Mars! Mars! Tra-ta-ta!
Absurdity was a reality in the socialist republics of Eastern Europe until 1989. It was a response to the failures of the public services, to the pretenses, to the feeling of physical confinement. More than in Western Europe, the absurd in the East was a concrete and daily experience. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the former "People's Republics", we present works from Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, the former East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia. Most of the films are the first digital restorations. Guest programmer: Gabriel M. Paletz.
An eccentric and buffoonish tragicomedy and a satirical pamphlet, making fun of chauvinism and petty politicians.
Raimondas Vabalas
Raimondas Vabalas is a Lithuanian film director who graduated from the Moscow Institute of Cinematography in 1954. He made his film debut in 1961 with the film Cannonada. He has made all his films at the Lithuanian film studio. Known for Miskais ateina ruduo (1989) , Akmuo ant akmens (1971) and June, the Beginning of Summer (1969) . He died on December 25, 2001 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Gediminas Karka
Gediminas Karka is a Lithuanian actor, director and stage director, who has played more than 120 roles in the theater, 30 roles in the cinema and directed numerous plays. He is known for the films Naktys be nakvynes (1966), Mars, mars! Tra-ta-ta (1964) and Nerami rudens diena (1975). He died on May 7, 1991 in Lithuania.
