 53 95 04 64 M +33 6 71 34 38 22 F +33 1 53 95 04 65 [email protected]
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The Gambler Embassy of Lithuania in Spain www.losejas.lt