Mantas Kvedaravičius (23 June 1976 – 30 March 2022) was a Lithuanian filmmaker, anthropologist, and archaeologist known for
war reporting in hostile areas. He was killed during the
Siege of Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...
.
Life and career
Kvedaravičius held a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in
social anthropology
Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
from the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, and was an associate professor at
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...
. His doctoral thesis concerned "Knots of absence: death, dreams, and disappearances at the limits of law in the counter-terrorism zone of Chechnya" (Cambridge University, 2012).
War-torn Chechnya, one of the republics of the Russian Federation, is also the setting of his 2011 documentary film, ''
Barzakh
Barzakh (Arabic: برزخ) is an Arabic word meaning "obstacle", "hindrance", "separation", or "barrier". In Islam, it denotes a place separating the living from the hereafter or a phase/"stage" between an individual's death and their resurrect ...
'' ("Limbo").
His next documentary film, in 2016, focused on the Ukrainian port city of
Mariupol
Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...
in 2014–15 and
the attacks of separatist troops. In 2019, Kvedaravičius's first feature film appeared, ''Partenonas'' (
Parthenon
The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...
), set in Athens,
Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
, and Istanbul. Based on several years of ethnographic research, it is a movie about the enigmatic workings of memory. In arresting, often disconnected images, the pivotal character revives various lives he may have lived. "Memories betray him, but he knows for sure that in one of these lives, he will be killed."
Death
Working on yet another Mariupol documentary, Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed on 30 March 2022 during the
Siege of Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia) and the Ukrainian ...
.
Lyudmyla Denisova
Liudmyla Leontiivna Denisova (born 6 July 1960) is a Ukrainian politician. After twice serving as Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Denisova worked as Ombudsman for Human Rights in Ukraine from March 2018 to May 2022. Ukrayinska Pravd ...
, Ukraine's
ombudsperson
An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...
for human rights, alleged that Kvedaravičius "was taken prisoner by '
rashists
Ruscism (also Rashism or Russism, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: and ) also called Russian fascism – is a neologism and a derogatory term which is used to describe the political ideology and policies of the Russia under Vladimir Putin, Russ ...
', who later shot him. The occupiers threw the director's body out into the street". Kvedaravičius's fiancé, Hanna Bilobrova, reported that two days after his death, a Russian soldier led her to his body. She said that he had been shot in the stomach, but there was "no blood on the ground" and no bullet hole in the clothes he was wearing.
Bilobrova brought his body home to Lithuania.
The killing of Mantas Kvedaravičius was condemned by the Director-General of the UNESCO
Audrey Azoulay
Audrey Azoulay (; born 4 August 1972) is a French Jew of Moroccan descent, French Civil Service, civil servant and politician who has served as the 11th Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UN ...
in a press-release published on the 6th of April. According to global monitoring on
the safety of journalists by the Observatory of Killed journalist, Kvedaravičius is the 9th media professional killed by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022.
Filmography
Documentaries
*''
Barzakh
Barzakh (Arabic: برزخ) is an Arabic word meaning "obstacle", "hindrance", "separation", or "barrier". In Islam, it denotes a place separating the living from the hereafter or a phase/"stage" between an individual's death and their resurrect ...
'' (2011)
*''
Mariupolis'' (2016)
*''
Mariupolis 2'' (2022)
Feature film
*''
Parthenon
The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...
(Partenonas)'' (2019)
*''Prologos (2021)
Awards
*2022:
Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts
The Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (), established in 1989, is an award granted for achievements in culture and the arts. It has been awarded annually in six categories since 2006 (between 1989 and 2006 there were nine categories). ...
*''Barzakh''
::Amnesty International Film Prize, 2011 Berlin International Film Festival
::Best Film, 2011 Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival
::Best Documentary, 2011 Lithuanian Film Awards
::Amnesty International Film Prize, 2012 Ljubljana International Film Festival
::Grand Prize, 2011 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
::Best Lithuanian Debut, 2011 Vilnius International Film Festival
*''Mariupolis''
::Best Documentary, 2016 Lithuanian Film Awards
::Best Director, 2016 Vilnius International Film Festival
*''Mariupolis 2''
::European Documentary, 2022 European Film Awards
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvedaravičius, Mantas
1976 births
2022 deaths
Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Deaths by firearm in Ukraine
Lithuanian film directors
People from Biržai
Civilians killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Academic staff of Vilnius University