“Golden Minutes” is a debut short film by Saulius Baradinskas
Starring Billy Boyd
Driven to the edge by a huge debt and his impending divorce, a poetic accountant decides to kill himself but is rescued by a heart attack.
Original Title Auksinės Minutės
Year of production 2019
Length 10min
Country Lithuania
Shooting Format Super 16mm
Aspect Ratio 1.66:1
Dialogue Lithuanian
Director Saulius Baradinskas
Producer Viktorija Seniut, Martynas Mickenas
Production VIKTORIA FILMS, Baltic Productions JSC
Writer Saulius Baradinskas, Titas Laucius
Cinematographer Vytautas Katkus
Production Designer Stanislovas Marmokas
First Assistant Director Austeja Urbaite
Sound Designer Iveta Maceviciute
Set Designer Stanislovas Marmokas
Music Rob Meyer
Cast Billy Boyd, Kristina Kazlauskaite, Vainius Sodeika,
Darius Auzelis, Salvijus Trepulis, Kestutis Cicenas, Mark Barkovski, Arnoldas Augustaitis, Rokas Buzelis, Paulius Cizinauskas
Festival selections
SF Shorts : The San Francisco International Festival of Short Films 2019, USA - World Premiere, Vanguard Award
Filmtes Badalona Film Festival 2019, Spain
Trieste Film Festival 2020, Italy
Festival Internacional de Cine de Menorca 2020, Spain - Best Short Film
Lucania Film Festival 2020, Italy
Gozo Film Festival 2020, Malta
Anonimul International Independent Film Festival 2020, Romania
Cisterna Film Festival 2020, Italy
Nòt Film Fest 2020, Italy
BuSho Film Festival 2020, Hungary
Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival 2020, Hungary
Leiden Shorts 2020, Netherlands
Split Film Festival / International Festival of New Film 2020, Croatia
Sciacca Film Fest 2020, Italy - Jury Special Mention
International Short Film Festival SHORT FORM 2020, Serbia
Ridgefield Independent Film Festival 2020, USA
Festival de Cine de Alicante 2020, Spain
New York City Short Film Festival 2020, USA - Best of Fest Award
Linea d’Ombra Festival 2020, Italy
International Short Film Festival Detmold 2020, Germany
Byron Bay Film Festival 2020, Australia
One Shot Terrassa City of Film 2020, Spain
Litauisches Kino Goes Berlin 2020, Germany
Izmir International Short Film Festival 2020, Turkey
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck 2020, Germany
Sulmona International Film Festival 2020, Italy
Interfilm - International Short Film Festival Berlin 2020, Germany
Linz International Short Film Festival 2020, Austria - Special Mention
Ljubljana International Film Festival 2020, Slovenia
Hayah Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Panamá 2020 - Jury Special Mention
Longue vue sur le court 2020, Canada
Ce l'ho Corto Film Festival 2020, Italy
International Micro μ Festival 2020, Greece
MOSCA – Cambuquira Short Film Festival 2020, Brazil
Planos Film Festival 2020, Portugal
Leuven International Short Film Festival 2020, Belgium
Gimpo International Youth Film Festival 2020, South Korea
Festival du Film Court de Villeurbanne 2020, France
International Short Film Festival "La mida no importa - Size doesn't matter” 2021, Spain
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin 2021, France
Kino Pavasaris - Vilnius International Film Festival 2021, Lithuania
Landshut Short Film Festival 2021, Germany
MovieZone Short Film Festival 2021, China - Creativity Award
Festival International du Film d'Aubagne Music & Cinema 2021, France
Zeitgeist Film Festival 2021, USA
Festival Internazionale Corti da Sogni Antonio Ricci 2021, Italy
Santiago del Estero Film Festival 2021, Argentina
OpenEyes Filmfest 2021, Germany
MKE - Milwaukee Short Film Fest 2021, USA
Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival 2021, Georgia - Special Mention
Copenhagen Short Film Festival 2021, Denmark
Istanbul Golden Film Festival 2021, Turkey
Arkipel - Jakarta International Documentary & Experimental Film Festival 2021, Indonesia
Okotoks Film Festival 2022, Canada - Best Cinematography Award (Vytautas Katkus)
Director's Statement
As a filmmaker I always wanted to capture that grey day in Lithuania where it seems that nothing is happening. Sometimes those days can be really depressive and sad, because life just goes on, but nothing really important happens in your life. But maybe it does?
If so, then how do you tell a that precise feeling?
This short film is my personal essay and view to society and environment I grew up. The society that pushed me be “normal” all the time and put my life into boxes.
The society where instead of giving love and compassion, I found alienation and dissension. The environment where instead of finding home, I found never ending race of building “the right home”. During production of this film I had atypical depression and suicidal thoughts which was the starting point on how I wanted to make this film look and feel. “Golden Minutes” short film is a film about one of those grey days, where it seems that nothing is happening, but the life is already happening by itself.