ENUsing three Lithuanian documentary films Disappearance of the Tribe (2005) by Deimantas Nakrevicius, Grandpa and Granma (2007) by Giedre Beinoriute and What We Leave Behind (2017) by sisters Jurate and Vilma Samulionyte the article examines forms of cinematic work with family photographs and means of reworking family narratives and Soviet experience, related in part to post-World War II forced migration and deportations. Practices of dealing with the materiality of photographs, editing techniques, and strategies for the use of voice observed in these three films and other works in contemporary Lithuanian cinema and visual arts serve as a basis for attempting to apply the vocabulary of postcolonial studies to cinematic attempts at articulating the Soviet past. Key words: documentary film, family photography, politics of voice, occupation, deportation, Lithuania. [Publisher annotation]