Baltic UXO

synopsis

After the Second World War, approximately 1.6 million tonnes of unexploded military ordnance were dumped into the Baltic and North Seas. Decades later, this wartime legacy has become part of the marine ecosystem and poses a threat to fish, the coastal economy and new construction projects. The film follows scientists, fishermen and coastal residents who face the consequences of this issue on a daily basis and are trying to find a solution to a problem whose true extent remains hidden beneath the surface. It gradually shifts its focus from tiny organisms to vast stretches of affected sea and the human activities that are inextricably linked to them. Nonetheless, it does not make a strident ecological appeal using catastrophic imagery, but rather through slow, meditative observations of the landscape both above and below the surface. The sea becomes a silent witness to human actions and a space into which history has physically inscribed itself. The film thus serves as a reminder that the consequences of wartime decisions do not end with war, but can transform nature and the lives of the people who inhabit it for generations to come.

“You are swimming in unfamiliar waters or maybe just a dark pond, and you have this uncomfortable feeling as if someone is about to grab your leg.” — Agne Dovydaityte, Alexander Belinski

Source: EAVE, BALTIC UXO by Alexander Belinski and Agne Dovydaityte.

biography

Lithuanian artist Agne Dovydaityte (1995) studied journalism in London. She works in photography, film and gastronomy. Alexander Belinski (1995) was born in Ukraine, grew up in Germany and the United Kingdom, and currently lives and works in Lithuania. Their joint film The Sun Sets in the East (2018) had its world premiere at the Ji.hlava IDFF.

film details

director:	Agnė Dovydaitytė, Alexander Belinski
producer:	Karsten Krause, Julia Cöllen, Frank Scheuffele, Antra Gaile, Līga Gaisa, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė
script:	Agnė Dovydaitytė, Alexander Belinski
photography:	Alexander Belinski
editing:	Ignė Narbutaitė
music:	Toms Auniņš

contact

Danielė Kunčinaitė / Just a moment
daniele@justamoment.lt