Life and Death of A Christmas Tree was one of the two Lithuanian non-fiction projects showcased during the EFM’s Rough Cut Presentation event held in the Gropius Bau Cinema during Berlinale 2023. The doc feature is helmed by Arturas Jevdokimovas and produced by Ringailė Leščinskienė for Vilnius-based firm Anaben.
A graduate in Film Direction at both Vilnius Conservatory and the Tbilisi Theatre and Film Institute, Jevdokimovas debuted in 2019 with his documentary feature Second Hand, which revolved around four Lithuanians living in the UK and disclosed their stories about the second-hand clothing industry.
In his EFM presentation, Jevdokimovas asked first: “Do you remember waiting for a miracle, believing in Santa and that festive Christmas atmosphere of your childhood?” Jevdokimovas himself retains vivid childhood memories of the air smelling of smoke and wood during those “good old days.”
“It was such a big surprise to find out that such a familiar tree can travel so long before reaching our home. Approximately 80% of European Christmas trees come from the same seeds collected on Georgian mountains,” he expressed, adding that they all come from a very tiny area, and that these trees can grow up to 60 meters in height.
“Cone pickers need to collect those seeds from the top of the trees. It’s a risky task, and sometimes they fall and die,” Jevdokimovas continued. He explained that his documentary will follow the full life cycle of a Christmas tree, beginning with the picking of a pine cone in Georgia and planting in Denmark, until its inevitable death in a waste container.
“We can see that Life and Death of A Christmas Tree is an ensemble cast film, since it will feature the people we’ve met on the Christmas tree trail,” including the cone pickers as well as “seasonal Lithuanian workers in the Danish plantations and Christmas tree farms.”
In particular, the documentary will zoom in on a number of protagonists living in one tiny mountain village in Georgia, whose local school is attended by a mere three kids. It will also feature a Ukrainian family celebrating Christmas in the usual way, despite the air-raid sirens interrupting their feast.
“The film will make the audience both laugh and cry. We seek the full scale emotions, from [prompting] nostalgic childhood memories to [feelings of] compassion towards the poor, exploited cone pickers,” Jevdokimovas added.
Producer Ringailė Leščinskienė revealed the film is in “the rough cut stage,” with its release planned for early November this year. The team is currently looking for festivals, distributors and sales agents. The presentation was followed by the screening of the doc’s trailer. The first-look images feature, among others, a group of cone pickers and two of the only three children living in the aforementioned Georgian village, some Lithuanian migrants working in the Danish farms and the Ukrainian family celebrating Christmas during wartime.
