21/09/2012 - The Lithuanian festival will open with the Swiss film directed by Ursula Meier

The Kaunas International Film Festival will host the Lithuanian premiere of Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
interview: Ursula Meier
film profile] (L'enfant d'en haut (2012)) during its opening night on September 26. Directed by Ursula Meier Sister (which was the recipient of a Silver Bear at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival) is the story of a young boy and his sister who are growing up in a small Swiss town. Focusing on the difficulties of moving into adulthood in a place where not much is seemingly going on, the film is a poetic, haunting and beautiful work that has enraptured audiences. The festival will also present an entire retrospective of Meier’s work in association with Swiss Films.

Another retrospective will focus upon the work of the Swedish director Roy Andersson, whose long career has included such films as Swedish Love Story (which won four awards at the Berlin International Film Festival 1970) and Songs From The Second Floor (which garnered Andersson the Special Jury Prize in Cannes almost 30 years after his debut). There will be a chance to see his most famous films alongside more rare material from his years at film school.

Latvian filmmaker Rolands Kalnins, responsible for such films as Four White Shirts, will also be honoured as a retrospective of his work will show the work of an artist who struggled against censorship at the height of Soviet rule.

Other films showing during the 11-day festival include the Greek sensations Alps [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Attenberg [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Athina Rachel Tsangari
film profile], the popular Czech film Flower Buds [+see also:
film review
film profile] and a tribute to legendary filmmaker Chris Marker, who sadly passed away a few months ago.