Spoon

Karote

Plastic spoons were able to pull the wool over our eyes until this wordless and witty documentary of distinct black-and-white cast its piercing glance at a phenomenal paradox. Let’s sit back and record the five stages of humanity’s absurdity. We extract petroleum from the depths of the planet, refine it, turn it into plastic, then transport the plastic to another factory where it takes on the form of a spoon, we go on to ship the spoons to all kinds of eating establishments, where the spoon’s meaningful and glorious life lasts a mere ten minutes or so before being thrown away. Nice, isn’t it?
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Laila Pakalnina
Cinematography: Gints Bērziņš
Editing: Silvija Vilkaitė
Sound: Anrijs Krenbergs(design), Saulius Urbanavičius(design), Jonas Maksvytis(mix)
Music: Malika Makouf Rasmussen
Production: Hargla Company
Producers: Laila Pakalnina
Co-production: Mechanix Film, Just a Moment
Co-producers: Hege Dehli, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė
Format: DCP
Color: B/W
Production Country: Latvia, Lithuania, Norway
Production Year: 2019
Duration: 65΄
Contact: Hargla Company
Awards/Distinctions: Special Jury Award (Mid-Length Competition) – Cinema Vérité, IDFF 2019

Laila Pakalnina

Laila Pakalnina graduated from the Moscow Film Institute (VGIK), Department of Film Direction, in 1991. A director and scriptwriter of 32 documentaries, five shorts, and six fiction features, altogether she has 43 films, two children, one husband, two dogs, and two bicycles; and many ideas for new films. Her films have been screened in official programs at Cannes, Venice, Berlinale, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Rome, Tallinn, and other international festivals, where they have won numerous awards.

Filmography

1988 Un | And
1990 Izvēle | The Choice
1991 Doms | The Dome (short)
1991 Veļa | The Linen (short)
1991 Iešana | The Pilgrimage
1992 Annas Ziemassvētki | Anna’s Christmas (short, fiction)
1993 Baznīca | The Church (short)
1994 Prāmis | The Ferry (short)
1995 Pasts | The Mail (short)
1995 Ubāns | Ubans
1997 Ozols | The Oak (short)
1998 Kurpe | The Shoe (fiction)
2000 Mostieties | Wake up (short)
2001 Papa Gena (short)
2002 Mārtiņš | Martins (short)
2003 Pitons | The Python (fiction)
2004 Būs labi | It’ll Be Fine (short)
2004 Autobuss | The Bus
2004 Leiputrija | Dream Land (short)
2006 Teodors | Theodore (short)
2006 Ķīlnieks | The Hostage (fiction)
2006 Ūdens | Water (short, fiction)
2007 Uguns | Fire (short, fiction)
2008 Par dzimtenīti | Three Men and Fish Pond (co-direction)
2008 Akmeņi | Stones (short, fiction)
2009 Klusums | Silence (short, fiction)
2010 Pa Rubika ceļu | On Rubiks’ Road (short)
2011 33 zvēri Ziemassvētki vecītim | 33 Animals of Santa Claus
2012 Sniegs | Snow Crazy (short)
2012 Picas | Pizzas (fiction)
2013 Četrdesmit divi | Forty Two
2013 Skurstenis | The Chimney
2014 Viesnīca un bumba | Hotel and a Ball (short) 2014 Īsfilma par dzīvi | Short Film about Life (short) 2015 Čau, Rasma! | Hi, Rasma! (short)
2015 Ausma | Dawn (fiction)
2016 Rumba | Waterfall (short)
2016 Sapnis | Dream (short)
2017 Zirdziņ, hallo! | Hello Horse! (short)
2019 Karote | Spoon
2020 Pirmais tilts | The First Bridge
2020 Spogulī | In the Mirror (fiction)
2021 Mājas | Homes