‘Slow by Marija Kavtaradze’

In the presence of the director.

In Slow, dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy. The exploration of asexuality is often overlooked in cinema, yet this film approaches the subject with sensitivity and depth, offering rare insights into this important theme. It is for this reason that we are proud to feature Slow in our program, Our Burning World: Love is Louder, emphasizing narratives that challenge societal norms and highlight the diversity of human experiences.

Directed and written by the Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradzė, Slow builds upon her impressive body of work. It was premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where Kavtaradzė received the prestigious Best Director award, marking a significant achievement in her career. In 2016, she co-wrote the feature film The Saint under the direction of Andrius Blaževičius. She further collaborated with him and Teklė Kavtaradzė on the 2021 feature Runner. Kavtaradzė made her directorial debut with Summer Survivor in 2018, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and garnered three national film awards.