Lithuania Selects Post-Soviet Coming-of-Age ‘The Southern Chronicles’ as Oscar Candidate

The Lithuanian Film Centre, the Lithuanian Filmmakers Union and a national selection committee have picked local smash hit “The Southern Chronicles” (“Pietinia Kronikas”), by Ignas Miškinis as Lithuania’s official candidate for the 98th Academy Awards in the best international feature film category.

Based on a best-selling novel by Rimantas Kmita, the film follows 17 year-old Rimantas as he grows up in the turbulent post-Soviet Lithuania in the 1990s. While more interested in rugby, music, and street life, his encounter with Monika, who comes from a more middle-class background, opens his eyes to literature, culture, and a different way of seeing the world.

The Chair of Lithuania’s national committee, film critic Neringa Kažukauskaitė said “The Southern Chronicles” scored the submission for being “a film bursting with vitality, raw energy and an undeniable sense of hope. The coming-of-age drama, carried by a breakout cast of young local actors, radiates authenticity.

Their performances light up the screen,…