The festival, organized for the tenth time, is the only event in the Baltic region that brings together professionals and fans of video games, digital art, and animation. During the festival, the public will see the latest award-winning feature and short animated films, three competitive animation film programs, an international VR exhibition, and the “Aware Game Awards” video game awards program.
According to the festival’s director, Laura Almantaitė, the festival will immerse attendees in unforgettable, unique, and enriching experiences for four days.
“The festive, tenth edition of the program is perfectly refined and balanced to offer a diverse audience experience. The most powerful recent VR works, an impressive and belief-challenging augmented reality exhibition by Danish artist and animator Sara Koppel, innovative and mind-expanding games, and a rare opportunity to hear the craftsmanship of Irish artist David O’Reilly in his creative workshop. And this is just a fraction of what we have prepared this year,” says L. Almantaitė.
Participants are invited to various discussions, seminars, creative workshops, and meetings with foreign and Lithuanian creators, where they can network and gain inspiration for future projects. These events are free for students and schoolchildren.
L. Almantaitė emphasizes that the festival’s program is designed to offer activities for everyone—both young and old.
“From the very beginning, our festival has been interdisciplinary in terms of both content and activities. In addition to films, video games, and VR works, we have always focused strongly on educational activities, involving children and young people to help them discover a new world of creativity. Our VR program, which has no age limits, also attracts great interest from everyone,” says the festival director.
She notes that over the past 10 years, the attitude towards animation and video games has gradually changed—people are beginning to understand that they can be a powerful medium for discussing serious, relevant topics and are not just for entertainment or children.
Video games unlike any we are used to seeing
For the second time, the festival will feature the international game program “Aware Game Awards.” The goal of this competitive program is to showcase games that we are not accustomed to seeing.
“These are short, easily understandable, and playable works by artists, each focused on the object of storytelling or gameplay. The international jury will select the best work in the competition, evaluating not only the artistic expression but also how convincingly the game reveals its theme, and what emotions or reflections it can evoke. Among this year’s works are two installations—games that you can experience only at festivals or biennials,” says Artūras Rumiancevas, BLON’s Game Program Coordinator.
The BLON “Aware Game Awards” game collection will feature 10 works from Germany, Estonia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Latvia, Greece, Switzerland, and Lithuania.
Among them are a sensitive and critical Latvian creator’s take on the Mariupol tragedy in the game “Peresvet,” an Estonian game inspired by the creators’ hometown, and in the German game “Veritatis,” players are invited to participate in a provocation—taking on the role of a censor in an authoritarian regime, deciding what and how to report to the public.
Alongside works that analyze contemporary social issues—such as sexuality, climate change, and mental health—there will also be lighter content, including games that offer a new perspective on furniture or Kafka.
The festival, taking place on the second weekend of September, will present a broad animation film program. This will include three competitive short film programs: international, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian creators’ competitions, an impressive feature animation film program for the whole family, and a special retrospective program of Lithuanian animation to mark the festival’s tenth anniversary. The festival will also offer several free film screenings for Klaipėda residents and visitors.
A separate part of the festival program is dedicated to families, with creative workshops and film screenings featuring movies specially selected for the youngest visitors. The organizers also invite everyone to visit the exhibition at the Klaipėda Puppet Theater, where they can discover the characters from Ignas Meilūnas’ animated film “Hooves and Skates”.
From September 12–15, the festival’s events will take place at various locations around Klaipėda, including Kultūros fabrikas, HOFAS, KKKC Exhibition Hall, Herkus Kantas, Arlekinas, and Klaipėda Puppet Theater.
Tickets for the festival events can be purchased on the festival’s website https://blon.lt and on the “Paysera” platform. Tickets are available at a discounted price until September 1.
The festival is funded by the Lithuanian Film Centre and the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
