Competition programme

Vilnius International Film Festival “Kino Pavasaris” competition programme “New Europe – New Names” was inaugurated in 2009. The films for the competition are selected according to their geography (Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkan region) and the experience of the filmmakers (each submitted film has to be the first or the second film production by the selected filmmaker).

The films are assessed by the international jury of the cinema industry professionals: actors, directors, programme directors, cinematographers and producers. The jury will select the best film of the festival and award it with two special prizes.

2012 Competition Programme “New Europe – New Names” films



Jury

Mirtha Ibarra

actress, director, writer, Cuba

With a degree in philology, obtained in Havana University, Mirtha Ibarra is one of the most prominent actresses of her generation, shaped by the first period of the Cuban Revolution. She is the founder of Cuban National School of Art. Mirtha Ibarra began her work in theatre, television and cinema at a young age.

Mirtha Ibarra has never stepped away from the stage: in 2000, she wrote, directed and performed in a play “Obsesión Habanera”, which received a huge success. Her debut role in film was in “The Last Supper” but it was the “Up to a Certain Point”, directed by her husband Tomás Gutiérrez Alea in 1983, that brought her fame and stardom. The film won the Grand Prix in the 5th International New Latin American Film Festival in Havana. Gerardo Chijona’s “Adorable Lies” received the Golden Award in the Damascus Film Festival. After a role in Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío’s film “Strawberry and Chocolate”, Mirtha Ibarra received her first international acclaim. The same crew worked on the actress’ husband’s last film “Guantanamera”.

After her husband’s death in April 1996, Mirtha Ibarra began to work in Spain, in addition to her activities in Cuba. She appeared in Antonio Betancourt’s “Mararía”, Fernando Colomo’s “Havana Quartet”, Albacete and Menkes’ ”I Will Survive”, Vicente Molina Foie’s “Sagitario”, Roberto Santiago’s short film “Roulette”, as well as TV movie “Quia” directed by Silvia Munt. In 2002, Mirtha Ibarra stars in TVE series “Laura’s Truth”. Later on, she appears in Juan Carlos Tabío’s “So Far Away and Horn of Plenty”. In 2008, Mirtha Ibarra directed “Titón de La Habana a Guantanamera” a documentary tribute to her husband Tomás Gutiérrez-Alea, for which she won the Honorable Mention and the Audience Award in Los Angeles Latin American Film Festival.

As famous in Madrid, as she is in Havana, Mirtha Ibarra is undoubtedly one of the cornerstones of contemporary Latin American film.

Pavel Kostomarov

cinematographer, director, editor, Russia

Pavel Kostomarov was born in 1975, Moscow. From 1992 to 1996, he studied engineering at the Institute of Biology in Moscow. In 2002 he graduated from the State Film Institute as a cinematographer. He has worked on a number of films as a cinematographer with directors Sergey Loznitsa, Victor Asliuk, Alexey Uchitel and Alexey Popogrebsky.

Filmography (director): „The Transformer“ (2003, Best Documentary at the Tampere ISFF); „Life in Peace“ (2004, Silver Dove at DOK Leipzig, Silver Dragon for Best Documentary at the 45th Krakow FF); „Mother“ (2007), all co-directed with Antoine Cattin; „Two Together“ (2009); „I Love You“ (2010, co-directed with Alexander Rastorguev). 

In 2010 Pavel Kostomarov together with another camera man, Alexander Rastorguev, launched an experimental project – a film without a director – „I Love You“.

In the summer 2010, Pavel was awarded with Silver Bear at Berlinale 2010 in the cathegory of Cinematography for his camera work in Alexei Popogrebsky´s „How I Ended This Summer“. The same year in October, Pavel became the first winner of the Franxesco Miziano award “For a contribution to world cinematography” (European Cinematographer EFA 2010).

Jan Lumholdt

film critic, writer, Sweden

Jan Lumholdt (born 1961) former literature and film history student at Lund University is based in Stockholm, Sweden. Since 1989 he has been working as a journalist in radio, television and the press, mainly as a film critic. He started writing film criticism in 1987, edited the Swedish film magazine Cinema 1997-1999 and is a regular critic and festival reporter at Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet since 2002.

In 2003 he has published well-received books on Danish director Lars von Trier “Lars von Trier: Interviews“ and Swedish actress Harriet Andersson as well as contributing to international periodicals such as Film Comment and Cahiers du Cinéma. In 2010, he was awarded with the Jurgen Schildt Prize for his services to cinema writing in Sweden.

Maris Martinsons

film director, screenwriter, editor, producer, Latvia

After graduating from Latvia Conservatoire in 1989 as a “drama theatre director” he worked together with Latvian musicians as an independent director/producer for music videos. His first, “This Is My Car” by the band Jumprava, was the first independent music video in Latvian music/audiovisual history and it won the best music video award in 1989/1990.

Maris originally worked in the TV field, creating TV shows, music videos and TV series. He has created over 10 original TV series, mostly as a director and a screenwriter and each of these productions brought him a step closer to creating a feature film. In 2006 he premiered his hostage drama “Anastasia” at the Montreal World Film Festival. It was during this Festival that Maris came up with his idea for “Loss”. The film was released in Lithuania in January 2008. During 2008 – 2010 “Loss” has been travelling all round the world participating in numerous film festivals and official screenings. It has been the first feature film from Baltic winning A class film festival awards – Best Director and Best Music in Shanghai IFF (2008). The jury was headed by director Wong Kar Wai. “Loss” represented Lithuania in the Academy Awards as the Best Foreign Language film.

After the international premiere of “Loss”, Maris met wonderful Japanese actress Kaori Momoi, who after watching “Loss” expressed her willingness to participate in some of the Maris’ films. He immediately started to write a new story “Amaya” specially devoted for Kaori Momoi, who made this inspiration. The new film project began – script was being written in different countries, ending a location in Hong Kong.

Currently Maris edits his third feature film “Christmas. Uncensored” that has recently been shot in Lithuania. There are three – four feature film projects, including a new comedy feature film “Tempura” with Kaori Momoi in the development stage at present.

Labina Mitevska

Actress, producer, Macedonia

She started her acting career as a teenager in 1993, playing Zamira in Milcho Mancevski's Golden Lion award winning “Before the Rain”. In the years that followed she resumed her studies.

In 1996 she entered into a successful collaboration with Michael Winterbottom. Following “Welcome to Sarajevo” they worked together in “I Want You”. For these accomplishments she was chosen as one of the Shooting Stars at the Berlinale in 1998. Her acting carrier continued around Europe, as she has filmed in Germany, Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, and Slovenia.

In 2001, together with her sister Teona and brother Vuk, she established the production company Sisters and Brother Mitevski. Apart from finishing the production of “The Women Who Brushed off Her Tears”, their company has just finished the short animation movie “Alerik”, animated and directed by Vuk. All their films are European co-productions involving partners from Slovenia, France, Belgium, and Germany.

In 2007, Labina played the extraordinary complex role of Afrodita in “I Am from Titov Veles”, a performance that brought her a number of awards.

In their last film “The Woman Who Brushed off Her Tears” she is playing one of the main roles together with Victoria Abril.

Read also: CICAE Art Cinema Award
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