Žalakjavcius, Vitautas Prano

Born Apr. 14, 1930, in Kaunas. Soviet director and screenwriter. Honored Art Worker of the Lithuanian SSR.

Žalakjavicius graduated from M. E. Chiaureli’s studio in the directing department of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in 1956 and joined the Lithuanian film studio, where he became artistic director in 1961. He directed The Drowned Man (1957), While It’s Not too Late (1958, with lu. M. Fogel’man), Adam Wants to Be a Man (I960), Living Heroes (I960), and Chronicle of a Single Day (1964).Living Heroes consists of four segments—Žalakjavičius wrote the screenplay of Sweet Nightingale, wrote the screenplay for and directed the segment Living Heroes, and was artistic director of the whole film. Žalakjavičius’ most outstanding work as screenwriter and director was for the film Nobody Wanted to Die (1966; State Prize of the USSR, 1967; Lenin Komsomol Prize, 1966). His films have also won prizes at international film festivals. He has written screenplays for other directors, including the films Feelings, 1968, and Let There Be Life, 1969. Žalakjavičius has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, as well as several medals.