Bear, Lion and Branch: Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5

Every Monday until autumn, the cosiest courtyard of Lukiškės Prison turns into an open-air cinema.

The summer film programme once again presents selected films by the company “Bear, Lion and Branch”. Strong not only in terms of critics’ ratings and awards at major international film festivals, but also in their energy and cinematic language.

Film screening – August 17

Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5
Biography, Documentary
Dir. Raoul Peck
France, USA, 2025
English with Lithuanian subtitles
Duration – 119 min.
N-13

Freedom is the right to say that 2+2 equals 4, but what happens when we are forced to believe that the answer is 5? Director Raoul Peck takes us on a journey through the labyrinths of George Orwell’s biography, work and ideas. The British writer and visionary’s diaries, personal letters, unfinished manuscripts, excerpts from film adaptations of the novel 1984, and images from the contemporary world express what has come to be described as “Orwellian”.

The writer’s thoughts on the power of words are not a voice from the past, but a reality: the mechanisms of authoritarian regimes have simply changed their forms, while persecution, political corruption, fake news and endless wars have become realities of our time.

Today, the writer’s insights into how regimes rely on the constant rewriting of the past in order to control not only people’s memories but also their thinking seem particularly relevant. The film features many familiar faces and echoes painfully recognisable phrases, demonstrating how language can be turned into a weapon and truth into a matter of personal choice.

Oscar-nominated Raoul Peck (The Young Karl Marx, I Am Not Your Negro) was born in Haiti, but left the country with his parents because of the authoritarian regime. According to him, those who have experienced oppression themselves are best able to understand Orwell’s texts and recognise its signs in reality.

The director’s latest film premiered in the official programme of the Cannes Film Festival.

Just watch the trailer!
Trailer

Gates: 18:00
Start: 20:00
Admission: Free.