A children’s conversation found in the archives brought the heroine of the documentary from Brussels to the house of President V.Adamkus | Culture

Urtė is the same red-haired girl whom the creators of the documentary film “The President” – journalist Daiva Žeimytė-Bilienė, TV director Giedrė Genevičiūtė and TV producer Arūnas Valinskas – searched for in order to find out who that child was, who so accurately described him before the 1998 Lithuanian presidential elections duties and responsibilities of the head of the country.

“While making the documentary, we looked for a lot of material in the archives. A conversation with a little girl found in the archives of the 1998 election night TV show “Presidential Elections of the Republic of Lithuania” stuck in an instant. A child’s imagination of what the President of the country should be is a serious statement even today”, one of the creators of the film, D. Žeimytė-Bilienė, is convinced.

The search for the girl did not last long – the very next day after the media published the video, she responded herself: “Through friends and acquaintances, word came that you are looking for the little heroine of a film about President V.Adamkai. I introduce myself – I am Urtė Penkauskaitė and I still remember this interview very well to this day. I currently live in Brussels. I recently started working at the University of Brussels, and I am interested in issues related to higher education.”

Urtė said that she remembers the interview with Lithuanian television very well: “I complained to the filming team that I was not ready to speak in front of the cameras, because I had just woken up after taking a nap. When the report came out, I remember we eagerly awaited the election results. I don’t know who was more worried: me, that we would elect a good president, or dad and the entire team of the election headquarters.”

After graduating from Vilnius University with a bachelor’s degree in French philology, Urtė worked as a teacher in Lithuania and Brussels for many years. In the meeting with the president, a lot was said about the future of Lithuania.

“While sharing thoughts about the future of Lithuania, we agreed on the importance of setting common goals, rallying society and moving together towards the set goals. It was interesting to note that every word of the President is well weighed and considered. It was unexpected to hear and understand how important Lithuanian folk songs and dances are to the President. I keep thinking about how we are able to make sense of the elements of our traditional culture today, how we will be able to integrate them into the country’s culture in the future”, U. Penkauskaitė shared her impressions of the interview.

Jokingly, she says that there is life before and after the meeting with President V. Adamkus. “After such meetings, one can no longer remain indifferent to what is happening around, whether in the context of Lithuania or the world. What does it mean for me to know President V. Adamk? First of all, to get to know an exceptional person who, by his example, is able to inspire future generations to continue the work he started. And to do it while feeling responsible for one’s words and actions.”

D.Žeimytė-Bilienė, the authors of the idea of ​​a documentary film about President V.Adamkės, and TV show producer A.Valinskas prepared a lifelong interview with President V.Adamkės in 2019, which fully reveals the personality of the 10-year-old Lithuanian president and his attitude to the many historical events that accompanied his life. events.

The film was directed by G. Genevičiūtė and D. Žeimytė-Bilienė. The music was created especially for this film by the composer Gediminas Zujus. Documentary film “President” in Lithuanian cinemas – from April 12.