Jonas Trukanas
Writer / Director
Lithuania
Jonas is a genre filmmaker from Vilnius, Lithuania. Jonas studied directing in University of the Creative Arts in Farnham, United Kingdom. After the studies he came back to Lithuania and started directing short films and commercials. Jonas was always interested in genre films – especially horror. His latest three short films – “Ghost, I don’t remember” (2015); “Trolleybus-Man” (2016) and “When the Lights Go Out” – have traveled through many festivals across the globe and won awards. Jonas has also directed a part of feature documentary in 2014 called “Radviliad”. Jonas also had some acting experience, most notably – he played on the main parts in Oscar winners Gabriele’s Salvatores “Deadly Code” in 2013. He also tries to learn and go to as many workshops as possible – he has been in Berlinale Talents twice (2013 and 2017).
Project
Devils’ Den
Every year, deep in the Lithuanian forest, a society of the most accomplished surgeons assembles to initiate their children into this secret family and to receive the blessing of their mystical, but very real deity – MOTHER. Benas (18) a subdued teenager with a questionable sense of humor is en-route to this ritual with his mother – the manipulative neurosurgeon Inga (39). Benas doesn’t want to become a surgeon. He loathes Inga. She, however, manipulates him into taking part in the ritual, only to show-off, to remain relevant in the eyes of the other surgeons. Under a watchful eye of the MOTHER, Benas and the other surgeon progenies will have to undergo tasks to ensure that they are worthy of the blessing. Soon, however, Benas will learn that once he joins the family – he is bound to serve it forever. Benas will try to run from this crazy witchery, chased by the MOTHER’s servants and a very particular black goat, to ultimately try and see his own mother’s choices from a new perspective.
