“Lotus” awarded as best minority co-production at Lithuanian National Film Awards “Silver Crane"

Debut feature film "Lotus" was nominated in three categories – “Best Minority Co-Production of the Year”, “Best Actress of the Year in the Lead Role (Severija Janušauskaitė) and Best Composer's Work of the Year (Paulius Kilbauskas, Justina Štaras).

The Latvian-Lithuanian co-production film Lotus was created with the support of the National Film Centre and of Latvia, the Eurimages Foundation at  the Latvian Studio Locomotive, the film is produced by Dominiks Jarmakovičs and Roberts Vinovskis, and the film is co-produced by Lithuanian Studio Uljana Kim. "The film Lotus is a multi-year collaboration with our Lithuanian colleagues; part of the film's most significant and symbolic footage was also filmed in Lithuania.

Signe Birkova's feature-length debut Lotus, which had its national premiere in April 2025, is an "ahistorical" costume film where mysticism intertwines with humour and absurdity becomes reality. The events of the film take place in Latvia, imaginary in 1919, and these are only films, not historical events. The Baltic German Countess Alice von Trot returns to Latvia because of her heritage but accidentally finds herself in the throes of a secret and scary cult. To regain her freedom, she discovers the magic of cinema and becomes a pioneer of silent cinema. The plot, saturated with mysticism and irony, challenges the boundaries between film and life, infusing quotes from masterpieces of world cinema and reflecting director Signe Birkova's love of early cinema.

The main role is seen by the European film star Severija Janušauskaite, the other characters of the film are played by a brilliant ensemble of Latvian actors – Rēzija Kalniņa, Baiba Broka, Indra Briķe, Vilis Daudziņš, Mārtiņš Kalita, Andis Strods, Regnārs Vaivars, Iveta Pole, Āris Matesovičs, Jana Čivžele, Lauma Balode and others.

Signe Birkova is the film's director and screenwriter, the creative team includes cameraman Mārtiņš Jurevics, artist Mārtiņš Straupe, costume designer Jurate Silakaktiņa, makeup artist Ilze Trumpe, composers Paulius Kilbauskas and Justina Štaras.