Concrete Kids – is a short film about kids who grew up in the courtyards of the Soviet apartment district of Lithuania, who lacked the attention and love of their parents, who tried to survive and free themselves from the violence in the streets every single day.
Original Title Betono vaikai Year of production 2026 Length 20' CountryLithuania Shooting Format Digital Aspect Ratio 2.39:1 Dialogue Lithuanian
DirectorSaulius Baradinskas Production Company Viktoria Films Producer Viktorija Seniut-Stroliene Writer Saulius Baradinskas Director of Photography Narvydas Naujalis Editor Karolis Labutis Production DesignerDaumantas Levickas Sound DesignMindaugas Smega Composer Andrea Boccadoro Cast Domantas Starkauskas, Kasparas Varanavicius, Arunas Sakalauskas, Kestutis Cicenas, Agne Sataite, Algirdas Galkus Festival selections - World Premiere Director's Statement I still remember the fear of walking home in the late 90s — it wasn’t really walking, it was surviving the block. Street fights, random teenage gang threats, and chaos were part of everyday life. It felt like the Wild West and East. That environment shaped me as an artist. Concrete Kids tells the story of Rokas, a teenager trying to escape the block by singing in a choir. But music — his only strength and lifeline — also becomes his biggest danger. In his neighborhood, he is hunted by local gangs who want revenge for his being labeled a “snitch.” In this film, I look at violence through the lens of a musical. Within the harsh social-realist world, creating a magical realism through brutality around Rokas. Following the growing rhythm of Ravel’s Bolero, Rokas faces the essential question: will he choose to sing, or will he answer violence with violence? Concrete Kids is a magical-realist musical drama about children who never learned to play in the playground — because they had to learn how to survive. These are the true Concrete Kids.
