Zero Copy Reel

Dar nešiojamės vakarykščio vakaro šilumą – ačiū visiems, kurie susitikote su mumis jaukioje peržiūroje Kaune, Kultura Kavine kiemelyje.

Didžiajame ekrane žiūrėjome pirmąją dokumentinio serialo „Trys draugai. Sulaužytas pianinas ir kitos istorijos“ seriją, o prieš seansą trumpai pasikalbėjome apie jo kūrimą ir pagrindinius herojus.

Ačiū visiems, kurie atėjote, žiūrėjote ir vakarykštį vakarą praleidote kartu. Buvo gera susitikti ir pajusti, kad Jurgio Mačiūno, Jono Meko ir Vytauto Landsbergio istorijos vis dar įkvepia kalbėtis ir diskutuoti apie draugystę, kūrybą ir laisvę.

Už kvietimą ir bendrystę dėkojame diskusijos moderatorei Vilma Dobilaite Kauno menininkų namai / Kaunas Artists' House, Kauno paveikslų galerija ir Kultura Kavine.

Esame dėkingi Jurgiui Mačiūnui ir FLUXUS judėjimui!

Iki kitų susitikimų!

Zero Copy Reel family had the pleasure of joining the Baltic Sea Docs family for its special 30th anniversary edition!

We presented our documentary project SEE WHAT I SAY (Žiūrėk, ką sakau!), pitched by director Arturas Jevdokimovas, producer Ringailė Leščinskienė, and co-producer Ivanna Khitsinska from WAYA Production, Ukraine.

We were very happy to have inspiring one-on-one meetings with Thomas Beyer (MDR), Nevena Milašinović (Lightdox), Sophie Mulphin (FIFDH), Jota Salinas (Jambika Docs), Marianna Kaat (PÖFF), Julie Nederkorn (Movies That Matter), Charlotte Gry Madsen (SVT), Liina Murd (Estonian Public Broadcasting), Aleksandra Derewienko (Cat & Docs), Giannis Smoilis (Thessaloniki IFF), and Anja Dziersk (Rise and Shine).

So grateful to have been part of it – and especially happy to meet and reconnect with so many dear colleagues again this year. 💙

We are currently presenting our film project SEE WHAT I SAY (Lithuanian title: „Žiūrėk, ką sakau!“) at the Baltic Sea Docs forum in Riga.

We are happy to be among the six Lithuanian documentary projects taking part in the forum. We invite you to read the article by Lietuvos kino centras to learn more about our film and the other participating projects.

Last week, from August 31 to September 5, our producer Ringailė Leščinskienė travelled to Ukraine. The journey had several important missions.

Odesa International Film Festival invited us to present our documentary project, DNA of the Nation, at one of its industry events. We returned home with two awards for the project’s pitch.

At the same time, we connected this journey with another film currently in development – SEE WHAT I SAY film director Arturas Jevdokimovas, which we are producing together with our Ukrainian co-producer Ivanna Khitsinska and WAYA Production.

Our protagonist Arnas Dambrauskas joined the trip to Ukraine. Arnas is a young photographer and passionate traveller who wanted to see and understand for himself what is happening in Ukraine today. The journey was organised with the help of our dear friend Algirdas Stonys, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in humanitarian initiatives supporting Ukraine.

Our main goals were to take Arnas safely to Ukraine, meet Kyiv’s Deaf community, learn about the challenges Deaf people face during the war, and continue our search for the film’s third protagonist – a Deaf bartender.

Together with our co-producer Ivanna Khitshinska, Ringailė and Arnas met members of Kyiv’s Deaf community during a rehearsal for their theatre performance. As they observed the creative process, they got to know the community, listened to their stories and tried to gain a deeper understanding of their everyday lives during the war.

The rehearsal, however, had to be interrupted and everyone had to leave quickly when explosions began in the city. What we often perceive from afar as little more than news headlines is everyday reality in Kyiv – a reality in which people must decide, in the moment, where to take shelter, how to alert the person beside them and how to stay safe.

And yet, even under these conditions, the deaf community continues to come together, rehearse, create, communicate and live.

This journey was about more than searching for another protagonist. It was a genuine encounter with people whose language, experiences and ways of seeing the world will become an important part of the journey of SEE WHAT I SAY.

Together with Arnas, we also attended the Odesa International Film Festival’s industry events and awards ceremony. It was Arnas’s first international film festival. We are delighted that he not only had the opportunity to experience the festival, but also formed new friendships with film professionals. We also learned that Arnas had become the first Deaf Lithuanian to visit Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

We also met with representatives of the Lietuvos ambasada Ukrainoje / Посольство Литви в Українi and Ambassador Inga Tolockienė. We introduced them to our upcoming film and asked for their support in helping us bring this important story to the screen.

We are deeply grateful to Kyiv’s Deaf community UTOG Українське товариство глухих and its leader Tetyana Korniienko, as well as to Lithuania’s Ambassador in Ukraine, Inga Tolockienė, for their warm welcome, openness and trust. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Stasys Museum and Daiva Liaugaudaitė - Adašiūnienė for supporting Arnas’s participation and granting him time away from work to undertake this important journey with us.

We are especially grateful to Lithuania’s Cultural Attaché in Ukraine, Tomas Ivanauskas, who accompanied and supported us throughout our entire journey. His presence, care and invaluable assistance meant a lot to us.

Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦

What an unforgettable evening for DNA of the Nation!

Our film received two awards in the Work in Progress category at the Odesa International Film Festival:

Best Project Award — with a financial prize from UP HUB
Special Award from Cinema Sound UA Production — Dolby Atmos/5.1 sound post-production services

Our producer Ringailė Leščinskienė made a special trip from Lithuania to Kyiv to present the project together with film director Ivan Sautkin and producer, sister in crime, Ivanna Khitsinska.

This recognition means so much at this stage. It gives us energy, confidence, and the feeling that this story truly resonates.

We are thankful to all jury members and the Odesa International Film Festival for recognising the project.

Grateful to Babylon'13 and WAYA Production for the trust, partnership and believing in this film from the very beginning.

Directed by Ivan Sautkin.
Produced by Ringailė Leščinskienė and Ivanna Khitsinska
A co-production between Babylon'13, WAYA Production and Zero Copy Reel Arturas Jevdokimovas

Congratulations to the whole team — this is ours!

This week has been a special one for SEE WHAT I SAY!

On August 26, we started the day with a visit to the Lietuvos kurčiųjų draugija, where we had the pleasure of meeting President Vaida Lukošiūtė, Vice President Paulius Jurjonas, and Project Manager Donata Lukošienė.

We shared SEE WHAT I SAY and our interactive VR/XR project SIGN, talked about what we are creating, and discussed possibilities for collaboration. Thank you for welcoming us and taking the time to talk with us.

Later that day, we headed to Marijampolė for UŽDARAS MENAS, the closing event organised by the art and culture space Užtvanka.

One of the protagonists of SEE WHAT I SAY, Arnas Dambrauskas, together with members of the Marijampolė Deaf community, presented a photography exhibition featuring work created during their photography workshops.

It was wonderful to see the photographs exhibited and to spend time with the people who created them. A big thanks to Rugilė Baronienė, Laumė Lunaria for welcoming us in Marijampolė.

On August 27, it was time for Elektrit – the bar at the centre of the Lithuanian chapter of SEE WHAT I SAY! We came to take another look at the location ahead of filming and met with Justina Čiplytė, one of the protagonists of our film.

A full couple of days for SEE WHAT I SAY, and we’re very happy to see the film moving forward.

More to come.

Link to the Marijampolės Televizija announcement in the comments.

Hey! We’re so happy to share that our documentary project SEE WHAT I SAY has been selected for Baltic Sea Docs!

This is where we’ll officially begin presenting the project, and we’re truly excited to take this first step in Riga, as guests of our Latvian neighbours and friends.

We look forward to introducing the project to the international documentary community.

See you soon in Riga!

Thank you to the Lietuvos kino centras for supporting us!