In association with DR TV (Denmark), SVT (Sweden), ETV (Estonia), NRK (Norway), TSR (Switzerland) , LRT (Lithuania) Under the patronage of National UNESCO Commision of Lithuania
PREMIER: TV – NHK (Japan) May 15th , 2008.
FESTIVAL PREMIER: 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – International documentary competition.
FESTIVALS: 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic); 19th Arsenals (Latvia); 2morrow International Film Festival (Russia), DOK-Leipzig (Germany); 50th North Europe Film Festival Lubeck (Germany); 6th International Documentary Festival (Taiwan); SCANORAMA (Lithuania); 5th Vilnius Documentary Film Festival (Lithuania), Black nights (Estonia); ANIMATION DREAMS (Estonia); Europe Film Festival in Bucharest (Romania); Docaviv The Televiv International Documentary Festival (Israel); New Europe Film Festival (Great Britain); 13th Sofia International Film Festival (Bulgaria); Teheran animation festival (Iran), 13thThomas Mann International Film Festival (Lithuania), International Berdiansk Film Festival (Ukraine), International London Animation Festival (Great Britain); International Split Film Festival (Croatia), ReAnimania International Animation Film Festival of Yerevan (Armenia), Minsk International Film Festival Listapad (Belarus), Lithuanian Film Festival in Chicago (USA), 12th Wisconsin Film Festival (USA); NorthWest Forum (Seattle, USA); ANIFEST (Chech Republic), Kiev International Film Festival; “World of Knowledge” (Sankt. Petersburg, Russia); Bright Nights, The Baltic-Nordic Film Festival (Otawa, Canada); Lithuanian Film week 2010 (Berlin, Germany); SICAF2011 Animated Film Festival (Seoul, S.Korea).
AWARDS: Jury Prize (“World of Knowledge” (Sankt. Petersburg, Russia); Jury Prize (16th International Minsk film Festival); Best Animated Educational Film (ReAniamania'09 International Animation Film festival in Yerevan); Grand Prix (International Berdiansk Film Festival); Lithuanian Cinema and TV film awards "Silver Crane": The Best Director work; The Best Screenwriting; The Best Composer Name; The Best professional work for producer Rasa Miskinyte.
LOGLINE
The life story of of the puppeteer driven by the love story of puppets
SYNOPSIS The Bug Trainer is an international co-production documentary film about Ladislas Starewitch (1882 - 1965), a pioneer of puppet animation and a contemporary of cinematography, one of the most mystique and controversial creators of 20th century. He was named as a true Wizard and an Alchemist of animation, whose wizardry was born in Lithuania in the beginning of 20th c. He got his fame in Russia and flourished in his full power in France. Unique methods of animation, never disclosed to the others, - who was he?
Lithuania, Poland, Russia, France - all claim him as "Ours". It seems that he was a cosmopolitan, whose creative works overpass geographical boarders and are ahead of the time.
This film is an effort to "decode" Starewitch by using the means of his own artistic thinking, utilizing all the contemporary means of pictorial expression and tiding together the biographical facts, archives and factual information told by experts: cinema historians, critics, animators told through the animated love story of puppets.
DIRECTOR'S/PRODUCER's NOTE
The idea of making a documentary film about the forgotten geniuos Ladislas Starewitch have obsessed me for long time ...... for 9 years . The question of why Ladislas Starewitch is so little known in the world lead me into the biggest adventure of my life - making the documentary "The Bug Trainer".
Why I was so fascinated by this person? Because: - he is from my small country - Lithuania, - he on his own have invented the puppet animation, - he is the man who is forgotten, who has to be brought back to the film world and the audience.
It was clear from the very beginning that it would be disrespect to make a conventional, documentary on such an unconventional master. The only way to make this film was to make it in a the Starewitch style - artisitc and innovative - as our respect to Ladislas Starewitch.
"The Bug Trainer" turned to be a unique film with 4 directors working on the film, involving puppet animation and fiction elements, rich with achives footage and visual effects enriched with original sound music and sound design. All this came together into one synthesis - film "The Bug Trainer" a tribute to the master Lasdislas Starewitch.
Sincerely,
Rasa Miskinyte Producer/director CREDITS
Producer/Director/Idea & Research Rasa MIŠKINYTĖ Directors Rasa MIŠKINYTĖ Donatas ULVYDAS Linas AUGUTIS Marek SKROBECKI Scriptwriters Linas AUGUTIS Donatas ULVYDAS Jonas BANYS Co-producer Zbignew ZMUDZKI Commissioning Editor Outi SAARIKOSKI Commissioning Editor Takahiro HAMANO Commissioning Editor Marijke HUIJBREHTS DOP Ramūnas GREIČIUS DOP (animation) Mikołaj JAROSZEWICZ Art Director Jurgita GERDVILAITĖ Animator Adam WYRWAS Editor Audrius NAUJALIS Composer Linas RIMŠA Sound Designer Artūras PUGAČIAUSKAS Special Effects Norbert NAROŻNIK Consultant Flemming GRENZ
CAST
Actor: Gediminas GIRDVAINIS
Experts: The QUAY Brothers, UK Gunnar STRØM, Norway Marcin GIŻYCKI, Poland Marina KARASEVA, Russia Nikolai IZVOLOV, Russia Skirmantas VALIULIS, Lithuania
DIRECTORS & PRODUCER
RASA MISKINYTE/IDEA & RESEARCH/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER 22/12/1962
Education
Graduated from Theater and Cinema Department at Lithuanian Music Academy, 2001,
Gained Master Degree in Audiovisual Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania
Graduated from The European Film College, 2000 - 2001, Ebeltoft, Denmark
Graduated from Kaunas Politechnic Institute as an Engineer, speciality Civil Building Engineer in 1986, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Selected Filmography
Delegate producer/Idea & Research/Director creative documentary THE BUG TRAINER 52' HD. Script Linas Augutis and Donatas Ulvydas, directors: Donatas Ulvydas, Linas Augutis and Marek Skrobecki. In Co-production with Se-ma-for, Poland; In co-production with broadcasters NHK (Japan), AVRO (The Netherlands), YLE (Finland); in association with DR (Denmark); SVT (Sweden); NRK (Norway), TSR (Switzerland), ETV (Estonia), LRT (Lithuania).
Line Producer doc. L'AFFAIRE FARWELL 2x52', DigiBeta. Author Jean-Francois Delassus, Roche Productions, France.
Delegate producer documentary SPANISH FOR ADULTS 52', DVcam. Author Tomas Tamosaitis. Co-production with Evohe Films, Spain and Televisio de Catalunya, in association with ZDF/Arte and YLE;
Associated producer documentary THE PUTIN SYSTEM 95', Digi Beta, Author Jean-Michel Carre in association with Jill Emery. Company Les Films Grain De Sable, France2, NDR, LRT.
Co-producer of creative documentary ANIMAZONE, 52', super 16mm. Director Hardi Volmer, producer Arko Okk, Acuba Film Production, Estonia;
Co-producer of creative documentary THE DIFFERENT, 26', Beta Cam SP, 2005. Director Maksim Surkov, producer Svitlana Zinovyeva, Inspiration Films, Ukraine in co-production with LRT
Education & Training • 1993-1999 Lithuanian Music Academy, Film and TV department • Diploma in Film directing (1997), Diploma in TV and Film producing (1999) • 1998 Apr. - Nov. Apprenticeship in TV station Channel 23, (Chicago, USA)
Selected Filmography & Awards
Within 1999 - 2005 produced and directed more than 150 TV commercials and 40 music videos
Best Lithuanian music video awards (1999, 2003 and 2004). Best Director's awards (2003 and 2004)
Director and Scriptwriter creative documentary THE BUG TRAINER, 53', HD, 2008. ERA FILM (Lithuania), co-produced by Se-ma-for Film Production (Poland), NHK (Japan), AVRO (The Netherlands), YLE Co-productions (Finland).
Director creative music documentary FOJE FILME 14 (FOJE IN FILM 14) - 54' , DVcam, 2000. Studio PRO2.
Videographer documentary ALGIMANTAS KEZYS 15', DVcam, 1997. Director Ramune Rakauskaite.
LINAS AUGUTIS/ SCRIPTWRITER, DIRECTOR
7/12/1962
Education:
1981 - 1983 Kaunas Polytechnic Institute
1992 - 1996 Vilnius Art Academy Stage design and Photo Video Art Department
Selected Filmography
Scriptwriter and director creative documentary THE BUG TRAINER, 53', HD, 2008. ERA FILM (Lithuania), co-produced by Se-ma-for Film Production (Poland), NHK (Japan), AVRO (The Netherlands), YLE Co-productions (Finland).
Director of music video film A TRIP TO THE GREAT LITTLE COUNTRY, 5'10", HD, 2007, ERA FILM
Director of creative documentary THE CONSTITUTION OF LITHUANIA. 1922, 26', Beta cam SP, 2002, LRT, Lithuania.
Scriptwriter and director for documentary DOMEIKA'S SYNDROME 43' Dvcam, 2002, LRT, Lithuania.
Author of videoart PALIMSESTAS 10', 1996. Screenings: Vilnius, Oberhausen Festival.
Author of videoart RINGING HEADS 4', 1994. Screenings: Helsinki, Stockholm, Bauhaus, Dessau, Copenhagen, Berlin, Hanover.
MAREK SKROBECKI/DIRECTOR FOR ANIMATION
19/09/1951
Marek Skrobecki - film director, his specialty is classic puppet animation. He has graduated from Fine Art Academy and Polish National Film School in Lodz. He gained scholarship from British Council and received training in Jim Henson's Creature Shop and Aardman Animation.
Filmography & Awards:
1992 - D.I.M. - puppet animation - director, script, art director. Honorable mention - International Animated Film Festival in Espinho 1994; Honorable mention - Brussels International Film Festival of Fantasy, Thriller & Science Fiction 1994; Honorable mention - Krakow Film Festival 1994. Special mention - Zagreb World Festival Of Animated Films 1994
1995 - OM - puppet animation - director, script, art director, 1998 - MARCHENBILDER - puppet animation - director, art director,
2005 - ICHTHYS - puppet animation - director, art. director, Best film in Independent Short Films Competition - Narrative Short Work in Ottawa International Animation Festival 2005. Honorable Diploma in Krakow Film Festival 2005. Bronze Jabberwocky - International Film Festival ETIUDA - ANIMA - Krakow 2005. Silwer "Kreska" - OFAFA Polish Animation Film Festival Poland 2005. Sony Audience Award - ANIMATEKA International Animation Film Festival - Ljubljana 2005, Special Distinction for Short Professional Film - SICAF -10th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival 2006 Korea. Grand Prix - BALKANIMA Animation Film Festival - Belgrade Serbia 2006.
2007 - PETER AND THE WOLF - puppet - production designer. The Annecy Cristal, and Audience award 2007. Awarded with Oscar in Short film (animation), 2008.
2008 - THE BUG TRAINER -puppet animation - director.
CAST
GEDIMINAS GIRVAINIS/ACTOR
Selected Filmography
Drama VISA TEISYBĖ APIE KOLUMBĄ (ALL TRUTH ABOUT COLUMBUS), 90 min., director Vytautas Žalakevičius, 1970
Drama AKMUO ANT AKMENS (STONE ON THE ROCKS), 82 min., director Raimondas Vabalas, 1971
Historical Drama HERKUS MANTAS, 148 min., director Marijonas Giedrys, 1972Film for children NAKTIBALDA (THE NIGHT BIRD), 78 min., director Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1973
Musical VELNIO NUOTAKA (THE DEVIL'S BRIDE), 77 min., director Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1974
Family Film SMOKAS IR MAŽYLIS (SMOK AND THE LITTLE ONE), total 240 min., director Raimondas Vabalas, 1975
TV series for children KALIO SEKLIO NUOTYKIAI (ADVENTURES OF KALE DETECTIVE), in total 135 min., director Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1976
Drama SODYBŲ TUŠTĖJIMO METAS (THE TIME EMPTYING THE FARMSTEADS), 154 min., Almantas Grikevičius, 1976
Drama RIESUTU DUONA (THE NUTS BREAD), 138 min., director Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1977
Drama MĖNULIO LIETUVA (LUNAR LITHUANIA), 159 min., director Gytis Lukšas, 1997
EXPERTS
The QUAY Brothers, UK
American identical twin brothers better known as the Brothers Quay or Quay Brothers. They are influential stop-motion animation. The Quays' works show a wide range of often esoteric influences, starting with the Polish animators Walerian Borowczyk continuing with the writers Franz Kafka, Bruno Schulz and Michel de Ghelderode, puppeteers Wladislaw Starewicz (Ladislas Starewitch).
Gunnar STRØM, Norway
Professor in film and television, Volda University College, Norway. Guest lecturer/visiting academic Griffith University, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane. Publications on animation "‘Data-animasjon' in Store Norske Leksikons årbok 2002. 2002 ‘. ‘The Animated Documentary - A Performing Tradition', art. Norsk Medietidsskrift no.2, 2001, etc.
Marcin GIŻYCKI, Poland
Marcin Gizycki is a Polish art historian, art critic and former Editor-In-Chief for Animafilm magazine. He has taught at Rhode Island School of Design since 1988. Author of the books "Postmodernizm - kultura wyczerpania?', 'Nie tylko Disney. Rzecz o filmie animowanym.' 'Koniec i co dalej?', 'Wenders do domu. Europejskie filmy o Ameryce i ich recepcja w Stanach Zjednoczonych'.
Marina KARASEVA, Russia
Film historian, written her diploma work at VGIK, Moscow on Wladislaw Starewicz (Ladislas Starewitch) in year 1990. Till 2004 was an employee of Museum of Cinema in Moscow. Author of numerous articles to cinema related magazines in Russia, co-organizer of Russian animation festival in Tarus.
Nikolay IZVOLOV, Russia
Nikolay Izvolov Critics on cinema, deputy director of a Museum of cinema, Moscow. Specialized in pre-revolution Russian cinema including early animation from 1910-20. Publication: "Phenomenon of the cinema: History and theory Moscow, 2001", is the developer of HYPERKINO.
Skirmantas VALIULIS, Lithuania
Critic on photography, television, and cinema. Popular lecture at Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Music Academy, TV and Cinema department, Vilnius. Author of numerous publications. Promoter of Ladislas Starewitch art.
TEAM
Jurgita GERDVILAITĖ/Production Designer/Art Director
29/01/1970
Education 1994 - 1996 Graduate of Saint-Etienne Art School (France), Design course / Certificate of Post Graduate studies cycle three 1988 - 1993 Graduate of Lithuanian Academy of Arts, Department of Architecture / University graduate diploma of Architect - restaurateur
Experience 1998 - 2006 Free lance Production Designer of local and international TV commercials and music videos. Has started as her career in Film industry as Assistant Art Director in 1996 - and from 2003 is the Production designer. Has made numerous feature and short films. Works for most major Lithuanian Production Houses: Idee Fixe, VRS, Creator, DV Pro, Artbox. One of the initiators and a permanent partner of the CineFX Studio, the company specializing in Set Construction, Set Dressing and Special Effects.
Ramūnas GREIČIUS/D.O.P.
12/06/1968
Education 1996-2000 MA in Cinematography, FAMU, Prague 1993-1996 BA in Cinematography, FAMU, Prague 1992-1993 Certificate of Proficiency in Czech Charles University, Prague 1990-1992 TV Directing Studies, Academy of Fine Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania 1988-1990 Acting Studies, Academy of Fine Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania
As D.O.P made features, documentaries and shorts. The feature THE DEVIL KNOWS WHY made in 2004 nominated for Association of Czech Cinematography Award for the best cinematography of the year.
As scriptwriter, director, cinematographer made shorts and documentaries His short film SUMMER OF THELONG FLIGHTS made in 1997 was selected for official competition of the Cannes, Oberhausen festivals in the short film competition. Winner of the Best Film, the 1st Place Award for the Best Cinematography and the Special FITES Award at the FAMU Film Festival in Prague, awards at international film festivals in Pisek, Brno, Dresden.
His short film WHITE ON BLUE made in 2004 was selected for official competition of the Venise 2004 film festival Corto Cortissimo section.
Best sound track, awards in Clermont-Ferrand festival, award in Anapa"Kinošok", Forli , Aubagn festivals. Nominations for the Lutin for the best European film 2006.
Awards "Czech Lion" best Czech cinematographer of 2007
TECHNICAL DATA
Running Time: 52min. 47 sec. Screen Ratio: 16 : 9 Format: HDcam Sony Blow up to 35mm. Ratio: 1:1.85 Color: Color Sound: Dolby SRD Production Year: 2008 Budget: 591.561 EUR First Releasing Date: May 15th 2008
SUPPORTED BY
With support of: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Lithuanian Culture and Sports Support Foundation EU Media Program Polish Cinema Institute
in co-production with: NHK (Japan) AVRO (The Netherlands) YLE Co-productions (Finland)
in association with: DR TV (Denmark) SVT (Sweden) NRK (Norway), TSR (Switzerland) ETV (Estonia) LRT (Lithuania)
under the patronage of UNESCO Lithuania.
Sales agent Thierry DETAILLE Ventes-CBA/WIP-Sales International Distribution TEL: +32 4 77617170, FAX: +32 4 3401041 E-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.ventes-cbawip-sales.be
For any further information, please, contact producer Rasa Miskinyte:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel/fax.: +370 5 2788187, mobile: +370 682 96128, www.thebugtrainer.com
