Keynote speeches in the conference will be given by dr. Laura Rascaroli, Professor at the University College Cork and and dr. Audrius Stonys, filmmaker and Professor of Film Directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

In addition, researchers from 15 countries will attend the conference and will delve into personal perspective and essayistic film form. The selected papers of the conference will be published in the peer-reviewed journal, Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis.

The conference will be accompanied by the essay film programme, curated by film researchers dr. Renata Šukaitytė and Zane Balčus.

“Since the 2000s, more and more discussions have revolved around the ‘emotional’ and ‘personal’ turn in the culture of non-fiction film and media, the turn that has allowed to overcome the traditional juxtaposition of emotion and knowledge, and also encouraged to experiment with aesthetic, rhetorical and narrative means of expression in documentary film. Essay films allow filmmakers to develop an intimate connection with their audiences and express complex, painful, moving matters in an aesthetically, emotionally and intellectually powerful manner”, dr. Renata Šukaitytė said in a statement.

The event is organised by the Vilnius Academy of Arts, the Lithuanian Culture Research Institute and the Vilnius International Documentary Film Festival, in partnership with the International Network for Small Cinemas.

Click HERE for the preliminary programme.