𝗣𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻
The “Pioneers: Lithuanian Documentaries Directed by Women” program of the Media Education and Research Center Meno Avilys presents three newly restored documentaries created by female directors: Antanina Pavlova, Diana and Kornelijus Matuzevičius, and Janina Lapinskaitė. The films of the program, curated by Dr. Lina Kaminskaitė, unfold by developing original themes, distinct documentary genres, and different aesthetic means. Pavlova’s observational documentary, The Birth of a Character (1967), captures the everyday life of kindergarten children. A Local (2000) by Matuzevičius explores the hybrid identity of a Klaipėda region resident, Hilda Spalvienė. Lapinskaitė’s Venus with a Cat (1997) offers three portraits of sitters in which different life experiences and bodies transpire. This program aims to draw attention to little-known films of the first female filmmakers in Lithuania.
The curator of the program Dr. Lina Kaminskaitė is a film and culture historian, audiovisual media researcher, Associate Professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, and the Head of the Department of Art History and Theory. In Meno Avilys, she curates archival film programs and initiates film studies, including the national digitization of audiovisual heritage, the project Sinemateka.lt, and an inquiry into gender equality in the Lithuanian film industry. Kaminskaitė is the co-author and editor of three books: Episodes for the Last Film: Director Almantas Grikevičius (with Dr. Aurimas Švedas, 2012), Cinema in Soviet Lithuania: System, Films, Directors (with Dr. Anna Mikonis-Railienė, 2015), and In Focus: Women in the Lithuanian Film (with Dr. Natalija Arlauskaitė, 2022).

𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙧:
https://menoavilys.org/en/pioneers-lithuanian/

This program is a part of the digitized and restored Lithuanian audiovisual heritage project Sinemateka.lt, carried out by Meno Avilys.
Curated by Dr. Lina Kaminskaitė / Meno Avilys
Coordinated by Gerda Paliušytė
Image restored by Jonas Zagorskas
Sound restored by Vytis Puronas
Information partner: LRT
Financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture
The digitization and restoration of the program’s films were implemented in cooperation with the Lithuanian Central State Archive and the Lithuanian National Radio and Television.