RFT – Reading’s Independent Cinema

Online Films available

Away marks a full-length feature debut for animator Gints Zilbalodis, who single-handedly crafted the feature over a period of more than three years.

The story is told without dialogue over four chapters, allowing the visuals and music to drive the narrative. Zilbalodis’s fascination for filmmaking began at an early age watching classic films and making shorts and commercials. His inspiration for Away includes the works of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and classic films ranging from Bicycle Thieves and The General through to the 2004 feature, Motorcycle Diaries and the more recent 2014 feature, It Follows. Musical influences for Zilbalodis, who also composed and recorded the film’s score, include Sigur Rós and Max Richter.

RFT 50th Anniversary Update

During 2020 we had hoped to provide a number of events to mark our 50^th anniversary. Most of these will now be deferred to 2021 but we would like to share with you the short film made by one of our volunteers, Luigi Serino, to mark our significant anniversary.