Andrius Blaževičius (born 26 June 1985) is a Lithuanian film director and screenwriter.

Andrius Blaževičius
Portrait of director Andrius Blaževičius
Born (1985-06-26) 26 June 1985 (age 39)
Vilnius, Lithuania
NationalityLithuanian
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Notable work

Biography

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Andrius Blaževičius was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. He studied cultural history and anthropology at Vilnius University for one year before pursuing studies in film direction at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he earned a master's degree in 2011.[1]

During his studies, he directed six short films, including a documentary. Andrius Blaževičius worked as an independent filmmaker and, since 2010, as a programme director for the Vilnius International Film Festival in Lithuania.[2]

In 2011, he wrote and directed his last short film, Ten Reasons, in collaboration with producer Marija Razgutė and the production company M-Films. This project won two awards from the Lithuanian Film Academy.[3]

In 2016, Blaževičius directed his first feature film, The Saint. Still accompanied by Marija Razgutė in production (M-Films), the project premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival and won six national awards from Lithuanian Cinema Academy.[4] This film became one of the highest-grossing independent Lithuanian films with 47,000 admissions at the national box office.[5]

Blaževičius wrote and directed his second film, Runner, in 2021. This third collaboration with Marija Razgutė and M-Films premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2021, and the lead actress, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, received the Shooting Star Award from the European Film Institute.[6] Runner also received two awards from the Lithuanian Film Academy, for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[7]

Blaževičius has served as a jury member at various international film festivals, including the Vilnius International Film Festival, FeKK, Sleepwalkers, and ZubrOFFka.[8] He is also a reader at the Lithuanian Film Centre and a member of the selection committee for the Vilnius International Film Festival since 2010.[9]

Filmography

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Director

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  • 2006: While Andrius Blaževičius Was Young and Inexperienced (short film)
  • 2007: The Death of McCaulay Culkin (short film)
  • 2008: Vytautas (short film)
  • 2009: Bergen (short film)
  • 2011: A Story of a Deportee Exiled by her Own Father (documentary short film)
  • 2011: Ten Reasons (short film)
  • 2016: The Saint (feature film)
  • 2021: Runner (feature film)

Accolades

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Festival and Year Category Name of the Movie Result (Win or Nominated)
Lithuanian Film Awards 2012[10] Best Short Film Ten Reasons Win
Listapad International Film Festival 2016[11] Grand Jury Prize The Saint Win
Listapad International Film Festival 2016[10] Youth on the March Competition The Saint Nominated
Lithuanian Film Awards 2017[12] Best Director The Saint Win
Lithuanian Film Awards 2017[13] Best Screenplay The Saint Nominated
Best Feature Film The Saint Nominated
Kiev Molodist International Film Festival 2018[14] Grand Jury Prize The Saint Win
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2021[15] Best Baltic Film Runner Win
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2021[16] Best Fiction Film Runner Nominated
Riga International Film Festival 2021[17] Best Fiction Film Runner Win
Crossing Europe 2022[18] Nomination for Best Fiction Film Runner Nominated
Lithuanian Film Awards 2022[19] Nomination for Best Screenplay Runner Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Režisierius A. Blaževičius: yra ne vienas ir ne du statulėlių verti filmai". Kauno diena (in Lithuanian). 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  2. ^ "Ten Reasons". kinopavasaris.lt. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  3. ^ "Andrius Blaževičius - Director". First Cut Lab. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  4. ^ "INFONDAS". www.kinofondas.lt. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  5. ^ "KVIFF | Speakers & Juries". www.kviff.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  6. ^ "Pasaulinė A.Blaževičiaus filmo "Bėgikė" premjera – Karlovi Varų kino festivalyje". zmones.lt. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  7. ^ "KVIFF | Runner". www.kviff.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  8. ^ "Jury". FeKK. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  9. ^ "Vilnius Shorts Film Festival presents renewed selection committee". Vilnius International Short Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  10. ^ a b "Andrius Blaževičius". Lithuanian Culture Institute. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  11. ^ "lfc.lt - Lithuanian film center". www.lfc.lt. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  12. ^ "Silver Cranes fly to new talents in Lithuania". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  13. ^ admin (2016-05-04). "THE SAINT (2016) | No Sugar Films". Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  14. ^ "47th Molodist International Film Festival Kyiv | inter-film.org". www.inter-film.org. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  15. ^ Staff, F. N. E. "Awards of the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  16. ^ "KVIFF | Runner". www.kviff.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  17. ^ "Andrius Blaževičius' Runner wins the Riga International Film Festival". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  18. ^ "Filme 2022 | Crossing Europe". www.crossingeurope.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  19. ^ "Lithuanian Film Awards (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
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