Lithuania hands out national film awards

The Silver Cranes – Lithuania's response to the Oscars – were awarded to the country's best filmmakers on Sunday.

Nova Lituania, a period drama about a 1930s geography professor and his wild idea to found a ‘backup’ Lithuania in Madagascar, won six awards out of 12 nominations, including best 2020 film. The documentary Animus Animalis (A Story about People, Animals and Things) was another big winner, snatching three Silver Cranes.

The Silver Crane awards were organised after a one-year break, with nominations including films from 2019 and 2020.

The best 2019 film award went to Summer Survivors, a road movie about a nurse and two young mental hospital patients battling their issues while driving across the country.

The film also won the best actress Silver Crane for Indrė Patkauskaitė and the audience award.

The Silver Crane awards are organised by the Audiovisual Works Copyright Association (AVAKA).

The list of winners:

Best film 2019
Summer Survivors (Išgyventi vasarą, dir. Marija Kavtaradzė)

Best film 2020
Nova Lituania (dir. Karolis Kaupinis)

Best documentary
Animus Animalis (dir. Aistė Žegulytė)

Best animated film
The Juggler (Žonglierius, dir. Skirmanta Jakaitė)

Best short film
Community Gardens (Kolektyviniai sodai, dir. Vytautas Katkus)

Best director
Karolis Kaupinis (Nova Lituania)

Best screenplay
Karolis Kaupinis (Nova Lituania)

Best actress
Indrė Patkauskaitė (Summer Survivors)

Best actor
Valentinas Novopolskis (Oleg)

Best supporting actress
Rasa Samuolytė (Nova Lituania)

Best supporting actor
Vaidotas Martinaitis (Nova Lituania)

Best score
Agnė Matulevičiūtė, Domas Strupinskas (Isaac / Izaokas)

Best cinematography
Narvydas Naujalis (Isaac)

Best sound direction
Jonas Maksvytis (Animus Animalis)

Best editing
Mikas Žukauskas (Animus Animalis)

Best art direction
Audrius Dumikas (Nova Lituania)

Best co-production
Oleg (Olegas, dir. Juris Kursietis, Latvia, Belgium, Lithuania, France)

Life achievement Golden Crane
Producer Kęstutis Petrulis

Green Crane for environmental film
Acid Forest (Rūgštus miškas, dir. Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė)