AN AFTERNOON ON LITHUANIAN FILM

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 3PM

The film is in Lithuanian language with English subtitles
Entrance fee to the event is a freely given donation

We invite you to meet the film director, Gabrielė Urbonaitė, and the film analyst, Lukas Brašiškis. During the meeting, Gabrielė will present her Short Film Back.
Lukas Brašiškis will share his insights about the film spaces of the new generation in the Baltic countries.

Gabrielė Urbonaitė
Gabrielė’s creative journey began at the film academy "Skalvija" in Vilnius. She furthered her studies at Emerson College in Boston. Gabrielė currently studies in the Master’s Program in Film and Media Studies at Columbia University.

I strive to narrate the histories of young people, from my current perspective.

The film Back, which we will view during this afternoon event, is no exception. Gabrielė speaks about what she herself has experienced through the central character of the film, through the feelings of the 22 year-old Eve: what it means for a young person to return home from abroad and to realize that home has changed.
The film Back, premiered at the Vilnius International Film Festival, where the character who played the leading role was nominated for the prize of Best Actress. The film has also been shown at international film festivals in Europe, the United States, and China. An earlier film of G. Urbonaitė, Plaukikė (Swimmer), won the “Silver Crane” award in 2013 for the Best Short Film.

For more about Gabriele please follow the LINK

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Lukas Brašiškis is a PhD Candidate at New York University in the Department of Cinema Studies, where he is writing a doctoral dissertation on spatial and material constituents of post-Soviet films of the 1990s and the 2000s. Additionally, in his papers and courses taught, Brašiškis examines various aspects of contemporary Eastern European and World cinema, works on cinematic forms of reenactment and archival appropriation and their implications for screen memories, researches the history of (re)presentation of the non-human in film, as well as explores intersections of philosophy, cinema and contemporary art.

He has book chapters in Film and Philosophy (Vilnius University Press, 2013, ISBN 978-609-459-228-7) and A Short Film History. From 1940’s till Nowadays (VKS Press, 2013), and his articles were published in a few peer-reviewed journals.
L. Brašiškis has also contributed many essays and film reviews to film journals (he regularly writes for Lithuanian quarterly journal Cinema), as well as curated a number of film programs and events (e.g., a film program Human, Machine, Material (with Leo Goldsmith), a retrospective of films by Nathaniel Dorsky, among others).

For more about Lukas please follow the LINK

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TRYS KETURIOSE / THREE IN FOUR
LITHUANIAN POLYPHONIC SONGS CONCERT + WORKSHOP

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, doors 5pm
Concert will start at 5.30pm sharp. Workshop will follow at 6.30pm-8.30pm

Donations on a sliding scale of 5-10$ are strongly recommended at the door to thank the performers for their time

Trys Keturiose
Five women: Daina Norvaišytė, Eglė Sereičikienė, Rima Visackienė, Daiva Vyčinienė, the leader, and Audronė Žilinskienė specialize in the performance of original Lithuanian polyphonic songs Sutartines. These songs stand out from the rest of Lithuanian folklore due to their numerous use of seconds, entwined  voices, accentuated rhythmical pattern and the simultaneous sound of two different texts (main and refrain). All these qualities of the polyphonic songs require an extraordinary concord of performers, a habit of singing together or “sutarimas” (the name Sutartines was derived from verb “sutarti” – to agree, to accord). Thus, it is not by accident that since the old times Sutartines have been sung in small groups (2, 3 or 4 women).

The first group was created by the leader Daiva Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė in Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ Art School in 1982. Later the group composition changed. “Trys keturiose” (“three in four”) are words of one refrain, which playfully reflect the at times changing, at times constant composition of this group (sometimes there are three and sometimes there are four singers). The group has 20 years of experience singing traditional songs, and while it doesn't copy the sound of the archival recordings, it seeks to retain the authentic colour of the sutartinės sound. The singers are trying to understand this archaic tradition of the language, experience a deep spiritual and aesthetic feeling, and to send these emotions to the modern listener. They also seek to approach contemporary arts and collaborate with composers and media artists.

National Sawdust Artist-in-Residence Abraham Brody will join alongside Trys Keturiose. 
Abraham has collaborated with renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic, has travelled to far-eastern Siberia in search of shamans, and also creates the bulk of his solo works based on the folklore and music of his Lithuanian roots. 

Abraham Brody & Trys Keturiose: Ancestors
There's a great opportunity to see this Lithuanian folksinging ensemble performance in collaboration with Abraham Brody at National Sawdust

WORKSHOP
Following the concert there will be an opportunity to learn to sing these songs in a workshop led by Trys Keturiose. No prior singing experience is necessary to learn this unique form of polyphonic acapella chanting that offers a possibility to listen carefully to each other's voices, rhythmic pulsations, and simple syllable pronunciations to create a special harmony.
Please bring a water bottle and RSVP

For Trys Keturiose folk music follow the link
Video links: Fusedmarc & Trys Keturiose - Waft