A Goodnight Kiss
Have you ever wondered who inspired Arvo Pärt’s legendary piece “Für Alina”?
Following the widely acclaimed “The Jump”, Giedrė Žickytė returns with her most heartfelt documentary yet. It’s impossible not to be moved by the story of Irena Veisaitė – a writer, human rights activist and one of Lithuania’s most insightful and profound women, who warned us of the wars shaping our world today.
Irena, a Holocaust survivor, lost her mother and found refuge with a Christian family during the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. She passed away in 2020, during the film’s pre-production. This loss prompted Žickytė to find new ways to bring to life the touching memories of Irena’s two mothers, her lifelong friendship with Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and her guiding principle: to live without revenge or hate.
Exploring Irena’s story through archival footage, photographs, and old interviews inspired Žickytė to uncover the untold stories of Jewish Vilnius, once known as the Jerusalem of the North.
Edvinas Pukšta
Giedrė Žickytė (1980) is a Lithuanian documentary filmmaker and producer who is known for focusing on historical and political themes. In 2014, she founded Moonmakers, an award-winning film production company based in Vilnius. Her notable works include “Master and Tatyana” (2015) which was awarded Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing at the Lithuanian Film Academy Awards. The 2020 documentary “The Jump” won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2020 Warsaw International Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the EIDF in South Korea, the Main Jury Award at the Salem Film Festival in the USA, and several other awards. She continues to play an active role in promoting documentary cinema in the Baltic region.
Filmograafia:
Kaip mes zaideme revoliucija (How We Played the Revolution, 2012, doc), Meistras Ir Tatjana (Master and Tatyana, 2015, doc), Suolis (Hüpe, PÖFF 2020), A Goodnight Kiss (2025)