Join us for a screening of a queer road movie You Can’t Escape Lithuania (2016, 80 min.) + Q&A with the director Romas Zabarauskas!

The screening will take place in person, but we will live-stream the Q&A on the Bureau’s YouTube channel at approximately 8:30 PM EDT.

To stream the film You Can’t Escape Lithuania view the options here.

Plot: After his star actor, Indre, murders her mother, a wealthy and egocentric filmmaker Romas decides to help her escape Lithuania. Romas’ Mexican boyfriend Carlos reluctantly joins the trip. On the road, Romas starts shooting an improvised experimental film, provoking Indre and Carlos for his art and personal amusement.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/YXKWJMitrks

Scholar Clinton Glenn*: “the film’s primary focus is less about depicting accurate and positive representations of LGBT characters and more about the potential for a queer critique of narrative, be it cinematic or nationalist. … Zabarauskas’ films represent a potential origin point for LGBT representation in Lithuanian cinema, and as such, remain fascinatingly outside the binary of affirmative versus negative representation, and can perhaps be seen as a Lithuanian take on New Queer Cinema”.

Filmmaker, Anthology Film Archives Co-Founder Jonas Mekas**: “You’re conscious why this film is being made; it refers to itself, it constantly reminds you that there is a reason. … it’s Brechtian, self-referential … and that is why I think it succeeds … politically and cinematically”.

*2020, “We are the new Lithuania” Deconstructing Queerness and Nationalism in Romas Zabarauskas’ You Can’t Escape Lithuania (Nuo Lietuvos nepabėgsi) and Porno Melodrama, Lambda Nordica, 25(3-4)

**2016, at the Bushwick Film Festival premiere

This event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., NYC, 10011.

Registration is not required. Seating is first come, first served.

Safety protocol

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

If you have any symptoms associated with COVID-19 in the days leading up to the event, we ask you to please stay home.

Please note that masks are required at all times inside The LGBT Community Center, where the Bureau is located.

Suggested donation $10 to benefit the Bureau’s work.

All are welcome to attend, with or without donation.

We will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event, but we can also take credit card donations at the register.