![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tamperefilmfestival.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ViskasGerai.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Still: <\/em>It’s Alright (2020) by Jor\u016bn\u0117 Grei\u010di\u016bt\u0117<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n This year\u2019s Tampere Film Festival will turn the spotlight to Lithuania. Audiences will be treated to three Lithuanian film programmes featuring 30 films, ranging from experimental genres to works by a new generation of filmmakers who have already made a mark on the international scene.<\/span><\/p>\n The festival, held for the 55th time in Tampere, Finland, is one of only three A-class short film festivals recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), alongside Clermont-Ferrand and Oberhausen festivals. Tampere Film Festival annually attracts around 30,000 visitors, 800 accredited film industry professionals, and screens 400 films from around the world over five days.<\/span><\/p>\n Lithuania\u2019s participation in Tampere Film Festival is not only a unique opportunity to present a diverse array of Lithuanian films \u2013 spanning various genres and historical contexts \u2013 to Northern European audiences and the international film community but also represents one of the largest focuses on the country\u2019s short films at an international festival in the past decade.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe invitation for Lithuania to be the guest country at this festival is a significant recognition that the Lithuanian film community can truly be proud of. Tampere Film Festival is the largest short film festival in Northern Europe, annually presenting content with the highest aesthetic, ethical, stylistic and narrative qualities. We are delighted that the festival chose to showcase such a large variety of Lithuanian short films, offering both festival-goers and international industry representatives a glimpse into the multifaceted world of Lithuanian short cinema,\u201d said <\/span>Rimant\u0117 Daug\u0117lait\u0117<\/strong>, head of the Lithuanian short film agency Lithuanian Shorts, a partner of the initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n This year, three specially curated Lithuanian film programmes will feature the short films of experimental director <\/span>Art\u016bras Barysas<\/b>, shot on 16 mm film, as well as works by new-generation directors <\/span>Vytautas Katkus<\/b> and<\/span> Laurynas Barei\u0161a<\/b>, and films by Lithuanian female directors.<\/span><\/p>\n Art\u016bras Barysas (1954\u20132005) was one of the most prominent figures of the country\u2019s counterculture movement, who used a distinctive ironic voice to expose the social norms of Soviet-era Lithuania through his experimental films and musical works. Festival-goers will be able to see 18 of his short films created in the 1970s and 1980s, from <\/span>The Fall<\/span><\/i> (1971) to <\/span>Obvious but Unbelievable <\/span><\/i>(1982).<\/span><\/p>\n The festival will also showcase works by Vytautas Katkus and Laurynas Barei\u0161a, two of the most talented and rapidly rising directors, who have recently gained significant recognition on the international film stage. The special programme will feature Katkus\u2019s films <\/span>Community Gardens, Places<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Cherries<\/span><\/i>, as well as Barei\u0161a\u2019s <\/span>By the Pool<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Dummy<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Caucasus.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The third programme will highlight the work of Lithuanian female directors, including six films made between 2018 and 2024. Festival participants will get to see <\/span>Marija Stonyt\u0117\u2019s<\/b> One Life<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Birut\u0117 Kapustinskait\u0117\u2019s<\/b> Mothers<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Milda Augustaityt\u0117\u2019s<\/b> Number One,<\/span><\/i> Jor\u016bn\u0117 Grei\u010di\u016bt\u0117\u2019s<\/b> It\u2019s Alright<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Skirmanta Jakait\u0117\u2019s <\/b>The Juggler<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Egl\u0117 Davidavi\u010d\u0117\u2019s<\/b> The One Who Knows<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA few years ago, two Lithuanian directors \u2013 Vytautas Katkus and Laurynas Barei\u0161a \u2013 emerged into the short film arenas and achieved great success at film festivals. Their films have something peculiar and original that we outsiders can call, in want for a better term, the Lithuanian new wave. At Tampere Film Festival, we wanted to look into Lithuanian film a bit closer and perhaps also penetrate the mentality of Lithuanians,\u201c shared <\/span>Jukka-Pekka Laakso<\/b>, director of Tampere Film Festival.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lithuania\u2019s name will also be visible in the festival\u2019s competition programmes. In the International Competition programme, which received nearly 8,000 submissions, audiences will see the experimental film <\/span>Tangled Wool<\/span><\/i>, directed and produced by <\/span>Au\u0161rin\u0117 Kurgonait\u0117<\/b>. Meanwhile, the National Competition programme will feature the Finnish-Lithuanian co-production <\/span>Feet Up<\/span><\/i> (dir. <\/span>Olli Ilpo Salonen<\/b>), produced by <\/span>Laura Kazbarait\u0117<\/b> (Feel Reel). Also, this year, one of the International Competition programme\u2019s jury members is <\/span>Gabriel\u0117 Cegialyt\u0117<\/b>, executive director of the Vilnius Short Film Festival and project manager at Lithuanian Shorts.<\/span><\/p>\n The festival will also have industry events focusing on Lithuanian cinema.<\/span> David Ellis<\/b> and <\/span>Lijana Jakovlevna Siuchina<\/b>, curators of Art\u016bras Barysas\u2019s film programme, will discuss what constitutes experimental cinema. Meanwhile, Rimant\u0117 Daug\u0117lait\u0117, head of the Lithuanian Shorts and the Vilnius Short Film Festival, will participate in a discussion on the significance of festivals and international awards for small countries.<\/span><\/p>\n The Lithuanian film focus at the Tampere Film Festival is organised in collaboration with the Lithuanian short film agency Lithuanian Shorts and the Lithuanian Film Centre. It is also a part of the Lithuanian Culture Institute\u2019s programme Lithuanian Culture in Tampere 2025, which aims to showcase Lithuania\u2019s contemporary artistic achievements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CONTACTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Lithuanian Shorts
\nRimant\u0117 Daug\u0117lait\u0117-Cegelskien\u0117
\ninfo@filmshorts.lt<\/a>
\n+370 673 16 548
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tamperefilmfestival.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/LithuanianShorts_Logo_Print-300x105.png\"){kind=logo}
\u00a0 \u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tamperefilmfestival.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/LKClogo_EN-150x150.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"