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FESTIVALS Lithuania

Vilnius Film Festival to open with vintage circus documentary The Show of Shows

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- In the film, archival footage of 19th- and 20th-century circus and carnival performances is accompanied by a score by Sigur Rós

Vilnius Film Festival to open with vintage circus documentary The Show of Shows
The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circus and Carnivals by Benedikt Erlingsson

Kino Pavasaris (aka the 21st Vilnius International Film Festival) has announced its opening-night film. The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circus and Carnivals [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, written and directed by Iceland's Benedikt Erlingsson, will kick off the festival on 31 March. The dialogue-free documentary shows stunning footage of circuses from the past century, accompanied by a score written by members of Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

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Erlingsson, who made his feature debut with the popular drama Of Horses and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benedikt Erlingsson
film profile
]
, gained special access to the National Fairground Archive. Some of the material he discovered will be viewed by the public for the first time in The Show of Shows.

For the film, Erlingsson collaborated with Georg Hólm and Orri Páll Dýrason, members of one of the most famous Icelandic bands, Sigur Rós, who wrote brand-new music for the movie. The soundtrack, entitled “Circe”, was released this past summer.

“Over two decades, Kino Pavasaris has found an audience that is smart, critical, and which appreciates exceptional films. The Show of Shows is a gift to such filmgoers, the likes of which is rarely seen in movie theatres. By choosing it as our opening film, we want to celebrate cinema and expand the boundaries of its understanding. This is a distinct and exceptional film for a brave, upcoming festival,” said Vida Ramaškienė, the festival's director.

The opening film will be screened simultaneously in five cities, with the festival starting on 31 March and continuing until 14 April. The 21st edition will screen 130 features and 70 shorts representing contemporary world cinema.

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