Over 300 people came to see Land of Songs last night! It was the most popular screening of Stanford's 2015 Baltic Film Series, and Stanford Libraries' biggest film event to date. Deepest thanks to all who came.
A full report on the event via Stanford Libraries can be found here.
Join us for the West Coast Premiere of Land of Songs on the closing night of Stanford University's Baltic Film Series!
What:
"Land of Songs" West Coast Premiere
Closing Night of the Baltic Film Series at Stanford University
Sponsored by Stanford University Libraries and the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies
RSVP: http://stanford.io/1iG1L2t
Facebook event: http://on.fb.me/1NbWuw4
FREE & open to the public
When:
Monday, December 7th
6:00-7:00pm Reception hosted by Consulate General of Lithuania in Los Angeles
7:00-8:00pm "Land of Songs" film screening
8:00-8:30pm Q&A with Director Aldona Watts, Editor Nicholas Berger, and Cinematographer James Kennard
Where:
Bishop Auditorium, Lathrop Library
518 Memorial Way, Stanford, CA 94305
*Parking is free on campus after 4 pm
Land of Songs was selected for IFP's Spotlight on Documentaries Film Forum at Independent Film Week, which was held in September at the Lincoln Center in NYC.
We put on a screening for the locals in the old abandoned schoolhouse (with a bed sheet for a screen). The reception was positive and the after party was wild!
We recently visited our friend and supporter Nijolė Bražėnaitė-Paronetto at her home in New York. Nijole is an accomplished pathologist and scholar, and is also known for being part of a notable family: she is the widow of legendary Lithuanian partisan Juozas Lukša-Daumantas, and daughter of Konstancija Bražėnienė, who was awarded the Yad Vashem Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations for protecting Jewish children during the holocaust in Lithuania. Needless to say, Nijolė has some interesting stories to tell.
After months of reviewing, translating, and organizing hundreds of hours of footage, we've teamed up with our editor Nick Berger - The Big Edit is finally underway!
While in Brooklyn, Aldona met with Lithuanian legend and "godfather" of American avant-garde cinema, Jonas Mekas. He was generous enough to offer advice and feedback!
We saw some incredible films at the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival, but nothing comes close to the mind-blowing audio-visual experience of Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel's Leviathan.
Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing is easily the most disturbing film I've seen at the festival - or anywhere, ever. In which "history is written by the winners," no matter who they are and what they've done...
Watching Sergei Loznitza's In the Fog was like seeing some of the stories from LAND OF SONGS brought to life. A bleak contemplation on how war effects the villager with no ideological stakes save his own personal integrity.
Other highlights include participating in San Francisco Film Society's A2E Direct Distribution lab, and running into our friend V.Vale of Re/Search Publications!
Land of Songs is now fiscally sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society. This means that we can accept tax-deductible donations and apply for grants with 501(c)3 status. Check out our project page here.
Aldona is a co-organizer at Her Girl Friday, a Brooklyn collective that produces events for women journalists & nonfiction storytellers. On March 7, they had their first San Francisco event at 111 Minna Street Gallery. Almost 200 people came to hang out and listen to speakers Ann Friedman, Martina Castro, Mimi Chakarova, and Katy Newton discuss their new projects, and Aldona presented Land of Songs as a work-in-progress.
Check out an interview with Aldona and Julian in Quickest Flip, in print and online here.
Check out new photos from our wild shoot on the river!
Skroblus_Aida_03
Another Lithuanian-American film to check out!
Check out some beautiful photos taken by Ignas and Aida from our shoot in Neringa here. We got some beautiful shots from the 52 mile high Parnidis dune, the last "living" dune on the Curonion spit.
The shoot was a huge success. Our Lithuanian crew-turned-family was fantastic, we could not have asked for better partners on this project. And the močiutės were fabulous, of course! They opened their homes to us, filled our ears with songs and stories, and stuffed our bellies with delicious home-cooked meals. We have the močiutės, their families, and indeed, the entire village to thank for their incredible generosity and willingness to help make this film the best it can possibly be.
We shot every single day for almost a month, and came home with tons of material: mushroom hunts in the morning mist, ghost stories at the "witch swamp," partisan bunkers, ancient beekeepers, ancient pagan rituals, and of course, the močiutės' singing anywhere and everywhere - from their kitchen tables to the river Skroblus, to a giant pyramid in the middle of the forest (long story!). We were delighted to discover that, yes, it's true: this really is the Land Of Songs...
Check Facebook for more photos.
Buk sveikas!
Aldona
We reached our fundraising goal, thanks to our amazing backers! Words cannot express my gratitude.
We still have 4 days left to raise funds on Kickstarter. As our proposed goal amount only covers the minimum production costs, every dollar raised in these final days will go towards making the best film possible. We hope to be able to access the high quality video and audio equipment necessary to do justice to the wonderful močiutės, their beautiful voices, and their important stories.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/landofsongs/land-of-songs-dainava
Thank you and labai ačiū!
Please check our "Supporters" page if a "thank you!" on our website was part of your reward for backing Land Of Songs on Kickstarter. We are deeply grateful for your support. Cheers!
Sincerely, Aldona
Check out the interview with Land of Songs director Aldona Watts on Citywide, WNYU's arts and culture program. Honored to be included as one of two inspiring projects they think you should know about. Originally aired on Wednesday, June 20 on WNYU 89.1 fm in New York City and wnyu.org worldwide. Listen here on citywidewnyu.com.
