Retrospective of Audrius Stonys’ films – at the Centre Pompidou in Paris

In November, the Lithuanian Film Centre and the National Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture will organise a retrospective of the works of Audrius Stonys, one of the most prominent Lithuanian documentary filmmakers, in Paris. 7-18 November, documentary film lovers will have the unique opportunity to see a major retrospective of the director's films for the first time in France. The programme includes twenty of Stonys' films covering the period from 1989 to 2018. 

The event will open on 7 November with screenings of “Bridges of Time” (2018) and “Flying Over Blue Fields” (1996). The main highlight of the retrospective will be a talk by the filmmaker himself on the opening and other days of the event about documentary cinema and his films, and on 9 November, film students and visitors to the Centre Pompidou will be able to take part in a masterclass by Stonys.

During this more than a week-long event, screenings will include Stonys' first short film, “Open the Door to Him who Comes” (1989), “Earth of the Blind” (1992) which was recognized as the best documentary film in Europe, and “Alone” (2001), a film that has a special place among Stonys' works.

Participants of the event will be the first to have an opportunity to see the films “The Apostle of Ruins” (1993) and “Uku Ukai” (2006), which were restored this year by the Lithuanian Film Centre. The collection will also include earlier versions of films restored and digitized by the Lithuanian Film Centre and Meno Avilys.

The audience will also be invited to see the director's later films “Woman and the Glacier” (2016) and “Ramin” (2011). In these films, an unhurried viewer will discover the space left for them to understand the emotions, memories and desires experienced by the characters. 

One of the most prominent representatives of Lithuanian documentary cinema, director Audrius Stonys is a recipient of the National Culture and Art Prize (2002) and his films have been awarded at many international film festivals. 

The project is part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024. Lithuanian Season in France 2024 is organised by: In Lithuania: Lithuanian Culture Institute under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in France, commissioner - Virginija Vitkienė.