Lithuanian-US writer-director and editor Tomas Vengris is currently in post-production with his latest feature, Barracuda, a courtroom drama based on an extraordinary true story that weaves together violence and love, desperation and self-acceptance, power and surrender.

The film tells the real-life story of Loreta Gedvilaitė, a young firecracker and mob wife, who becomes involved in a passionate love affair with Mongolas, a charismatic “businessman” who would rise to become one of the central figures in the country’s organised-crime scene. In 2015, Loreta sued her husband’s murderer for defamation after he publicly called her a “barracuda” on national television. The court proceedings dissect Loreta’s youth – the dangerous love affair, motherhood and status-driven excess – and ultimately rule against her. After the verdict, she becomes the first legally recognised “barracuda” of Lithuania, a label marking her out as a promiscuous temptress of influential men.

The cast is led by Gerda Čiuraitė (The 9th Step) as Loreta, supported by Martynas Nedzinskas (Isaac) as Mongolas, Šarūnas Datenis (Real Cops) as Henrikas Daktaras – the defendant serving a life sentence for organised crime – and Rasa Samuolytė (Parade), among others.

Vengris directs from a screenplay that he wrote, combining rigorous research with cinematic storytelling. The director previously won acclaim for his debut, Motherland, which was crowned Best Film in the Baltic Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and for Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania, which scooped the Best Film Award in the Rebels With a Cause Competition at the same festival. He has also worked as an editor with internationally acclaimed directors, including Terrence Malick, Kelly Reichardt and Lena Dunham.

In Barracuda, Vengris explores the intersections of Soviet-era criminality, early Lithuanian independence and the challenges of female empowerment in a male-dominated society. The film crew worked closely with Loreta Gedvilaitė herself, who reportedly expressed surprise only at the main actress’s hair colour.

Filming took place in Lithuania and Italy, with production design recreating iconic 1990s interiors and mafia hotspots, including the Kaunas restaurant Trys Maidens and Vilnius’s Vilija. Estonian cinematographer Rein Kotov is lensing the movie, Latvian composer Artūrs Liepiņš is providing the score, and Mārtiņš Straupe is serving as production designer. Post-production is scheduled to be completed by the end of the spring.

Barracuda is a Lithuanian-Italian-Latvian co-production, staged by Emilija Sluškonytė through Vilnius-based AUSTRÈ STUDIO, in co-production with Leonardo Barrile for Samarcanda Film and Dominiks Jarmakovičs for Locomotive Productions. The film received support from the Lithuanian Film Centre, the National Film Centre of Latvia, LRT and regional incentives in Emilia-Romagna. The film will be released in Lithuanian cinemas at the end of 2026 by Kino Pavasaris.