13-11-2008

Bug Trainer premieres November 15 in Lithuania

By Aukse Kancereviciute
    Creative documentary The Bug Trainer (www.thebugtrainer.com/pressb.php) about Ladislas Starewitch, the pioneer of puppet animation, premieres on November 15 in Vilnius, at the SCANORAMA International Film Festival.
    The 53 minute film had its European Premier at 43rd Karlovy Vary and its Baltic Premier at Arsenals in Riga. Nation-wide cinema distribution begins January 4.


    The documentary, directed by Donatas Ulvydas, Linas Augutis, Marek Skrobecki and Rasa Miskinyte, reveals the miraculous world of Ladislas Starewitch (1882-1965), the pioneer of puppet animation. The artist, adopted by the Russians, as well as the Poles and the Lithuanians, was nicknamed the "European Disney."

    According film producer and author Miskinyte, "The film is an attempt to understand the phenomenon of Starewitch by employing both his own creative ideas and the concepts of his works and opinions of film critics and animation directors, as well as the love story of Starewitch's most popular character: the Bug".

    
The film is produced by Era Film Ltd www.erafilm.lt (Lithuania), in co-production with SE-MA-FOR Film Production www.se-ma-for.com (Poland), NHK (Japan), AVRO (The Netherlands), and YLE Co-productions (Finland), along with broadcasters: DR TV (Denmark), SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway), LRT (Lithuania), ETV (Estonia), TSR (Switzerland).