Based on a true story, this is the love affair between a Lithuanian genius and the woman and the country he adored. Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis was born into a Lithuanian peasant family in 1875. Despite his lowly origins he soon revealed himself to be a child prodigy able to both paint and compose music of startling and often frightening intensity. Soon after he was struck down by a mysterious mental illness, which would plague him for the rest of his life. During his short lifetime, Ciurlionis produced over 300 paintings and 300 musical compositions. Supporting him throughout his short and painful life was his beloved wife, Sofija Kymantaite, a journalist and political activist.
The film is based on the novel by Romualdas Granauskas, winner of the Lithuanian National Cultural and Arts Award, and is the chronicle of a young man’s shifting relationships as he adjusts rather dramatically to the unfamiliarity of freedom. The film will be shown in Lithuanian with English subtitles. Duburys won the Silver Crane Award in Lithuania. It has been selected as Lithuania’s entry for this year’s Oscar nomination in the foreign language film category. Duburys was entered in the Montreal World Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and has been invited to Cairo International Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
