Laurynas Bareiša (born February 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian filmmaker. After beginning his career as a cinematographer, he directed a series of short films followed by the feature films Pilgrims and Drowning Dry.
Early life and education Bareiša was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. He earned bachelor's degrees in applied mathematics and cinematography from Vilnius University and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, respectively. In 2016, he graduated with a master's degree in film directing.
Career After serving for years as a cinematographer, Bareiša's 2014 directorial debut, the short film Dembava, was named one of the Top 5 Short Films of 2014 by Cineuropa. He directed the 2017 short films The Camel and By the Pool; the latter premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.
Bareiša's short film Caucasus premiered in the Pardi di Domani section of the 2018 Locarno Film Festival. His short film Dummy premiered at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival.
Bareiša's 2021 feature-length debut Pilgrims starred Gabija Bargailaite and Giedrius Kiela as the brother and girlfriend of a murder victim. The film debuted at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Orizzonti prize. Pilgrims was nominated in 11 categories at the Lithuanian Film Awards. Bareiša won in three categories (Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay), while Giedrius Kiela won Best Actor.
In 2024, Bareiša's film Drowning Dry premiered in the Concorso Internazionale section of the 77th Locarno Film Festival in competition for the Golden Leopard. For the film, he was recognized with the festival's Best Direction Award while the principal cast received the Best Performance Award.
Filmography Year English title Original title Notes Ref. 2014 Dembava Short film 2017 The Camel Short film By the Pool Short film 2018 Caucasus Short film 2020 Dummy Akturimas Short film 2021 Pilgrims Piligrimai 2024 Drowning Dry Seses
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2020 Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear for Best Short Film Dummy Regard: Saguenay International Short Film Festival Grand Prix, International Competition Palm Springs International ShortFest Best Live Action Short 2021 Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Pilgrims 2022 Lithuanian Film Awards Best Director Best Actor Best Screenplay Best Editing 2024 Locarno Film Festival Golden Leopard Drowning Dry Best Direction Award
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