A film by Saulė Bliuvaitė
Dreaming of an escape from the bleakness of their hometown, two teens form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the promise of a better life pushes girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.
Nominated for the European Discovery Award at the European Film Awards 2024.
Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Genre: Drama
Country: Lithuania
Language: Lithuanian
Available subtitles: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese
Runtime: 99 min.
Original title: Akipleša
Born in 1994, film director and screenwriter Saulė Bliuvaitė graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s Film Directing program in 2018. Her short film Limousine (2021) received the Best Short Documentary award at the Warsaw Film Festival. Saule is the co-writer and co-editor of the historical drama Isaac, nominated for a FIPRESCI prize at the 2020 European Film Awards. Toxic is her debut feature film.
FILMOGRAPHY
2021 Limousine (short)
CAST
Ieva Rupeikaite
Vesta Matulyte
Giedrius Savickas
Vilma Raubaite
Egle Gabrenaite
CREW
Director: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Screenplay: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Cinematography: Vytautas Katkus
Editing: Igne Narbutaite
Composer: Gediminas Jakubka
Producer: Giedre Burokaite
Executive producer: Juste Michailinaite
Production Company: Akis Bado
2024
Locarno Film Festival | Concorso Internazionale · Golden Leopard for Best Film · First Feature Award · Ecumenical Jury Award
Sarajevo Film Festival | Kinoscope
Helsinki International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival | Vanguard
Reykjavik International Film Festival | New Visions Competition
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival | Expectations
CinEast – Central and Eastern European Film Festival in Luxembourg | Official Competition · Grand Prix · Critics’ Prize
Calgary International Film Festival | International Narrative Competition
ICFF Manaki Brothers | European Competition · Best Cinematography
Film Fest Gent | Explore Zone Competition
Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal | International Competition · Best Feature Film
Leiden International Film Festival | First Feature Competition · Youth Jury Award
Warsaw International Film Festival | Creme de la Creme Competition
Festival International du Film de La Roche-sur-Yon | Nouvelle Vague Competition
Chicago International Film Festival | New Directors Competition
Riga International Film Festival | Feature Film Competition
SEMINCI | Meeting Point Competition
Film Festival Spektrum | 1, 2 Competition
Jakarta Film Week | Herstory Section
Adelaide Film Festival
El Gouna Film Festival | Feature Narrative Competition
Molodist – Kyiv International Film Festival | Full-length Competition
Thessaloniki International Film Festival | Open Horizons
Denver Film Festival
Leeds IFF | Constellation / Competition · Special Mention
Armenia’s Month of European Film
Zagreb Film Festival | PLUS Competition
FilmFestival Cottbus | Youth Film U18 Competition
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck | Feature Film Competition
New York Baltic Film Festival
Semana del Cine Ulima | International Showcase
Stockholm International Film Festival | Official Competition
Ankara Film Festival | A Women’s Film
Transit Filmfest
Cork International Film Festival | Disruptors
Festival Cineuropa | New Filmmakers Competition
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival | New Waves
QCinema International Film Festival | New Horizons · Best First Film
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | International Youth Competition
Noordelijk Film Festival | Nordic Focus
Ljubljana International Film Festival | Perspectives
Locarno Film Festival in Istanbul
IFFI Goa | International Competition
Exground Filmfest | Youth Days
Mar del Plata IFF | International Panorama
Belgrade Auteur Film Festival | International Competition
International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino! | Young Adult Competition
Panorama of the European Cinema – Egypt
Mastercard Cinema Gala Madrid
Around the World in 14 films
Les Arcs Film Festival | Official Competition
An impressively tough-minded debut feature with glimmers of tenderness and humor as female friendship takes root in a hopeless place.
Guy Lodge, Variety
Gritty and keenly observed, the film benefits from a pair of excellent performances from the young, first-time leads.
Amber Wilkinson Screendaily
The director intuitively captures vibrations that cannot be verbalised and that only imagery can convey.
This makes the film mesmerisingly cinematic, in the most intimate sense of the term.
Mariana Hristova, Cineuropa