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Arūnas Matelis

b. 1961

Lithuanian filmmaker

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About Arūnas Matelis

Born 1961. Arūnas Matelis is a Lithuanian film director, film producer, screenwriter and director.

Arūnas Matelis (born 9 April 1961, in Kaunas) is a Lithuanian documentary film director. From 1979 till 1983 Arūnas Matelis studied mathematics at Vilnius University and later in 1989 graduated from the Lithuanian Music Academy. In 1992, he established one of the first independent film production companies in Lithuania, "Nominum". In 2006 Matelis became a full member of European Film Academy with the right to vote.

Filmography Pelesos milžinai (1989) Baltijos kelias (1989) Dešimt minučių prieš Ikaro skrydį (1991) Autoportretas (1993) Iš dar nebaigtų Jeruzalės pasakų (1996) Pirmasis atsisveikinimas su Rojum (1998) Priverstinės emigracijos dienoraštis (1999) Skrydis per Lietuvą arba 510 sekundžių tylos (Flight over Lithuania or 510 seconds of silence) (2000) Sekmadienis. Evangelija pagal liftininką Albertą (2003) Prieš parskrendant į žemę (Before Flying Back to Earth) (2005) Wonderful Losers: A Different World (2017 )

Awards

Matelis is one of the recipients of the Lithuanian National Prize of 2005.

"Prieš parskrendant į žemę", the first feature-length documentary by Matelis about children hospitalized with leukemia, is the most highly acclaimed Lithuanian film and is considered one of the best European documentary films of 2005, awarded in numerous festivals:

Best documentary in Directors Guild of America Awards 2006 Best Lithuanian Film 2005 by Lithuanian Filmmakers Union Silver Wolf in International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), 2005 Golden Dove in International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, 2005 Main Prize in Festival Documenta Madrid, 2005 "Spirit Award for Documentary" in Brooklyn International Film Festival, 2006 Grand Prix in Pärnu International Film Festival, 2006 Special Jury Mention in Silverdocs Festival, 2006 Veliki pečat international competition award in ZagrebDox Film Festival, 2006

The film is nominated for the European Film Academy best European documentary award of 2005.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Vilnius University, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
Awards
Lithuanian National Prize; Directors Guild of America Award

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Arūnas Matelis's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Arūnas Matelis?

Lithuanian filmmaker

When was Arūnas Matelis born?

Arūnas Matelis was born on 9 April 1961 in Kaunas.

What is Arūnas Matelis's occupation?

Arūnas Matelis is a film director, film producer, screenwriter and director.

What nationality is Arūnas Matelis?

Arūnas Matelis is Lithuanian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Arūnas Matelis

· Wikidata: Q350555

· DBpedia: Arūnas Matelis

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Arūnas Matelis. https://biography.guide/arunas-matelis/

MLA: "Arūnas Matelis." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/arunas-matelis/.

Chicago: "Arūnas Matelis." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/arunas-matelis/.

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