THE JOURNEY
THE PEOPLE
THE VISUAL DIARY
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 collection of five interconnected standalone films, 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 been shaped by migration, displacement, loss, and renewal. Through these stories, ORIGINS traces how origins and ancestry continue to shape who we are, and how the past echoes across generations.
SEARCH
Journey in search of a lost community, discovering that the search itself was becoming the story.
BELONGING
Explores how heritage shapes our identity and defines who we are today.
ENDURANCE
Reveals how people find strength and meaning when confronted with adversity.
CREATION
Celebrates ingenuity and imagination. The courage to create, innovate, and make a difference.
RETURN
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 standalone films
Photography:
Exhibition
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Filming and photography began in early 2023 with the goal of creating a five-part documentary series following individuals connected by a shared heritage, yet separated by continents, cultures, and generations. Through their stories, ORIGINS explores the relationship between history, memory, migration, and cultural inheritance across a changing world.
Through conversations, personal reflections, and intimate moments, the series captures lives shaped by family histories and experiences passed down through generations. As the final chapters are being completed, ORIGINS is entering post-production, bringing together material gathered over three years and across five continents.
Created by an independent team of filmmakers, photographers, and composers, ORIGINS is both a journey of discovery and a portrait of a global community. Through deeply personal narratives, it reveals universal human experiences of identity, belonging, loss, resilience, and hope that resonate far beyond any single culture or generation.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SERIES
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
SPONSORS
Friends
