This year proved to be successful for Lithuanian filmmakers: Lithuanian titles and names can be found at the lineup of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. Vytautas Katkus’ debut short film Community gardens (lit. Kolektyviniai sodai) became the first Lithuanian film to be included in Cannes Critics’ Week. A feature film Oleg by Juris Kursietis and featuring Valentinas Novopolskij is a co-producion of Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium and France and will be screened at Directors’ Fortnight. A short film Out like a light movie (lit. Laimei einant, užmigęs buvau) by Laura Tamošiūnaitė-Šakalienė will be presented at the Short Film Corner.

More than 50 Lithuanian film professionals will attend Marché du Film. Lithuanian Film Center together with Polish Film Institute and Czech Film Fond will hold networking events to encourage Lithuanian, Polish and Czech co-productions. The Heads of the Baltic film institutions will renew the tripartite cooperation agreement, aimed at encouraging Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian co-productions, distribution of national films in neighboring countries, and cooperation in the framework of European audiovisual policy.

This year Lithuanian delegation at the Lithuanian pavilion will be meeting with a slogan Challenge Accepted, referring to even better film production and shooting conditions in Lithuania. A lot of attention will be paid to tax incentives for film production: the tax incentives scheme has already been in place for 5 years and the incentive has been recently increased from 20% to 30%. 

Also, the visitors of the Lithuanian pavilion will be able to get more information about Lithuanian films in all stages of production. Publications, listing Lithuanian feature, documentary and animated films will be available in hard copies at the Lithuanian pavilion as well as electronically on Lithuanian Film Center’s website. 

Lithuanian presence at the Cannes Film Festival and Marché du Film is funded by the Lithuanian Film Center.