Vilnius Short Film Festival’s spotlight at FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival

The Vilnius International Short Film Festival (VISFF) has been extended an invitation to present two special programs at the FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival this week. These programs will feature a selection of ten short films, equally split between five Lithuanian and five international works. Together, these films offer a dynamic glimpse into the themes and subjects that deeply engage contemporary filmmakers. Set to unfold from August 14 to 19 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival has also welcomed Andrius Blaževičius, a programmer from Vilnius ISFF, to partake in their international jury panel.

The first programme – “Lithuanian Panorama” – consists of five recent successful Lithuanian short films: three fiction films and two animated. They traveled to festivals and won many prizes internationally and locally. You will be able to observe post-apocalyptic life in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, and have a glimpse at patriarchy in community gardens and matriarchy at the beautiful Lithuanian seaside. You will get to know a rebellious teenager who dreams about raving in Berlin and dive into the surreal existentialistic world of a Juggler. The protagonists of each film of this programme are fighting for something they deeply care about. All films were screened at Vilnius ISFF National competitions in previous years. “Lithuanian Panorama” will be screened at 18:30 pm on 18th of August.

The second programme presented by Vilnius ISFF is “International Panorama: Protest”. When people are cornered, they start to protest both in their personal space and on the streets. A son’s protest against his mother, a little girl’s opposition to war, a policeman’s empathy in an emergency. This programme reveals people’s determination to fight for their values. This programme was curated by the ‘Young Programmers,’ a group of senior high school students interested in cinema. Under the guidance of professional film curators, educators, historians, communication specialists, and others, they select films that are relevant to their interests, design and present film programs for cinemas, festivals, and open spaces, as well as handle the publicity associated with these programs. “International Panorama: Protest” screening will take place at 20:30 pm on 17th of August.

Established in 2015, FeKK- Ljubljana Short Film Festival is a central Slovenian festival dedicated to short films. As an association and a platform it has established itself well both nationally, regionally and internationally, gaining on importance and esteem within the international community of filmmakers and festival goers alike. Within the duration of eight editions, FeKK proved itself as a meaningful and necessary platform, as evidenced by the thousands of yearly festival visitors and the continuous breakthrough successes of Slovenian short film productions at renowned national, regional, and international festivals and events.

A collaboration between Vilnius International Short Film Festival and FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival started last year as both festivals joined a new EU-funded alliance to promote film criticism and audience participation. With the aim of promoting critical debate and intensive engagement with European cinema, Vilnius ISFF together with FeKK, Filmfest Dresden, Vienna Shorts, Lago Film Fest and Kortfilmfestival Leuven have joined forces to form the European Network for Film Discourse (The END). Being official as of March 2023, the new alliance, which is closely linked to the successful online magazine Talking Shorts, will receive EU funding for the next two years via the “Creative Europe – MEDIA” programme.

Vilnius International Short Film Festival is one of the biggest short film festivals in the Baltic countries, presenting the newest and best short films from all around the world. It is a unique platform presenting a diverse program of over 80 short films, featuring both emerging and established talents from around the world. The 17th edition of Vilnius ISFF will take place on January 17–23, 2024 in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities.

Lithuanian Panorama

Techno, Mama / Techno, mama
Dir. Saulius Baradinskas | Lithuania | 2021 | Fiction | 18 min.

Juggler / Žonglierius
Dir. Skirmanta Jakaitė | France, Lithuania | 2018 | Animation | 11 min.

Community Gardens / Kolektyviniai sodai
Dir. Vytautas Katkus | Lithuania | 2019 | Fiction | 15 min.

Snow Shelter / Sniego pastogė
Dir. Robertas Nevecka | Lithuania | 2020 | Animation | 16 min.

Mothers / Motinos
Dir. Birutė Kapustinskaitė | Lithuania | 2021 | Fiction | 15 min.

International Panorama: Protest

Will You Look at Me
Dir. Shuli Huang | China  | 2022 | Documentary | 20 min.

The Blanket
Dir. Teppo Airaksinen | Finland | 2021 | Fiction | 16 min.

Bergie
Dir. Dian Weys | South Africa | 2022 | Fiction  | 7 min.

Handbook
Dir. Pavel Mozhar | Belarus, Germany  | 2021 | Documentary  | 29 min.

The Seine’s Tears
Dir. Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Étienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleur | France  | 2021 | Animation  | 9 min.