The film “Toxic” by Saulė Bliuvaitė is nominated for the European Film Award

The European Film Academy, the organiser of Europe's most important film awards, has announced this year's nominees. Saulė Bliuvaitė's debut film “Toxic” (Lithuanian: “Akiplėša”) will compete for the European Discovery Award – the prize of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. The winners will be announced at the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 7 December.

This is not the first time that Saulė Bliuvaitė has been involved in the European Film Awards and the FIPRESCI European Discovery nomination. In 2020, “Isaac”, directed by Jurgis Matulevičius, was nominated for the same prize, and this film was co-written by S. Bliuvaitė and co-edited by her. “Toxic” is only the third Lithuanian film to be nominated in this category of the European Film Awards, the first being “Three Days” by Šarūnas Bartas in 1992.

“Toxic” has already won a total of 8 international awards and 10 nominations. 

After its world première in Locarno, “Toxic” has already been screened in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Helsinki (Finland), Manaki Brothers (North Macedonia), Warsaw (Poland), Chicago (USA), Calgary (Canada), Vancouver (Canada), Reykjavik (Iceland), Leiden (Netherlands), Ghent (Belgium), Adelaide (Australia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and other international festivals. 

The debut film of Saulė Bliuvaitė, “Toxic” follows two girls entering adolescence in their search for identity in a grim industrial area where curiosity and danger exist as inseparable from each other. The 13-year-old girls do not yet know what beauty, sexuality and love mean to them, so they are guided by the perceptions of their backyard friends and they try to replicate what is considered "normal" in their environment. “Toxic” is a film about the desire to fit in and the price we pay when we try to achieve perfection.

Lithuanian audiences will be able to see “Toxic” in spring 2025. The leading roles were played by debuting actresses Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė, the film also stars Giedrius Savickas, Eglė Gabrėnaitė, Vilma Raubaitė. Cinematography: Vytautas Katkus, Production Designer: Paulius Aničas, Composer: Gediminas Jakubka, Producer: Giedrė Burokaitė, Executive Producer: Justė Michailinaitė. The film was partially funded by the Lithuanian Film Centre.