The National Culture and Art Prize 2013 has been awarded to the following artists: cameraman Jonas Gricius, for creating the rudiments of the Lithuanian cinema poetics, for the highest visual culture in cinematography and for professional conscience; actor Donatas Banionis, for continuing the legend of Juozas Miltinis' Drama Theatre in contemporary theatre and cinema; composer Faustas Latenas, for giving sound to the Lithuanian theatre; for music as a fully-fledged participant in theatrical action; composer Giedrius Antanas Kuprevicius, for a wide scope of musical expression from a musical to an opera and ballet; writer Vladas Braziunas, for poetic discoveries while plunging into the treasures of the Lithuanian language and the Baltic world-view; actor Juozas Budraitis, for his creative work extending broad in culture; for innovative and intellectual acting; and for opening a window to Lithuania.
Loreta Grauziniene, the Speaker of the Seimas, congratulated the Prize winners and noted that the Lithuanian nation is not just a particularly strong and persistent nation but also a rich nation. "Having paid a high price for our Independence, having sacrificed so much, we now live in a free state and enjoy equal rights alongside with other nations of the world. We have preserved and cherished our language and our traditions and today we are marching across the world with our tricolour flag raised high, proud of our achievements. We can also regard ourselves rich because over the course of the past decades we have nurtured a big number of prominent personalities – talents who are now promoting the name of Lithuania and who are gemstones of our nation," said the Speaker.
In his speech Prof. Vytautas Juozapaitis, MP, winner of the National Culture and Art Prize 2003 insisted that it is namely culture or, to be more exact, its multilayer means of expression that actually determine the level of our perception of statehood, which has a direct influence on both economic well-being and the demand of spiritual content without which the state ruled by harmonious society is just impossible. "It is symbolic that we congratulate the winners of the National Culture and Art Prize when celebrating the Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania. By doing this we send a message to Lithuanian people and the world that it is namely culture that lies at the foundation of our democratic republic declared 96 years ago. So, let us be consistent and not ashamed of the name of the cultured state even after the festivities are over and do everything in our power to make this concept a synonym to the name of Lithuania. After all, if you take culture away from the human being, he will lose humanity; if you destroy the culture of the state, the state will cease existing. So: to be or not to be, that is the question politicians must answer today and, in case of a positive answer, find political will to build the concept of national defence and security upon the content of culture, as the nation's self-expression and expression of its identity," Prof. Juozapaitis said at the even t to honour the winners of the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize 2013.
Creative achievements of the winners of the National Prize are presented at the photo exhibition and exposition of writer Vladas Braziunas' books arranged in Exhibition Gallery of the Parliament. The exhibition will be open until 3 March 2014. Visitors of the Parliament are invited to view the exposition on Fridays, during the open hours at the Seimas.
