Hunger Strike Breakfast
Date:
January 12, 2023
Hunger Strike Breakfast
Looking for festival release and sales agent
Logline
In the early ‘90s, Lithuanian TV star Daiva loses her job as the studios are taken over by russian soldiers. Together with several peers, she announces a hunger strike to reclaim the TV station, but the physical toll of the strike reveals the true needs of the protesters.
Synopsis
In the early ‘90s, Lithuanian TV star Daiva loses her job as TV studios are taken over by russian soldiers. Unable to chase the armed men away, Daiva decides to declare a hunger strike in a small trailer facing the occupied TV station. Only a handful of people join, and the soldiers cannot care less. Merely a day into the strike, reclaiming the TV
already seems like a lost fight. As hunger grows, the strikers realise
what they are truly starving for — confession and human warmth.
Director’s Profile
Director’s previous work: (If you wish to share your director’s previous work with all WEMW participants please add here the video link (mandatory to be available via streaming) and if requested include your password in the “description” field)
Lithuanian writer and director, born in Vilnius, 1987, Karolis Kaupinis graduated from Vilnius University with an MA in Comparative Politics. Soon afterwards working as a presenter and editor of a weekly TV programme dedicated to current political affairs at a national broadcaster, Karolis started writing and directing short films. His first short film THE NOISEMAKER was selected to Pardi di domani competition in the Locarno Film Festival and has been screened at more than 50 international film festivals ever since, also winning two Lithuanian Film Awards – Silver Crane for The Best Short Film and The Best Actor in 2015. Kaupinis’ second short WATCHKEEPING was selected to more than 20 international film festivals in 2017.
Two years later Kaupinis premiered his debut feature film NOVA
LITUANIA at Karlovy Vary IFF, the film is still running at the festivals, having 4 international awards for the Best Film and Best Director categories. NOVA LITUANIA was the leading film at Lithuanian Film Awards 2020 receiving 6 main awards. This film was the Lithuanian representative for the Academy Awards 2021 as well as sold to MUBI worldwide. Karolis Kaupinis has been working on his second film HUNGER STRIKE BREAKFAST since 2019. The film is currently in the post-production phase and is about to premiere in 2024.
Company Profile
M-FILMS is a Lithuanian film production company established
by producer Marija Razgutė in 2008.
M-FILMS is one of the most active companies in the country focusing on international co-productions. The award-winning company’s editorial line consists of clearly bold, daring stories told by the most talented new generation of filmmakers, such as SLOW (Lithuania/Spain/Sweden 2023, Sundance 2023 Directing Award; Berlinale Co-Production Market 2022) and SUMMER SURVIVORS (TIFF, Tallinn Black Nights 2018) by Marija Kavtaradze, NOVA LITUANIA (Kalovy Vary 2019, Lithuanian entry for Academy Awards) by Karolis Kaupinis, RUNNER (Lithuania/Czech Republic 2021) and THE SAINT (Lithuania/Poland 2016) by Andrius Blaževičius, MATILDA AND THE SPARE HEAD (Annecy 2020) by Ignas Meilūnas and CHERRIES (Cannes 2022) by Vytautas Katkus. M-FILMS has also received Creative Europe Media Slate funding for 2022-2023.