1. What are your hopes and expectations from Emerging Producers?
I expect to meet one or two people that I will work or make friends with in the future. That is what is most important for me in film industry - people I can trust, collaborate with and enjoy working with.
2. What are YOU bringing to Emerging Producers?
I want to give back what I expect to get: myself as a partner and friend with my experience, ideas and thoughts.
3. What is the position of documentary film in your country?
I think at the moment we are experiencing a very fluid situation. On one hand we have young generations of filmmakers exploring and trying to find their place on the continuous journey of poetic documentary that Lithuania and other East European countries are famous for. But they get very little financial support, or it would be better to say it’s very difficult to fund them nationally because we have only one source: the Lithuanian Film Center. So that’s why young people do not stay long here and choose other paths that provide more recourses for both their creative and living needs.
On the other hand I can feel the tendency of TV documentaries has crossed the invisible border and people start discussing if this is the way to go – to make more, cheaper, better- selling products. I personally believe in the impact of high quality culture but it requires patience, trust and support. We’ll see what happens.
4. What are the coproduction possibilities for documentary producers in your country?
At the moment they are vague. I have done several projects as a minority co-producer: Julia dir. J.Jackie Baier, produced by Gamma Bak Filmproduktion (DE) and J.Jackie Baier Filmproduktion (DE); Marina House, dir. D.Rust, produced by Vita Aktiva (RU); but till now it is the exception rather than the rule. The situation should change from the next year because we are supposed to have special funding for minority coproductions. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for it because for a long time that we kept on asking without having the possibility of giving something back.
We have very pessimistic situation with national broadcaster. They do not coproduce and rarely buys film. I do not believe this situation will change soon. But they have many well- organized archives that sometimes are of bigger value than financial support.
5. What are your thoughts on the system of funding of documentary films today?
I think we cannot speak about funding without considering all the other processes of documentary making because it is becoming less and less of a linear process nowadays. Sometimes you can get support at the concept stage on crowdfunding platforms and make a film in one year. Sometimes it takes years of travelling and pitching and you start getting any real support while already editing the film. So it is good that we have many choices but I will repeat myself here by saying I’m a fan of artistic projects that have always been the subject of state support. So I’m happy with every new door opening, as long as they do not close the ones that already exist.
6. Which producer is your inspiration and ideal?
During different periods of my life I had different teachers. But the common thing among them was that they have always inspired me to look for inspiration inside myself and compete with the only one person: myself.
Contact information:
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