Andrius Blaževičius

Andrius Blaževičius (born 26 June 1985) is a Lithuanian film director and screenwriter.

Biography Andrius Blaževičius was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. He studied cultural history and anthropology at Vilnius University for one year before pursuing studies in film direction at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he earned a master's degree in 2011.

During his studies, he directed six short films, including a documentary. Andrius Blaževičius worked as an independent filmmaker and, since 2010, as a programme director for the Vilnius International Film Festival in Lithuania.

In 2011, he wrote and directed his last short film, Ten Reasons, in collaboration with producer Marija Razgutė and the production company M-Films. This project won two awards from the Lithuanian Film Academy.

In 2016, Blaževičius directed his first feature film, The Saint. Still accompanied by Marija Razgutė in production (M-Films), the project premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival and won six national awards from Lithuanian Cinema Academy. This film became one of the highest-grossing independent Lithuanian films with 47,000 admissions at the national box office.

Blaževičius wrote and directed his second film, Runner, in 2021. This third collaboration with Marija Razgutė and M-Films premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2021, and the lead actress, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, received the Shooting Star Award from the European Film Institute. Runner also received two awards from the Lithuanian Film Academy, for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Blaževičius has served as a jury member at various international film festivals, including the Vilnius International Film Festival, FeKK, Sleepwalkers, and ZubrOFFka. He is also a reader at the Lithuanian Film Centre and a member of the selection committee for the Vilnius International Film Festival since 2010.

Filmography

Director

2006: While Andrius Blaževičius Was Young and Inexperienced (short film) 2007: The Death of McCaulay Culkin (short film) 2008: Vytautas (short film) 2009: Bergen (short film) 2011: A Story of a Deportee Exiled by her Own Father (documentary short film) 2011: Ten Reasons (short film) 2016: The Saint (feature film) 2021: Runner (feature film) 2026: How to Divorce During the War (feature film)

Accolades

+Festival and YearCategoryName of the MovieResult (Win or Nominated)Lithuanian Film Awards 2012 Best Short FilmTen ReasonsWinListapad International Film Festival 2016 Grand Jury PrizeThe SaintWinListapad International Film Festival 2016 Best DirectorThe SaintWinLithuanian Film Awards 2017 Best ScreenplayThe SaintNominatedBest Feature FilmThe SaintNominatedKiev Molodist International Film Festival 2018 Grand Jury PrizeThe SaintWinTallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2021 Best Baltic FilmRunnerWinKarlovy Vary International Film Festival 2021 Best Fiction FilmRunnerNominatedRiga International Film Festival 2021 Best Fiction FilmRunnerWinCrossing Europe 2022 Nomination for Best Fiction FilmRunnerNominatedLithuanian Film Awards 2022 Nomination for Best ScreenplayRunnerNominated