THE GAMBLER
directed by Ignas Jonynas
Betting on patients. A dark and stylized moral descent
Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency services station, whose passion is gambling in different games. Whenever he faces some difficulties, the medic is forced to make radical decisions to return the debts. An idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related to his profession. Financial matters keep on improving, but Vincentas is going to make a fateful choice. Love, life and death will be at stake.
DRAMA DCP/HD - 2014 - LITHUANIA, LATVIA - 109min
ORIGINAL TITLE LOSEJAS
CAST Vytautas Kaniusonis, Oona Mekas
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE Lithuanian
PRODUCED BY Studio Uljana Kim and Locomotive Productions
DIRECTOR
Born in 1971 in Lithuania, Ignas Jonynas has worked in theatre, film and advertising as a director, screenwriter, and actor. After completing a BA in TV Direction at the Vilnius A.Vienožinskis Art School, he went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Theatre at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
He has worked as a construction worker, bartender, dock worker, medical orderly at a psychiatric hospital, and radio DJ. Ignas was involved with the music band Bango Collective. He has staged 10 theatre productions and directed one documentary and two short films. The Gambler is his debut feature film.
Festivals / Awards
Latvian National Awards "Great Cristopher" 2014 Best full-length feature film cinematographer (Janis Eglitis) & Best minor coproduction film Awards
Festroia International Film Festival 2014 – Panorama Section
Shanghai International Film Festival 2014 – Spectrum Section
Helsinki Love & Anarchy Festival 2014 - Balkanize!
Hambourg Film Festival 2014 - Eurovisuell Section
Galway Film Fleadh 2014 - World Cinema Section
Mill Valley film Festival, World Cinema Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid - Meeting Point competition
Lithuanian Silver Cranes 2014 Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor Awards
Festroia 2014 Silver Dolphin Award, Best Script Award and Best Actor Award (Vytautas Kaniusonis)
Europe around Europe Festival 2014 Special Jury Award
Warsaw Film Festival 2014 Special Jury Award
San Sebastián Film Festival 2013