World premiere
Paradise Not Lost
Autistic teenager Gabriel witnesses the slow collapse of his parents’ relationship.
This tenderly observed family story is like no other. Jūratė dreams of having a child with the handsome Juozas, and a year later they have a son: Gabriel. Born with special needs, he was probably a teacher in a previous life and speaks his own language. Gabriel adores reading fairy tales, loves to dance, and communicates with animals and looks forward to religious ceremonies.
Both parents are dedicated to caring for Gabriel, who has autism, and protecting his innocence, even as their love for each other fades. Juozas rings the bells in a small church, while Jūratė searches for spiritual salvation in various religions, visiting monks and Krishna devotees, desperate to find a solution to save her family. As any unforeseen loss could deeply affect the child, the unhappy parents find it difficult to end their fading relationship.
Edvinas Pukšta
Linas Mikuta (1980) is a Lithuanian film director and producer. Born in Klaipeda. In 2015, he graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with a master’s degree in film directing. Mikuta explores the social implications of everyday life and the realities of marginalised groups. In 2016 he presented the film “Dead Ears”, which won several awards at international film festivals (Krakow Film Festival, Sole Luna Doc, etc.) and was screened in over 30 festivals. His documentary “Roman’s Childhood” (2020) premiered at DOK Leipzig 2020 and was nominated for several awards. In 2019 Linas Mikuta founded the film company “Lela films”.
Romano Vaikyste (2020, doc), Moncys. Zemaitis is Paryziaus (2022, doc), Paradise Not Lost (Gabrielius iš neprarasto Rojaus., 2024)
Award for Best Baltic Film, grant of 5000€ from Piletilevi
