VILNIUS: The national premiere of Lithuanian director/writer Andrius Žemaitis’s debut feature Tabasco will take place on 14 November 2025 in the competition programme of the Scanorama Film Festival (6 – 23 November 2025).
Homeless wanderer Rimas Šileikis visits Gabrielė, the lady of the manor where he once worked as a gardener many years ago. Over lunch, he tells her about his estranged brother, Stasys, and finally resolves to pay him a visit. But upon returning to his native village, Rimas finds something very different from what he expected.
“Tabasco tells the story of a Lithuanian village family, a life filled with joy, poverty, and the quiet passing of time. In the film, the house becomes a living memory machine, absorbing every sound of the family’s existence, from everyday moments to their final breaths. Every object, wall, and flicker of light resonates like a musical note, recreating the echoes of the past. Each family member is a melody, together forming one shared song of life. When a person departs, their music fades, remaining only within the memory of their home. Tabasco seeks to capture this intangible music of home and preserve it on 16mm film”, Andrius Žemaitis told FNE.
The cast includes Rimantas Šileikis, Stasys Germanas, Gabrielė Šaulytė, Aurimas Vilčinskas, Gaudentas Aukštikalnis, Milgedas Aleksandravičius and Vytas Bebras.
The film was produced by Lithuania’s Frenija Collective, and Electron Transition, with the support of LATGA.
“The entire film was self-financed by the creative team: director Andrius Žemaitis, sound director Marius Paulikas, and sound producer Augustinas Buizina”, Žemaitis also said.
The film was developed at the National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI), and its budget was 30,000 EUR.
The production began in 2021. The film was shot entirely in Lithuania, across a wide variety of locations, including Vilnius, Kaunas, Kernavė, Širvintos, Družai, Prienai, Ukmergė, Pavilnojys, Neringa, Panevėžys, Rokiškis, and Lailūnai.
Production Information:
Producers:
Frenija Collective (Lithuania)
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Electron Transition (Lithuania)
Credits:
Director: Andrius Žemaitis
Screenwriter: Andrius Žemaitis
DoP: Andrius Žemaitis
Sound director/Composer: Marius Paulikas
Sound producer/Composer: Augustinas Buizina
Production assistants: Jonas Bulota, Kipras Unikauskas
Cast: Rimantas Šileikis, Stasys Germanas, Gabrielė Šaulytė, Aurimas Vilčinskas, Gaudentas Aukštikalnis, Milgedas Aleksandravičius, Vytas Bebras