Marija Kavtaradze received the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival 2023 for Slow.

The film is an intimate love story between a modern dancer, Elena, and a sign language interpreter, Dovydas, who are finding ways to get intimate and to have a relationship despite the fact that Dovydas is asexual.

Greta Grinevičiūtė and Kęstutis Cicėnas play the main characters.

Maria Razgutė produced the film through Lithuania's M-Films in coproduction with Spanish Frida Films and Swedish Garagefilms. The Lithuanian Film Centre, the Institute of Cinematography / Ministry of Culture and Sport / Spanish Government, the Swedish Film Institute, Creative Europe MEDIA, Axencia Galega das Industrias Culturais / Xunta de Galicia, and the Sweden-Lithuania Cooperation Fund supported the project.

“In the fall, the film will travel not only through Lithuania, but also through the USA at the same time: Slow will be presented in various cities, which are preparing screenings of contenders for the Oscars. Experienced local partners will help us reach those several thousand members of the Academy, whose votes will decide who will go to the next stage of the Oscars selection”, producer Marija Razgutė said in a press release issued by the Lithuanian Film Centre.

The French outfit Totem Films is handling the sales. In Lithuania the film will be released on 22 September 2023.

The shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category will be announced on 21 December 2023, the nominees will be known on 23 January 2024 and the 96th Academy Awards will be held on 10 March 2024.