Paperheart

Biography:
The passion for storytelling on stage begins right away, at the age of 6. The shows were staged purely for profit, and the ones paying for the tickets were the grandparents from around the block. The proceeds vanish into the nearest ice cream shop. It soon becomes clear that to convince an audience, you had to move them emotionally, that’s how the first stories and poetry are born. Theater classes followed as a consequence of this passion. Kristina studied under internationally renowned Lithuanian theater directors and actors.
From the start, it was clear that her primary interest is writing and directing theatrical plays. In an occupied country, cinema turns out to be a distant reality, impossible to reach. It’s a celebration every time the parents secretly record with a VCR, bringing it home wrapped in an old blanket, hidden from prying eyes, in an almost religious manner. The illegally rented and stolen tapes from some movie theaters in Northern Europe, are the forbidden fruit to be enjoyed by the whole family. Only rarely, and only like this could they watch all the films with Bruce Lee, as well as ‘Star Wars’, F.F Coppola’s ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Godfather’. In addition, there were the films with Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Van Damme. A mix of battles for honor and images of inaccessible places, sparking desire like a fuse. They are like bananas hidden in the pull-out sofa, bought on the black market, which could only be eaten at home, far away from the eyes of communist spies. When the VCR is turns on, silence falls, and it doesn’t matter if the film is interrupted by shadows passing over the screen. Kristina is fortunate, and the Soviet Union’s regime quickly collapses. Color TV arrives, bananas are everywhere, and the first Mexican soap opera, The Slave Isaura also arrives. The series becomes so important that they bring a TV into the classroom and suspend lessons at the public elementary school. The values of liberty are flaunted everywhere. There is confusion, so, when in doubt, the professors say nothing during math class. Kristina rests various books on her lap and instead of studying the assigned material, reads Greek comedies and tragedies. Kristina’s passion for the theater is endless, she thinks of nothing else, and by age 14, she is selected for Adomaitis’ Mime Academy. Her poems caught the attention of the former director of the Kaunas Musical Theater, who then decided to give her private individual lessons. At age 17, Kristina decides to finish school a year early to be selected for the directing course by the great Lithuanian theater director J. Vaitkus, but the school does not approve. J. Vaitkus gives her advice: ‘Don’t study directing right away; go abroad, study philosophy or literature first. Forget about directing for now; the experience in directing always matures with time.” So she does. She tries to study philosophy at Kaunas, but after realizing that there is a six-month waiting list for E. Kant’s book at the city library, she leaves. She goes to Italy – the cradle of world culture – and studies philosophy in Naples. She starts to write in Italian. She becomes familiar with the works of Pasolini and after seeing Salò at an anarchist club in Naples, she realizes that cinema is the right path for her. So, she studies and works. She finds a job at the embassy in Rome as a secretary, and a year later, is nominated Director of the Lithuanian National Tourism Agency in Italy, but she knew that this was not her path. She earns various master’s degrees and develops her own theory of cinema, challenging C. Metz’s thesis. Cinema for her is not only an expressive artistic form such as painting, but is a true digital language, like French and English, except it is written with images. The real question is: how does an audiovisual language affect the human brain? Kristina delves deeper, making a documentary on audiovisual therapy for autistic children, particularly following the studies of Professor Gallese, who studies the reactions of the human brain in front of screen and mirror neurons. Later she writes a classical drama - “Paper Heart” – her first feature movie.

2021 – “The Contact”, the documentary 28':
Spotlight Documentary Film Awards Atlanta, Georgia
Silver Award Winner;
Tokyo ShortsTokyo
Japan
Best Documentary Short;
Spring Film Festival of KeralaKerala
India; Best short.
World Indie Film Award
Best short award winner;
Rome Prisma Film AwardsRome
Best short Doc award;
Athens International Monthly Art Film festivalAthens
Honorable Mention;
Rodi Disabilities International Film FestivalRodi
Official selection; Clapperboard Golden Festival San Paolo
Official selection; Luneburg International Documentary Film festival; Mental Health international festival Perugia; Metropolis International Film FestivalMilano; Florida ShortsFlorida;
Asti International Film FestivalAsti; London Indie Short Festival; Berlino Shorts AwardBerlin; Intimamente Film FestivalCaserta;
Austin International Art Festival; Brooklyn International Short AwardsBrooklyn; Stockholm Short FestivalStockholma;
Melbourne International Short Film FestivalMelbourne; Europa Film FestivalBarcellona; Lift off Filmaker Session by Lift Off Global Network On; Serbest International Film FestivalKishinev;

2020 – Tutor of a young movie directors at Otranto International Movie film Festival, Italy. Realization of a short movie “Vattene”, OFF- Otranto Film Festival.
2016. “Broken”, short movie:
Goldensun short film festival-official selection;
7 th Festival Cinemator- official selection, professional cat.
Lumiere cinemaavvenire film festival;
Phoenix Film Festival Melbourne;
Arroios Film Festival, Spain;
Volves film Festival, Lithuania; and other;
2013- “The Superstar”:
35 International Cinemed film Festival, sezione Panorama.
2014- Cannes, International Film Festival, out of competition.
2014- Best Director- rivelation 3 Gold Elephant World - International Film & Musical Festival 2012- Finalist del Columbia George International Film festival 2012
2012- Winner of Honorable Mention al Mexico International Film festival
2012- Winner if Honorable Mention all’International Californian Short Film festival
Other festivals: 3 Morlupo Corto festival, 14 Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Frontiera, 9 Festival del Cortometraggio Gabriele Inguscio, 9 Sardinia International Film festival, 1 Erice Film festival, 11 CINEMADAMARE, 3 Tofla Short Film festival, 13 Festival del Cinema Indipendente di Foggia, 2 Bibbiena Film festival, in competition.
2008 –2007- “Aphros” Festival of Venezia Palace inRome, in artistic movies competition.
2004 -2005 First ID theatre peace “L’Imperatore ed Architetto d’Assiria” by Arrabal, Roma, Teatro Argot.
2003. Winner of the first place on “Fabrizio Romano Premium” , Napoli, dedicated to“Under 35” , theatrical competition.

2010 - 2011 Cinema School “Tracce snc.”, Rome (Student of Maestro Paolo Sorrentino and Others)
Qualification achieved : Master of the II level “Movie Director”, and “Screenwriter” at the same school.
2005 - 2008
University of Rome “La Sapienza”
Qualification achieved: Specialization degree of “Arts and technics of digital performance”
Graduated on the national level
105/110
2002 m. - 2005 m.
University L’Orientale of Neaples
Qualification achieved: Bachelor of Comunication and Philosophy
Graduated on the national level 105/110

Date 1988 -2000
Name and tape of the institute and personal formation Secondary school: “Nemunas”.
Principal subjects / professional qualification, object of the studies Foreign languages
Qualification achieved Maturity 9,5/10
OTHER STUDIES
Stage of psychology: “Aspects of the figurative communication”, “Efficient communication” , “Autovaluation and concept of yourself”, “Emotion control”, “Pragmatic of communication” at University L’Orientale.
Other stages: “Laboratory of journalism”, “Music of Occident and Orient”, “The public space of the woman, the woman rights”.
Kristina Sarkyte is a the owner of Hyperreality srl.