Lithuania’s version of the Oscars – the Silver Crane Awards – were awarded to the country’s best filmmakers on November 22. Nova Lituania, a period drama about a 1930’s geography professor and his wild idea of establishing a “backup” Lithuania in Madagascar, won six awards out of 12 nominations, including best film of 2020. The documentary Animus Animalis (A Story about People, Animals and Things) received three Silver Cranes. The Silver Crane awards were organized after a one-year break, with nominations including films from 2019 and 2020.
The best 2019 film award went to Summer Survivors, a road movie about a nurse and two young mental hospital patients battling their issues while driving across the country. The film also won the best actress Silver Crane for Indrė Patkauskaitė and the audience award.
The Silver Crane awards are organised by the Audiovisual Works Copyright Association (AVAKA).
Best Film 2019: Summer Survivors (Išgyventi vasarą, dir. Marija Kavtaradzė); Best Film 2020: Nova Lituania (dir. Karolis Kaupinis); Best Documentary: Animus Animalis (dir. Aistė Žegulytė); Best Animated Film: The Juggler (Žonglierius, dir. Skirmanta Jakaitė); Best Short Film: Community Gardens (Kolektyviniai sodai, dir. Vytautas Katkus); Best Director: Karolis Kaupinis (Nova Lituania); Best Screenplay: Karolis Kaupinis (Nova Lituania); Best Actress: Indrė Patkauskaitė (Summer Survivors); Best Actor: Valentinas Novopolskis (Oleg); Best Supporting Actress: Rasa Samuolytė (Nova Lituania); Best Supporting Actor: Vaidotas Martinaitis (Nova Lituania); Best Score: Agnė Matulevičiūtė, Domas Strupinskas (Isaac / Izaokas); Best Cinematography: Narvydas Naujalis (Isaac); Best Sound Direction: Jonas Maksvytis (Animus Animalis); Best Editing: Mikas Žukauskas (Animus Animalis); Best Art Direction: Audrius Dumikas (Nova Lituania); Best Co-Production: Oleg (Olegas, dir. Juris Kursietis, Latvia, Belgium, Lithuania, France). Life Achievement Golden Crane: producer Kęstutis Petrulis; Green Crane for Environmental Film: Acid Forest (Rūgštus miškas, dir. Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė). Trailers are available on the website LRT.lt.
Adapted from a report on LRT.lt
