Competition Programme  

The film tells the story about the dwellers of the village of Saleninkai situated where the Rivers Neris and Šventoji meet. It has been ages since the last ferry crossed the river and buses do not run here anymore. The only means of transport here is by boat. Close to the village is the Jonava chemical factory. Twenty years ago there was a chemical spill and a dozen of families still live on the polluted land. People here live on allowances and pensions, and once in a while take temporary jobs. This story is about the emotionally and physically hard life in this remote village, about its dwellers who take the bad with the good, live with hope and dreams of better life, and about the river which is the people’s only way to reach the world on the other bank.

Festivals and Awards

National Silver Crane Film and Television Awards, Lithuania (2010) – the Best Documentary Film
International Film Festival Dokumenta Madrid, Spain (2010) – the First Jury Prize
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Czech Republic (2010) – the Best Short Documentary
Florence’s Festival dei Popoli, Italy (2009) – Audience Award
Lithuanian Filmmakers Union Award for the Best Documentary Film (2009)

Rimantas Gruodis

He was born in 1946 in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Soon after graduation, he started working at the Lithuanian Film Studio as a cameraman’s assistant, and later as a director’s assistant on feature films as well as an editor and a director of newsreels and documentaries. All his life was related with film in one way or another – as a child he dubbed films and acted in numerous television and radio plays. In 1977 he graduated from Vilnius University where he had studied journalism. Since 1991 he has been an independent film director, producer and cameraman, and is a member of the Lithuanian Filmmakers Union. His films have been shown at international film festivals in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Hungary, Estonia, the US and others as well as on Lithuanian and foreign television stations. Libraries and museums in Denmark, Germany, France and the US have his films in their collections.

Selected Filmography

The Milky Way / Pieno kelias – Paukščių takas (2008)
The Tiny Birds of God / Dievo paukšteliai (2005)
Dolls / Lėlės (2004)
The Scarecrow / Kaliausė (2002)
The Territory / Teritorija (1999)
A Farewell to Sorrow / Lik sveikas, liūdesy (1996)
The Pain / Slogutis (1995)
And then Likondo Was Created / ... ir tada sukūrė Likondą (1978)

Julija Gruodienė

She was born in 1943 in Liauriškės village in the Kaišiadorys region of Lithuania. In 1966 she graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University. After graduation she worked as a translator and editor for Mintis publishing house. In 1984 she turned to cinematography and made a career in filmmaking, first working at Lithuanian Film Studio as an editor and scriptwriter for the newsreels and documentaries and then in Lithuanian television during 1994 – 2002. Since 2002 she is an independent film director and scriptwriter, also writing articles for film and cultural journals. Since 1994 she has been making films with her husband Rimantas Gruodis, who is an independent filmmaker and producer. Their films have been screened and awarded at international film festivals. She is a member of the Lithuanian Filmmakers Union.

Selected Filmography

The Milky Way / Pieno kelias – Paukščių takas (2008)
The Brass Band / Brasbendas (2006)
The Tiny Bords of God /Dievo paukšteliai (2005)