Debut feature film by Marija Kavtaradze – Summer Survivors (“Išgyventi vasarą”) will have its world premiere at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival. Lithuanian film will be presented at the Discovery section.
“Summer Survivors” is a road film where an ambitious young psychologist accepts to transport two patients to a seaside psychiatric unit. While all three characters are fighting their own inner battles, the unlikely journey will bring them closer to each other in this powerful yet bittersweet story, full of hope and light.
“My debut feature film tackles mental health problems in a very delicate way. My characters are heroes who are fighting in a war when the battle field is their own mind,” – says filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze. According to the film producer Marija Razgutė (M-Films), one of the main keys to the success of this film is a brilliant performance of the three leading actors – Indrė Patkauskaitė, Paulius Markevičius and Gelminė Glemžaitė.
“Writer-director Kavtaradze crafts an incredibly moving and mature portrait of mental illness, prioritizing gentle humour over melodrama to create complex characters that shine through natural performances. […] A joyful ode to the human spirit’s resilient nature, Kavtaradze’s film feeds us the bitter pill hidden among life’s multi-coloured chocolates, gently nudging us closer to empathy and acceptance,” – wrote Toronto International Film Festival’s programmer Dimitri Eipides.
Toronto International Film Festival is taking place on September 6-16, 2018. As part of this year’s Official Selection, Summer Survivors is eligible for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. Previous winners, like “The King’s Speech”, “12 Years a Slave”, “Room”, “La La Land”, received many international accolades including several Oscars.
The first public presentation of Summer Survivors film project will be held during international popular culture event “Comic Con Baltics” in Vilnius on September 16, 2018. Film director Marija Kavtaradzė together with producer Marija Razgutė and the main actors Indrė Patkauskaitė, Paulius Markevičius and Gelminė Glemžaitė will have a moderated panel discussion to talk about the film production, present the trailer and some photos from the shooting set.
National premiere of Summer Survivors will take place in spring 2019. The film was supported by Lithuanian Film Centre.