New film by Arūnas Matelis was presented at the foot of the most difficult mountain of Giro d'Italia

With one of the biggest cycling races in the world Giro d'Italia approaching, which attracts annually global audience of nearly 800 million viewers, and its online reach has over a billion unique users, presentation of the main and crucial stage of this year's race and one of its most demanding climbs in Europe, Monte Zoncolan, took place in Sutrio, Italy.  At the presentation of the legendary race, special regard has been paid to the most recent documentary about cycle sport that is in development by director Arūnas Matelis, with the title "Gladiators. Another Planet".

For the circle of almost a thousand of distinguished guests, including Olympic champions, football stars and politicians, not only the crucial stage of Giro d'Italia was presented, but also the idea for the new documentary film that has received major response from the Italian press. Most of the guests were fascinated by the idea that the film is to be made not about cycling champions, but about Gregories - those who help team leaders to achieve victories despite their own injuries, they often rise after the falls and continue the race not for themselves or their own victories, but to help their team leaders to win the competition. This is a kind of order or group of gladiators, that lives by its own code of honour unknown to the outside world, and unwritten rules of sports.

The next day, media coverage of the event focused not on the most demanding climb in Europe , Monte Zoncolan, but on the Lithuanian film, about which "Il Gazzettino" wrote: 40 years after the release of the movie "Stars and Watercarriers", heroes of Giro d'Italia will be immortalized again thanks to the film "Gladiators. Another planet".

"Messaggero Veneto": <…> the best news of the event is that the most impressive mountain of Europe will be immortalized in a new movie".

On the eve of the event, Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Fund, to which projects are submitted by famous Italian filmmakers, winners of Oscars and major festivals, decided that the film in was to be rated as the second by the overall rating, letting ahead only a feature film.     

Exclusive rights to the shooting of the auteur film were obtained after several decades. The forthcoming film is a co-production of several countries. Partners of the film in are Lithuanian Film Centre and Lietuvos rytas TV which will show the film in .