Mana rajons: Pietinis

Rimantas Kmita’s novel Pietinia Kronikas has sparked a wave of interest in Šiauliai’s Pietinis District. What did it mean to grow up and live in this “wild” district? What is special about the Soviet urban architecture and could it have caused the social problems that were prevalent here? Julijus Aleksovas, lead singer of the band Colours of Bubbles, who hails from Pietinis, talks to prominent local people and architectural experts about this. The courtyards of the block of flats, steeped in legend, fuel curiosity and nostalgia, while musical interludes and archive footage from the 1980s, the formative years of Pietinis, complement the conversations about the district.

Julija Juknaitė

Julija Juknaitė graduated in piano from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, then turned to filmmaking, directing concerts in various styles – from classical to rave – and making music clips. In 2021, she founded her own production studio “Subito Anšlagas” and initiated the documentary series Faces of Districts. Starting with the TV documentary Faces of Districts: Markučiai, this year the director is making her debut at the VDFF with her first feature-length documentary Mana rajons: Pietinis.