Programmer Vladas Rožėnas

Blue Heron (dir. Sophy Romvari)

PANORAMA
First loves are never forgotten. In my selection for this year’s Kino Pavasaris, this was the first film to truly move me. Much like the recent emotional juggernaut Aftersun, this work explores relationships through the filter of memory. It is about the difficulty of ever fully knowing another person, the reconciliation with the unknown, and the yearning – whether through emotional catharsis, violence, or creativity – to bridge the distance between oneself and the other.

Human Resource (dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)

PANORAMA
Writing a screenplay about the issues of our time is challenging because they are so global, vast, and virtual. Writing about war is relatively straightforward – it has a physical manifestation. But what about climate change? Social media manipulation? Income inequality? These things lack a physical form. Human Resource captures the now. It is one of those rare films of which one can say – it understands what it means to be alive specifically in 2026. And it finds a way to express that visually.

Lesbian Space Princess (dir. Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese)

MIDNIGHT SCREAMS
When you give your film a title like this, it risks running out of steam immediately, failing to fill its ninety minutes with the same audacity found in the title line. This comedy stayed with me precisely because it fulfilled its promise – from the first minute to the last it is packed with sometimes silly but always pointed humor.

Bouchra (dir. Orian Yani Barki, Meriem Bennani)

LOST, LOST, LOST
The medium of cinema is rewarding because it allows the viewers to quickly identify with any character, no matter how far removed this character may be from them, externally or internally. The animated hybrid drama Bouchra proves this point – even though the film’s protagonist is a talking coyote, I understood and felt her. To attempt such a film is ambitious. To execute it so successfully is nothing short of incredible.

Welcome to the Dollhouse (dir. Todd Solondz)

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
Opportunities to see Todd Solondz’s film in a cinema are rare. The author’s controversial sense of humor, always bordering on the transgressive, has few equals. His films can irritate or anger, especially a sensitive viewer. There is a biting wit here, yet it is not motivated by the bitterness typical of sarcasm, but rather by sensitivity and empathy.

Yi yi (dir. Edward Yang)

MADE IN TAIWAN
Sometimes programmers have the privilege of being a fan of a certain film and striving to include it in the lineup simply because they love it. This is one of those cases. I honestly cannot fathom how Yi Yi was written. It is such a monumental work that no seams are visible – nothing suggests any artifice. It is one of the films of my life.

Oslo, August 31 (dir. Joachim Trier)

JOACHIM TRIER RETROSPECTVIVE
I first saw this film when it was originally released, when I was about eighteen. I still remember the feeling it left behind. It is crushing, yes, but also offers such an open gaze. You feel seen by this film – as if it knows your darkest and saddest secrets. It helps.