After The Southern Chronicles was released, producer Lukas Trimonis couldn’t believe how much attention the film was getting in his native Lithuania.
“When I received the box office attendance results for the first weekend, I had to call the distributor and ask if there was a mistake,” Trimonis said during a conversation on the Variety Screening Series, moderated by Variety’s senior journeyman editor Jazz Tankay. “I talked to my mom, and she asked me how many people saw it that weekend. I said 90,000 people, and she said, ‘Did you let everyone in?'” We’re a country of 2.9 million people, and 412,000 people saw this movie, which is one-fifth of the population. ”
“Southern Chronicles” depicts the story of 17-year-old Rimantas (Dužiugas Glinis), who lives against the backdrop of Lithuania’s re-independence. As a free-spirited teenager with an interest in rugby and the black market, his future is put to the test when he falls in love with Mónica (Digna Kriónite). The closer he gets, the more slowly he begins to change.
The Lithuanian Film Center, the Lithuanian Film Producers Union and the National Selection Committee have selected the film as Lithuania’s official nominee for the International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
When casting the film, director Ignas Myskinis searched all over Lithuania for actors who would contribute to the coming-of-age story. Myskinis found stars and supporting roles through Lithuanian drama schools and conservatories by scouring the country for up-and-coming local actors and students.
“The main cast members went to acting school and finished[their schooling]while[the film]was being shot,” Miskinis revealed. “For all of them, this was their first film, and now (all of them) are big Lithuanian actors.”
Although the film is set in the 1990s, the team utilized authentic VHS cameras from the era to create the world of Rimantas while balancing a small budget.
“My vision was to make a movie like it was made in 1994. We refused to use drones, cranes or digital cameras,” Miskinis said. “We took a 16mm camera, bought some old VHS cameras and hit the rock ‘n’ roll button.”
Miskinis also used professional rugby players in the film’s sports scenes. He even attended rugby practice sessions. He joked that it was a disaster, but the experience helped him understand the game more deeply. “There were no actors on set, just pros or ex-pros, which helped us communicate with the players during filming.”
The film was shot over 25 days on location and 3 days in a studio. “One day we had eight locations and this was the tempo we were working at,” Trimonis said. “When we finished the film and finished showing it, there was massive inflation due to COVID-19. There was a bit of a gap in the film, so we had to look for equity financing. When we finished it, it wasn’t all that pretty. Budget and financing was a big problem at that point, but we eventually worked it out.”
With Lithuanian cinema on the rise, Trimonis and Miskinis are looking forward to seeing what the country’s next generation of filmmakers has to offer and what they hope audiences will take away from watching The Southern Chronicles. “A lot has changed in the last five to 10 years with a new generation of filmmakers finding their voice, what stories they want to tell and how they want to tell them,” Trimonis said. Among the Baltic countries, Lithuanian cinema has achieved the most in the Baltic states in terms of international recognition. ”
