Cold

In the midst of Lithuania's 1991 struggle for independence, a young American-German journalist
stumbles upon crucial KGB documents. Their disappearance triggers a deadly chase across
Eastern Europe, intertwining the lives of five individuals in a web of love, betrayal, and revenge.

Set in 1991 Lithuania during its struggle for independence, "COLD" follows five lives entangled by
fate. A rogue KGB group seeks to secure vital documents, while Lithuanian nationalists face a
final battle against Soviet forces. Colonel Popov, part of the covert KGB team, must retrieve the
documents but faces a mysterious disappearance. He recruits local mafia boss Vytas for help, setting off a three-day spiral of chaos.
In a parallel timeline, Daiva Hoffmann arrives in Lithuania to ransom her son, Jan, an American
journalist. Her path crosses with Vytas, leading to unforeseen consequences. Vytas, entangled in deals with Soviet authorities, learns of Jan's possession of the stolen documents, launching a perilous hunt with Daiva as bait.
The story unfolds, revealing the Colonel's daughter Jelena's secret romance with Jan and
the theft's intricate circumstances. The series culminates with Jan's perspective, uncovering lifealtering truths as all threads converge in a gripping climax.

In the winter of 1991, Lithuania teeters on the brink of a historic turning point for a final showdown with Soviet authorities, resulting in the tragic events of January 11th to 13th. Simultaneously, a small group of rogue high-ranking KGB agents conspires to acquire and safeguard top-secret documents that could grant them political and economic control over the "separatist" Baltic republics in case of national sovereignty.
The "COLD" TV series follows five individuals whose personal relationships, unbeknownst to them, intertwine. In the opening episode, we track Colonel Popov, a member of the covert rogue KGB group, assigned to steal the documents from the Vilnius headquarters and secure them in his home's private safe. However, when the documents mysteriously vanish, Popov's career and life hang in the balance. Desperate, he enlists the help of Vytas, a 40-year-old local mafia boss with whom he has business ties, to recover the missing documents. Over the course of three days, we witness Popov's unravelling as he loses control over his work, family, and enterprises. In the second episode, we rewind a few days in the story's timeline and meet Daiva Hoffmann, a German woman with Lithuanian roots, travelling to Lithuania to deliver a ransom for her supposedly kidnapped son, Jan, an American AP Agency journalist working in the Baltics. Along her journey, her path crosses with Vytas, who has lured her to the country for undisclosed reasons. The third episode centres on Vytas, busy finalizing business deals with Soviet authorities and preparing for the impending capitalist transformation in Eastern Europe. After being recruited by Colonel Popov, Vytas learns that Jan, Daiva's son, possesses the stolen documents, and
Popov's young daughter, Jelena, was involved in their disappearance. Unable to locate Jan, Vytas decides to use Daiva as bait to find her son. The fourth episode delves into Jelena, Popov's daughter, who harbours a secret and forbidden romance with Jan. We slowly uncover the circumstances surrounding the theft of the documents. With Jan missing, Jelena feels betrayed and abandoned, realizing she must navigate the trouble on her own. In the final episode, we follow the timeline and perspective of Jan, comprehending the motivations behind his actions as all storylines and characters converge in a climactic showdown. In his pursuit of truth, Jan uncovers secrets that will forever alter his life and the lives of his family members.

Director's note:
I am eager to contribute to the creation and development, not only as one of its directors but also as an active participant in its inception. What captivated me was the historical time period in which it is set and its significance in shaping the world's history. Having directed films and TV series that explore turbulent eras of the last century, focusing on political struggles against ruling regimes, I couldn't miss the opportunity to tell the story of the downfall of one of the greatest empires that ever existed. Beyond the series' compelling theme and setting, I was drawn to the unique narrative and visual structure that we have crafted for each episode. One of my greatest passions has always been working with actors.

Domas Petronis
I was born a year after the bloody January. I have never experienced it or seen it with my own eyes, however, the collective trauma seems to be carved into me. The series' main plot happens at times when the revolution is over and the common goal, independence, is reached. But the idealistic dream of freedom faced reality - the sovereign state had to actually be established from scratch with little help from the West and fierce opposition from the East. These were times of uncertainty, rapid change and immense tension and this is something that deeply intrigues me. Life in a society that is only starting to create its own rules and values, but already has traumas and conflict. In these circumstances, we follow characters that are on the edge and that makes a very explosive mix for a good drama.

Tiago Guedes
Since I first learned about the Cold project in the summer of 2022, I have been eager to contribute to its creation and development, not only as one of its directors but also as an active participant in its inception. What captivated me about this project was the historical time period in which it is set and its significance in shaping the world's history. Having directed films and TV series that explore turbulent eras of the last century, focusing on political struggles against ruling regimes, I couldn't miss the opportunity to tell the story of the downfall of one of the greatest empires that ever existed. Beyond the series' compelling theme and setting, I was drawn to the unique narrative and visual structure that we have crafted for each episode. As a filmmaker, one of my greatest passions has always been working with actors, and through Cold, I am excited to direct complex characters in situations that demand a great range of performance and artistic sensibility.

Aurimas Pukevičius
Cold combines a very special period in the history of the Baltic States as the set-up and the scripted intriguing human relationship drama with the elements of thriller. 30 years on from that extraordinary, turbulent period, full of patriotism, determination, mistrust, double standards and hope, it is particularly important that the period is of interest to the younger generation, who were born in a free Lithuania, but it is written into their DNA and will always be part of their history. Our aim is to create a TV drama of high artistic quality, using the best of our film production practices. As the tradition of series production in the Baltics is just beginning to develop, we are working with professionals from the international industry who will help us to ensure that we meet the standards required by international exhibitors. We are aiming to create a project with an international dimension, and we see it as a project with 2-3 co-producers and strong broadcasters on board.