Andrius

A film for children that swiches between reality and fantsa. A Czech girl, Jana is temporarily staying at the home of 10 years-old Lithuanian boy Andrius, who allows her into the world of his dreams, the memories of her friendliness will help Andrius later in his life. 

Andrius (Edvinas Mencikovas) is a 10-year-old boy growing up without a father in Vilnius. His worried mother has little time for him. Andrius spends his days walking with his neighbour, visiting an old teacher and attending music school. One day, the town plays host to a children's choir from Prague.

Born in 1931, Algirdas Araminas began his career as a cameraman, before moving on to directing in 1964. In a body of work comprising around ten films, he deals particularly with issues relating to youth.

A particularly poetic film, Andrius was written by Violeta Palcinskaite, a woman of letters, novelist, playwright and translator, known as the Lithuanian legend of children's literature. The film won several awards at Italian and Soviet children's festivals.

“In the work of Algirdas Araminas, films about children have affirmed [...] the dignity of the personality (however young), the innate ability to dream, to feel, to make choices and to have one's own point of view”. (Neringa Kazukauskaite, in LRT, 8 June 2008)