S Y N O P S I S
In 2022, Mantas Kvedaravičius went back to Ukraine, Mariupol, at the heart of the war, to be with the people he had met and filmed in 2015. Following his death, his producers and collaborators have put all their strength to continue transmitting his work, his vision and his films. Also a PhD in anthropology Mantas Kvedaravičius wished to testify as a filmmaker as far as possible from the agitation of the media and the politicians. With huge force and sensitivity, Mariupolis 2 depicts life as it continues amidst the bombing and it reveals images that convey both tragedy and hope.
S H O O T I N G
N O T E S
Do you know what the most incredible thing was, about Mariupol?
No one feared death, even if people thought they did.
Death was already there, and everyone wanted to die valuable. People would help each other, even if it meant risking their lives.
People would smoke outside and chat, even if the bombs were falling. Money stopped existing, and life was too short to recall it, and everyone was happy with what they had, becoming better versions of themselves; there was no past or future or judgment, or talk between the lines. That was heaven in hell. That was the delicate butterfly wings touching closer. That was the smell of the naked value of death. That was life there.
D I R E C T O R ’ S
B I O G R A P H Y
Mantas Kvedaravičius (1976-2022) was a Lithuanian-born filmmaker with a degree in social anthropology from Cambridge University. His first documentary film, Barzakh was selected in numerous festivals and won several awards, including the Amnesty International Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlinale in 2011. His following two films, Mariupolis (2016) and Parthenon (2019) were selected at the Berlinale and the Venice International Critics' Week, respectively. Mantas Kvedaravičius was captured and killed by Russian Forces in the end of March, 2022 in Mariupol while documenting Russia's invasion of Ukrainian territory.
Selected director's filmography of
Mantas Kvedaravičius
2019 Parthenon (Parthenonas)
2016 Mariupolis (Mariupolis)
2011 Barzakh (Barzakh)
M A I N
C R E W
directed by Mantas Kvedaravičius
co-directed by
Hanna Bilobrova
produced by Uljana Kim, Mantas Kvedaravičius, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel
edited by Dounia Sichov
sound editing and mixing by Rana Eid, Lama Sawaya, Sherif Allam, Rob Walker
T E C H N I C A L
D E T A I L S
Original title: Mariupolis 2
International title: Mariupolis 2
Duration: 112 min
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Format: 2K Flat
Sound: 5.1
Year: 2022
Original language: Russian
Countries of production: Lithuania, France, Germany
Production Companies: Studio Uljana Kim, Extimacy Films, Easy Riders Films, Twenty Twenty Vision
With the support of Lithuanian Film Centre, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, CNC, Lithuanian Radio and Television Group
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
P R E S S
WOLFGANG W. WERNER
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Christiane Leithardt & Wolfgang Werner
phone +49 89 38 38 670
info@werner-pr.de
www.werner-pr.de
Christiane Leithardt
cell +49 175 588 80 86
leithardt@werner-pr.de
Wolfgang Werner
cell +49 170 333 93 53
werner@werner-pr.de