Lithuania’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature’ category at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 is Karolis Kaupinis’ directorial debut Nova Lituania, which premiered at the 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. A striking period piece set in 1938, with Lithuania on the verge of annexation from the Soviet Union as its leaders walk a political tightrope between neighboring Poland and the encroaching threat of Germany, Kaupinis revisits a particular period which addresses the rising tide of fascism and nationalism today, albeit through the droll ponderings of geographer Feliksas Gruodis and his solution of a ‘backup Lithuania.’ I got to speak to the Kaupinis who also shared details about his next project.