Slow
Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy.
Interview with Writer/Director Marija Kavtaradze
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I wanted to make a love story where characters try not to be led by any representation of how love should look.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I would invite you to watch this film if you like romance and if you want to rethink relationships and all the ideas we have about it. Also, I hope that by watching this film you will feel a little bit in love!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
In this film, I am talking about how different physical needs affect the relationship, about gender roles and expectations we have for one another and our relationships. I think all these topics are very universal, and at the same personal.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I love the scriptwriting process because I always find so much more than expected in the beginning. It changed, while I was writing and rewriting because I let the characters lead me. And even later, while rehearsing with actors, while filming, while editing I would still find things that interest me a lot and things that I didn't plan in the beginning.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People who watched the film shared that they were touched, invested in a love story and rooting for the characters' relationship to work out. One feedback that touched me was that: watching Slow it feels like you are entering someone's home and getting a chance to see very intimate moments and feel close to the characters.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
So far, not too many people saw it, but I am very interested to share a film with a bigger audience at the Sundance film festival and other places after that. I am always open to hearing different points of view. Maybe even discover something new myself. It's very exciting to know that even if the film is finished - it is still alive, and still very open to everyone who watches it.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Spread the word about Slow!
It is a small intimate film from a small country - Lithuania. I think platforms like this are so good to have smaller films discovered and get more attention.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are looking for buyers, festival directors, and journalists who would be interested in writing about Slow.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I think when telling a story my biggest goal is to invite the audience to find empathy, to rethink what we think we know as well as to identify and live together with characters. I think every story that touches us, makes our minds more open and our hearts more flexible.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How is an intimacy created between two people?
Would you like to add anything else?
I just wish to say how grateful I am for my whole team, who worked very hard and passionately on this film, and for the amazing actors, who opened up and let themselves be vulnerable and real on screen.
We all put a lot of love into this film and I am sure that the audience will feel it!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am working as a screenwriter for a feature film The Visitor, which will be a debut of a very talented Lithuanian director (and also a cinematographer) Vytautas Katkus. It is produced by Marija Razgute (M-films), who was also a producer of Slow.
Also, I am thinking about my third feature film, but it is in a very early stage.
Interview: January 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Slow
Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy.
Length: 1:47:54
Director: Marija Kavtaradze
Producer: Marija Razgute
Writer: Marija Kavtaradze
About the writer, director and producer:
Considered to be one of the most talented upcoming filmmakers in Lithuania, MARIJA KAVTARADZE is now preparing for the release of her second feature film Slow, which received the Producer’s Network prize at When East Meets West and was a part of Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Lithuanian film producer MARIJA RAZGUTE has been running the film production company M-Films since 2008. It is currently one of the most active companies in the country focusing on international co-productions aimed at cinema and TV. The award-winning company’s editorial line consists of clearly bold and daring stories told by the most talented new generation of filmmakers such as Marija Kavtaradze, Karolis Kaupinis, Andrius Blaževičius and Vytautas Katkus.
Key cast: Greta Grineviciute (Elena), Kestutis Cicenas (Dovydas)
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists, buyers
Facebook: Marija Kavtaradze
Instagram: @marijakavtaradze
Hashtags used: #Slow
Website: m-films.lt/movies/slow-2/
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Sundance Film Festival, US - January 19-29, 2023