SHORT FILM PROGRAMME
SKALVIJA: December 7th
From the classic, scientific gaze of Jean Painlevé, albeit one that does not fit into the strict framework of the genre, to the gaze of an AI turned ornithologist, this program of short films examines the changing relationship with animals. Different periods, geographical coordinates, and means of expression, all come together in a common effort to better understand and convey the animal world.
VAMPIRE
Dir. Jean Painlevé | France | 1945 | 9 min | French | subtitles in English, Lithuanian
Jean Painlevé’s short Vampire draws the connection between the movie monsters of the same name and the South American vampire bat. The animal’s gruesome feeding habits are on full display.
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CAMEL
Dir. Ibrahim Shaddad | Sudan | 1981 | 14 min | no dialogue
This short by Ibrahim Shaddad of the Sudanese Film Group is a report from the life of a camel, most of which plays out in a dreary, small room – a sesame mill.
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LAST LOST
Dir. Eve Heller | USA | 1996 | 13 min | no dialogue
Last Lost is a silent film in spirit, trying to speak without words, like some dreams, made out of fragments of a home market movie about a chimpanzee`s high adventures at Coney Island.
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AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Dir. Sebastian Mulder | Netherlands | 2023 | 21 min | Dutch | subtitles in English, Lithuanian
Without commentary, but still loud and clear, this short documentary shows how animals experience fireworks on New Year’s Eve. We follow the mounting stress of animals and their owners, from the perspective of dogs wearing GoPros.
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SONG OF THE FIREFLY
Dir. Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof | Canada | 2002 | 5 min | no dialogue
A visual poem which utilises the cameraless photogram technique. The film transports the viewer to an open field on a warm summer night where the luminous dance of the fireflies can be experienced.
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NEAREST NEIGHBOR
Dir. Rebecca Baron, Douglas Goodwin | USA | 2023 | 22 min | English | subtitles in Lithuanian
Nearest Neighbor explores the relationship between technology and the living, applied here to birds. In this film, transhumanist AI technologies turn into ornithologists, resulting in some unlikely and absurdly comical scenarios.
