Vilnius Short Film Festival reveals films selected for the National Competition

Now in its 18th year, Vilnius Short Film Festival is back, calling short film lovers to cinemas and home screens on 15–21 January. As always, audiences will be treated to over a hundred films, conveniently divided by themes and genres into National and International Competitions as well as special thematic programmes. This year’s National Competition will comprise 13 Lithuanian films to compete not only for the festival’s Grand Prix but also an opportunity to be nominated for an Oscar, since Vilnius Short Film Festival became an Oscar-qualifying festival, the first one in Lithuania.

“This past year has been truly successful for the Vilnius Short Film Festival, which does signal that short film screening culture is on the rise. We are happy to have received prestigious recognition from the Vilnius City Municipality, who granted us the esteemed status of Vilnius City Festival at the start of this year. And in the middle of the year, the festival’s organiser Lithuanian Shorts received the special National Film Award “Silver Crane”. We are also thrilled about having achieved Oscar-qualifying status this past autumn. The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognised the artistic quality of our programming by choosing us along with the important international film festivals, such as Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, etc. Never before has a Lithuanian festival been on this list. It presents a significant opportunity also for the films in the National Competition,” says Rimantė Daugėlaitė, Head of the Festival.

Record number of submissions and accessibility improvements

Every year, the National Competition screenings are the most anticipated for the festival audience. One of the films gets named the best Lithuanian short film by an experienced international jury, in addition to competing for the festival’s Grand Prix. The two National Competition programmes will consist of thirteen short films made in recent years by Lithuanian filmmakers.

„This year’s National Competition has set a number of records. We received a record amount of submissions by Lithuanian filmmakers; for the first time, we selected as many as thirteen films, eight of which are going to be national premieres! We are incredibly happy with the proactiveness of the new generation of artists, their strong works, topical subjects and huge creative potential. Like last year, we are preparing the films to meet the accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, in order to introduce the Lithuanian talents to a wider audience,” says Gabrielė Cegialytė, the festival’s Managing Director.

The films for the National Competition were selected by the festival’s long-time programmers: director, scriptwriter and educator Andrius Blaževičius, film critic and journalist Ieva Šukytė and film scholar and curator Mantė Valiūnaitė.

The Vilnius Short Film Festival continues to prioritise focus on accessibility, therefore the opening programme will be screened with special subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). In addition, both SDH and audio description for the visually impaired will be provided for the National Competition screenings in Vilnius as well as other towns. Following the screenings in Vilnius, Q&A’s with the makers of the National Competition films will be interpreted to sign language.

The theme of memory in the works of Lithuanian filmmakers

The National Competition Programme I presents seven films by Lithuanian authors. According to Mantė Valiūnaitė, “the theme of memory resonates in this programme from different angles: in several films, it directly reconstructs past events and explores their impact on the present, while others focus on moments that remain unforgettable, even if you wish they could be erased. Laughter and tears, funerals and New Year celebrations, an oak park and a flat full of flowers invite you to discover what Lithuanian filmmakers truly care about.“

The programme begins with the documentary Oaks of Ožkabaliai by Rimantas Oičenka and Audrius Antanavičius. It tells the story of an oakwood planted in the birthplace of Jonas Basanavičius as a symbol of the Lithuanian nation’s struggle for freedom. In Happy Next Year! by Lukas Kacinauskas, we witness an unexpected turn in a couple’s relationship after a brief encounter with a third person. Meanwhile, féin by Rytis Dringelis features a protagonist undergoing a break-up, who encounters memories of what once was.

The programme continues with A Wake by Marius Pocevičius, depicting the oh-so-recent times of the pandemic, when a daughter tries to organise her deceased mother’s funeral, but the wake spirals into absolute comic chaos. In animation Home by Rebeka Salomėja Kavaliauskaitė, we witness the story of an invisible man in a city full of people, whereas Chin Up by Gabija Beatričė Rimkutė follows a promising violin player who has suffered years of emotional abuse finally dares to fight back. Rounding up the  National Competition Programme I is Reminiscence by Kristijonas Dirsė, revealing memories and different versions of them contained in a flat for sale.

From relationship dramas and coming-of-age stories to moral dilemmas and witty portrait of the Lithuanian nation

The National Competition Programme II presents six Lithuanian films. “This programme offers parent-child relationship dramas, coming-of-age stories, complex moral dilemmas and even a peculiar and witty portrait of the Lithuanian nation shot in the parking lot of the Akropolis shopping mall. Action, humour, suspense, mysticism, one’s complex inner world – this programme has it all,” says Andrius Blaževičius, one of the festival’s programmers.

The programme begins with Left-Handed Pen by Adas Burkšaitis, exploring the themes of moral dilemmas and the price of success unfolding in a suburban school. ¡Quiero Saber De La Vida! by Beatričė Sofija Piesliakaitė tells of changes developing in the life of a teenager experiencing a burnout. Documentary I Buy by Martynas Norvaišas is a tongue-in-cheek presentation of people’s shopping lists in the light of existentialism rather than consumerism. Mauna by Ieva Juodelytė tells the story of a mother of four, who is going on her first vacation alone. Animation The One Who Knows by Eglė Davidavičė follows an anxious teenager to a swimming pool, where she has a transformational experience. Last but not least is After Classes by Simona Jurkuvėnaitė, a study of a dilemma and moments of decision and courage by a group of teenagers who need to save a friend.

Vilnius Short Film Festival has a lot more to offer, with a programme full of surprising, engaging films that are sure to give a burst of colour to the drab month of January by immersing the viewers into the wild, stunning and heart-melting world of short films. Full programme coming soon.

The 18th edition of Vilnius Short Film Festival will take place on 15-21 January 2025 in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai cinemas and on Žmonės Cinema and LRT Epika home cinema platforms.

More info and updated programme at: www.filmshorts.lt

The festival is organised by the Lithuanian short film agency Lithuanian Shorts. Partial sponsors: Lithuanian Film Centre, Creative Europe MEDIA, Vilnius City Municipality, Audiovisual works copyright association AVAKA. Main media partner: LRT Epika.