DOCUMENTARY SERIES
CHARACTER-DRIVEN FILMS
PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES
Over three years and across five continents, ORIGINS meets 100 artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, thinkers, and visionaries. Through candid conversations and unscripted moments, five episodes explore identity, resilience, creativity, and memory, tracing how origins continue to shape who we become.
Building on the series, 100 short films go deeper, following people who have held onto their values, persevered, and created in remarkable ways. Across generations, cultures, and walks of life, they explore the choices, lessons, and connections that shape who we are, offering an intimate portrait of human experience.
Through candid encounters, evocative photo essays, and large-format portraits, the photographer’s lens captures perspectives that video alone cannot convey. The images linger on the small gestures, fleeting expressions, and quiet details that reveal the depth, authenticity, and resilience of each person.
Documenta
ry
series
ORIGINS is a five-part documentary series filmed over three years across five continents, following people connected by a place many no longer call home. What begins as a search to understand a community becomes an exploration of identity, resilience, creativity, belonging, memory, and inheritance. Moving between continents, generations, and personal histories, the series brings together conversations with artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders whose lives have taken them far from their origins. Through these stories, ORIGINS traces how ancestry and migration shape who we are, and how the past continues to echo across generations.
ORIGINS:
Journey across continents and generations, tracing people and families shaped by a separation from the places that formed them, where the search for memory, identity, and belonging begins.
IDENTITY
Explores how heritage shapes our identity and defines who we are today.
FORTITUDE
Reveals how people find strength and meaning when confronted with adversity.
CREATIVITY
Celebrates ingenuity and imagination. The courage to create, innovate, and make a difference.
THREADS
A journey across time and place, returning to a land both deeply personal and impossibly distant.
Short
Films
Each of the 100 short films opens a new window onto the series, revealing the people we meet and the experiences that shape their lives. Through personal reflections, portraits, and inventive storytelling, they explore the moments and choices that define us. Together, they form a living, interconnected tapestry of human experience, offering a fuller picture of the journeys captured in the documentary series.
Photo
graphy
The work uses natural settings, traditional development techniques, and a conceptual approach to encourage viewers to slow down, look closely, and connect with the stories behind each image.
Portrait development process. Vilnius, Lithuania, 2025
Personal stories unfold through slow, thoughtful photography, offering an intimate glimpse into people’s inner lives, their experiences, and the emotions that shape them. Each image invites the viewer to pause, reflect, and connect with the human moments that often go unseen.
Justice Albie Sachs. Cape Town, South Africa © Tadas Kazakevičius, 2026
A candid, authentic style captures unposed moments, revealing the rhythms of daily life, raw emotions, and the spaces people inhabit. These images offer a window into real, spontaneous moments as they unfold, letting viewers witness life in its most honest and immediate form.
Evgeny Kissin. Prague, Czech Republic © Tadas Kazakevičius, 2025
Timeline
Short films:
100 character-driven stories and essay films
Documentary series:
5 episodes
Photography:
Exhibition
ORIGINS: INSIDE THE JOURNEY
Filming and photography began in early 2023 with the aim of creating a five-part documentary series following remarkable individuals whose stories transcend borders and generations. Through their experiences, the series reveals how memory, identity, resilience, and creativity shape lives and communities, offering insight and perspective that resonate today.
Engaging in conversations, reflecting on personal experiences, and capturing intimate moments, we witness how these individuals carry their heritage into the present, shaping their daily lives and communities. As the final stories are filmed, the series moves into post-production, bringing the five-part documentary closer to completion.
Brought to life by an independent team of filmmakers, photographers, and composers, ORIGINS presents an authentic portrayal of cultural heritage and human connection. Interweaving intimate moments and shared experiences, the series explores how origins shape who we are and the choices we make.
ORIGINS: THE BACKSTORY
For centuries, Litvak communities lived across Lithuania and neighboring regions. Many were forced to leave their homes, carrying their traditions and memories with them. Over three years, we meet 100 individuals—survivors and descendants—hearing their stories and tracing the threads that connect past and present. Their experiences reveal resilience, memory, and the enduring power of heritage, showing how roots continue to shape lives across generations.
To understand these stories in depth, we trace their origins. Focusing primarily on those born between 1928 and 1945—descendants of families whose lives were disrupted and scattered—the series explores how heritage, strength, and ingenuity are carried across generations. Their personal stories bridge past and present, revealing a legacy that continues to guide and inspire.
“Nationalism is always complicated. It’s based on an inwardness and exclusivity that can become very, very dangerous. But there is also nationalism that takes pride in the diversity of thoughts, of its people. This second type of nationalism can become very powerful and strong. That’s why I’m attracted to the work that you are doing.”
— JUSTICE ALBIE SACHS, South African judge and human rights activist
MEET THE TEAM
Contact
us
If you would like to learn more about ORIGINS, support our work, or explore partnership opportunities, we would be pleased to hear from you. We appreciate your interest and welcome your contact.
DONATE TO THE MAKING OF ORIGINS:
Bank Name:
AB SEB Bank
Bank Address:
Konstitucijos pr. 24, LT-08105 Vilnius, Lithuania
Bank Code:
70440
SWIFT/BIC:
CBVILT2X
Account Name:
PASSPORT. DIASPORA FOUNDATION PARAMOS FONDAS
Account Address:
Konstitucijos pr. 21A, LT-08105 Vilnius, Lithuania
Registration No:
306295674
IBAN:
LT877044090105914043
Email:
info@originsdocumentary.com
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