Vytautas Žalakevičius

Vytautas Žalakevičius (14 April 1930 – 12 November 1996) was a Soviet and Lithuanian film director and screenwriter. His 1973 film That Sweet Word: Liberty! won the Golden Prize at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.

Biography
Vytautas Žalakevičius studied mathematics and engineering at Kaunas University for two years. From 1951 to 1956 he studied film directing under Mikheil Chiaureli and Grigori Aleksandrov at VGIK in Moscow. He shot to fame with his 1956 film Adam wants to be a man starring Donatas Banionis and his teacher, Juozas Miltinis. His best known film, Nobody Wanted to Die, starring Lithuanian and Latvian actors, brought him international recognition. From 1974 to 1980, Žalakevičius was a staff director at Mosfilm. However, his Moscow period was less productive, so he returned to Lithuania. Žalakevičius devoted himself to establishing an independent Lithuanian film industry, and still worked with an international cast of Lithuanian, Russian, and Latvian actors. He also taught directing and writing and worked for television.

Recognition
Vytautas Žalakevičius was Artistic Director of the Lithuanian Film Studio. He was designated People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR (1981) and People's Artist of the RSFSR (1980). He was co-chairman of the Lithuanian State Committee for Cinematography and member of the Lithuanian Writers' Union and the Union of Soviet Writers.

Filmography

 * 1956: Skenduolis (graduation work, short)
 * 1959: Adam wants to be a man (Adomas nori būti žmogumi)
 * 1963: Chronicles of one day (Vienos dienos kronika)
 * 1965: Nobody Wanted to Die (Niekas nenorėjo mirti)
 * 1968: Feelings, Lithuanian Film Studios
 * 1970: Everything about Columbus (Visa teisybė apie Kolumbą)
 * 1973: That Sweet Word: Liberty! (Это сладкое слово — свобода!)
 * 1974: Breakdown (Авария) TV film
 * 1978: Centaurs (Kentaurai)
 * 1980: Story of an unknown man (Рассказ неизвестного человека)
 * 1981: Faktas
 * 1982: Apology (Atsiprašau)
 * 1987: Sunday in hell (Savaitgalį pragare)
 * 1991: Tale of a non-turned-off Moon (Žvėris, išeinantis iš jūros)