Vilnius Short Film Festival reveals special programmes, among which: Indonesian films, open air screenings and the ouvre of cinematographer Audrius Kemežys
The 19th edition of the Vilnius Short Film Festival, which will take place on 21–27 January in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys as well as on home cinema screens, reveals its full programme including as many as fourteen special programmes, consisting of over 100 of the best short films from all over the world.
The festival programme is traditionally divided into three parts: National Competition with 10 national premieres of Lithuanian films; International Competition with a plethora of award-winning films from six continents; and the third part of the repertoire, which is the most varied and least expected, is the guest-curated Special Programmes divided according to themes and genres.
The fourteen special programmes feature the latest and most memorable short films, from introduction to Indonesian and Portugese films to Swedish artist Susanna Wallin and Lithuanian cinematographer Audrius Kemežys retrospectives, to a short film night walk in Vilnius and a naughty selection of adult animation, as well as European Film Awards finalists, a programme conceived by youth programmers, VR films or a programme for children. Also, the now legendary Short Film Night and, last but not least, the festival winners.
A Wall is A Screen presents a short film walk in Vilnius
Vilnius Short Film Festival invites film lovers to open the festival with an exceptional open air experience, A Wall is a Screen: Short Film Walk in Vilnius. For one evening only – 21 January – it offers a cinematic walk through Vilnius Old Town while watching short films. The unique project “A Wall is a Screen” takes advantage of the nightly downtime of the city to let people (re-)discover public spaces through short film cinema. The artist collective from Hamburg, Germany, uses walls and other urban structures for their outdoor film screenings, creating new perspectives and an open air audiovisual city tour with cinema.
Participants are asked to put on warm clothes as they will follow the projection team from wall to wall and thus from film to film, knowing only the starting point. Participation is free of charge. The project is presented in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Lithuania.
Indonesia, In Between
Vilnius Short Film Festival continues its tradition of featuring a country in focus – this year, Indonesia. Created in partnership with the Bali International Short Film Festival “Minikino Film Week,” the special program “Indonesia, In Between” features six short films exploring themes of inheritance and transformation, opening a dialogue between generations. Breaking the silence of queer voices and dreams of a better nation appear as acts of gentle rebellion, reclaiming bodies and identities once defined by others. In bringing these films together, the programme becomes a cinematic dialogue on how identity is shaped, not only by what we inherit but also by what we choose to carry forward. It is a conscious choice to carry new values into the future, a redefinition of what family, faith, and freedom can mean. The programme is curated by Fransiska Prihadi, Program Director at Minikino Film Week.
First time in the repertoire – European Film Awards Finalists
Festivals Favourites: European Film Awards Finalists programme presents five nominated short films for the European Film Awards, showcasing a diverse selection of contemporary filmmaking, featuring nominees for the European Short Film – Prix Vimeo award, along with one of the winners being presented at the 19th Vilnius Short Film Festival, which will take place right after the European Film Awards.
Cinematographer Audrius Kemežys retrospective
Programme Through Life With a Camera: The Creative Work of Cinematographer Audrius Kemežys offers a glimpse into the creative journey of Audrius Kemežys, one of the most prominent and distinguished Lithuanian cinematographers, recipient of the Lithuanian National Culture and Arts Prize. Even though he passed away far too early due to serious illness, his creative legacy includes over fifty films, some of which left a long lasting mark on the history of Lithuanian cinema.
This retrospective is an opportunity to not only watch the films he shot, but also to observe the passage of time that they captured, showing changes in the characters, the setting, as well as the technology of filming and image reproduction. The programme is curated by film director and screenwriter Lukas Kacinauskas. All of the screenings will be accompanied by Q&A sessions with colleagues of Audrius Kemežys.
Focus on Swedish artist and filmmaker Susanna Wallin
How long does it take to see? Artist and director Susanna Wallin is in no hurry. She spends long time observing people, places, and, it seems, even time itself. This unhurried and open gaze turns into short films created together with those she encounters in the two-part programme Susanna Wallin. Time Without Measure. In her films, small miracles disrupt the usual rhythm of everydayness, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination. Glances, bodies, their movements, and stories intertwine within time that is given to us. Susanna Wallin seems to ask – what can we do with this time? We search for the answer together, yet the most important thing seems to be a true feeling of togetherness and the possibility of new perspectives. Susanna Wallin’s retrospective presents selected short films created from 2006 to 2024. The programme will be presented by Susanna Wallin herself.
Bold and crazy animation for adults
Exploring the absurd, the sensitive, and the unexpected, the six short films in Oh là là! Mission Impossible! blend visual experimentation, intimate storytelling, and contemporary satire. This N18 programme features the tension-tinged irony, a story about the downside of being an ultimate good guy, a nightmarish love story, immersed in the urban flows of Cambodia, a dose of offbeat humor and gentle melancholy, a sharp, satirical animal fable, and a brief yet incisive meditation on solitude of a living model and the search for meaning of art. Together, this short, dense animated journey that remains resolutely open to the many ways of telling, and reinventing the crazy world we are living in. The programme is curated by Sébastien Sperer (France).
Bold and open hearted selection of Portuguese short films
“Call things by their name” is an expression that means not being afraid to name something by its true nature. The programme’s From Portugal: The Name of Things title is borrowed from the 1977 book by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen that exposes, through metaphors, the political mistakes of the years that precede its release — fascism and the colonial war —, clearly and without subterfuge, in a poetic gesture that also incorporates political denunciation. This program of Portuguese short films is based on the same idea of showing films that, without disguise, reveal what lies beneath the surface.
From natural beauty and tradition threatened by the merciless logic of touristification or giving the voice to the invisible who struggle to survive on the urban margins to a statue awakening to political consciousness and the search for redemption – these are films that name things for what they are: memory, struggle, inequality, resistance. They also showcase some of the most important authors of the many who began with short films. The programme is curated by Miguel Dias, the head of Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival.
Films for young audiences
Animated Heroes features eight animated stories that will transport young viewers to a world full of adventure and colour. The world’s tidiest superhero sets out to save the city from a powerful robot, a monkey and a lion form an unusual friendship, and a lumberjack stuck in the forest unleashes his inner beast. These cheerful stories will delight with their variety of animation techniques and themes and are sure to make not only children but also their parents laugh. The programme was curated by children themselves during the November workshop in collaboration with the Belgian Short Film Agency.
Even Flowers Remember will immerse the audience in the memories of the protagonists, personal stories of the filmmakers, and historical experiences. The films explore collective and individual human memory – the death of loved ones, parental divorce, the complexities of adolescence, and flowers that remember. The programme was conceived by the ‘Young Film Programmers of Meno Avilys,’ an initiative in its ninth year for senior high school students interested in cinema. Under the guidance of professional film curators and educators, they select films that are relevant to their interests, design and present film programmes for festivals and cinemas.
Pulsating new European cinema
European Stories presents four fiction films by up-and-coming European filmmakers that boldly yet subtly reflect on themes of childhood, independence, family relationships, and inner freedom. Set in different corners of Europe, the stories reveal first encounters with the complex world of adults. While the films differ in style and narrative pace, they are all united by particular attention to the inner worlds of protagonists as well as distinctive auteur voice of the filmmakers and convincing acting even from the youngest of actors. The productions were funded by the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme. European Stories is presented by the Creative Europe Desk Lithuania MEDIA Office.
Opportunity to ‘enter’ films in virtual reality
For the second year, the Vilnius International Short Film Festival presents VR Short Films, showcasing international film and VR festival favourites, “Madame Sapiens” (dir. Camille Duvelleroy) and “Monsieur Vincent” (dir. Agnès Molia and Gordon). Madame Sapiens is the virtual reality experience based on the latest scientific discoveries, evolving in a sumptuous graphic universe, offering an immersive journey into the life of a woman 38,000 years ago. Monsieur Vincent opens the door to the Northern France and the sensitive, emotionally and chromatically rich world of Vincent van Gogh. Both films will be shown at MO Museum on 23–25 January. The VR programme is conceived in collaboration with BLON Animation and Video Games Festival and the French Institute in Lithuania.
The most anticipated festival’s screening – Short Film Night
The festival’s unbreakable tradition and record-breaking crowd pleaser, Short Film Night, is back with another five hours of good short films! Its generous programme features 19 inspiring, tear-jerking, eyebrow-raising and nerve-tickling films. The Short Film Night will take place exclusively on 23 January in all the festival’s cities. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the latest and greatest works by Lithuanian and international filmmakers.
Festival Winners
As always, we will close the festival with the Festival Winners Programme, featuring the best films from both National and International Competition, as judged by the jury, as well as the Grand Prix winner, who will be eligible for an Oscar nomination, and the film awarded a candidacy for the European Short Film at the European Film Awards. The films in the programme will be revealed after the Awards Ceremony on 25 January.
The 19th edition of Vilnius Short Film Festival will take place on 21–27 January, 2026 at:
VILNIUS: Pasaka cinema, Skalvija Cinema Centre, MO Museum, Forum Cinemas Vingis, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania;
KAUNAS: Kaunas Cinema Centre “Romuva”;
KLAIPĖDA: “ArleKinas Klaipėda”;
ŠIAULIAI: Museum of Photography;
PANEVĖŽYS: Stasys Museum
All of Lithuania: Žmonės Cinema home cinema platform and LRT Epika.
More information: www.filmshorts.lt
The festival is organised by Lithuanian Short Film Agency LITHUANIAN SHORTS. The festival is partially sponsored by: Lithuanian Film Centre, Vilnius City Municipality, Creative Europe Media. Institutional partners: Audiovisual Works Copyright Association AVAKA, Goethe-Institut Lithuania, Sweden–Lithuania Cooperation Fund, LATGA Association, Creative Europe Media Desk in Lithuania, Institut français de Lituanie. Main media partner: LRT Epika.