This fall, a premiere of a documentary film “This Village in America” directed by Ramunė Rakauskaitė took place at the Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival in Chicago. The documentary tells the story of the camp Dainava that has been established by the Ateitininkai Federation in the United States and operating in Michigan for seventy years.
“This Village in America” is a sensitive and humorous documentary about the camp, which has become an integral part of life for many Lithuanian Americans with its nature and landscape very reminiscent of Lithuania. Dainava is a special place, the Lithuanian “village,” where entire generations of Lithuanian Americans meet. The film reviews the entire history of the camp as well as its current activities, people, values and worldview.
Director Rakauskaitė, who participated in the festival’s opening event, talked about her visit to America eight years ago and the idea to make a film about this special camp. At that time, she was working on another film “Journey Home” about the first experiences of Lithuanian Americans arriving in Lithuania during the Soviet era. It was then that the director met the heroine of the future film, Daina Čyvas, whom she later accompanied with her family to the camp Dainava. Ramunė was so impressed by the place that she decided that it is worth a separate film.
The camp, which operates from June to September, fills up in less than half an hour. The demand is so high that the organization has been considering places that could accommodate more people. Every year, at least one Lithuanian from Lithuania is invited to visit the camp.