In the new documentary – the story of the secret Lithuanian military squad in 1991

Lithuania, 1991. Independence has already been declared, but Soviet tanks are still in the country. Step by step, Lithuanian armed forces are being restored, and it is decided to form a secret rapid response unit. Today, it's a little-known fact, that majority of that unit consisted of eighteen-year-olds, who took inspiration from action films of the 80s and 90s. This unheard story will be revealed in the documentary "The L-Team", the premiere of which is scheduled for the end of 2017.

The story of the secret squad reminds of a tense action movie. The squad was formed at the time when there was tension in Lithuania and the country's border posts were frequently attacked. The tragic events culminated in the Medininkai massacre in summer of 1991, when the OMON gunmen killed seven unarmed Lithuanian border guards.

The special task force set up by the Lithuanian military had to carry out the most dangerous tasks and protect Seimas during the August Putsch events. The squad consisted of 13 strongest youths selected according to the strictest criteria. This squad was led by Pranas Kasteckas, nicknamed "Bone Breaker".

"In making 'The L-Team', I don't want a boring story with just 'talking heads'. This will be a playful story, full of youth enthusiasm. It will portray personal experience of the young fighters and their efforts in preparing to fight for the fate of their country, and the fears and risks in the face of real danger. The film and its characters will touch the not yet forgotten and painful subject to Lithuanians – the fight for their own freedom and for the freedom of their country," – says the film's director Andrius Lekavičius.

The film will reveal not only the greatly individual stories of young people, but also convey the nostalgic spirit of the period – through music, colours, animation, styling of action films and video games.

"Archival footage shared by the former commander of the squad, Pranas Kasteckas, reminds of the VHS-cassette era films with the idols of martial arts Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Amazing stories of the young men, which were not captured in archival pictures, will be recreated by animation, which will remind of the old 'pixelated' video games," – the director describes the style of the film.

According to him, in this film "for boys", there will be plenty of martial arts, weapons, aircraft and male friendship, but also the motif of love will appears.

Development work and teaser production for the film "The L-Team" was partly financed by Lithuanian Film Centre and Ministry of Defence. The film premiere is slated for a year later – 23 November 2017, on the Day of Lithuanian Armed Forces.

Teaser for "The L-Team" film: goo.gl/8c4z2Y