The Man who Raised "Lituanica" for a New Flight

Raimondas Vabalas is one of the most influential film directors in Lithuania. All the films that he directed, except for the last one – Miškais ateina ruduo (en. The Reflection of Autumn Coming in Forests) (1990), appeared during the Soviet times. R. Valbalas was an exceptionally "uncomfortable" director, thus the negotiations with film censors in Moscow, concerning every single film of the director, required much time and unavoidable corrections to be made. However, at that time, R. Vabalas’ films such as Žingsniai naktį  (en. Steps at Night) (1964), Laiptai į dangų (en. Stairs to Heaven) (1968), Skrydis per Atlantą (en. The Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean) (1983) won various awards in the Soviet Union.