Film festivals from Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Romania and Iceland have joined forces to create a network that brings together similar visions from different European cultural and geopolitical areas.
“As part of this year’s edition »Cinema Spring« Lithuanian viewers will be the first to see the competition program this year, which will continue its journey at online festivals. Lithuanian filmmakers will have the opportunity to present their films at major European film festivals.
The main goal of Smart7 is i.a. identifying common trends for the future development of the festival industry and culture. The network includes: International Film Festivals: Kino Pavasaris, New Horizons (Poland), IndieLisboa (Portugal), Festival in Thessaloniki (Greece), Festival Transilvania (Romania), Festival FILMadrid (Spain), Festival in Reykjavik (Iceland).
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Read more: Polish premieres at the “Kino pavasaris” Festival
Opportunities for Lithuanian cinema
According to Aistė Račaitytė, program manager of the “Kino pavasaris” festival, the Smart7 network will also allow the professionals of the domestic film industry to develop.
“I am glad that the festival can contribute to the dissemination of Lithuanian cinema abroad by delegating films to the competition program shown at network festivals. It is a guarantee of high and significant visibility for young Lithuanian filmmakers and an opportunity for young professionals to prove themselves in the evaluation of films by the jury,” says Račaitytė.
Productions from different parts of the world
The program “Kino pavasaris” includes productions from various parts of the world – 74 feature films and 53 short films. During the opening of the festival, two films will be screened: Charlotte Wells’ debut After Sun, which won international awards, and the short film Uogos, directed by Vytautas Katkus, which premiered in the main competition program of the Cannes Festival.
Special attention to Lithuanian films
“The last decade has witnessed a unique revival of Lithuanian cinema. We are happy and proud of every achievement of Lithuanian artists and the growing interest of the audience in Lithuanian production. This year, Lithuanian films will occupy a special place at the festival – we will show as many as 18 films, 15 of which are national premieres,” says Račaitytė.
The fate of people in Ukraine
Two festival films will show the everyday life and fate of people living in Ukraine. For the first time in Lithuania, the film “Mariupolis 2” by director Mantas Kvedaravičius killed in Ukraine will be shown. The film won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was recognized as the best documentary at the European Film Awards.
Read more: Zelensky at the Lithuanian Film Festival
International jury
The best film will be selected by an international jury. It will include: artistic director of “Gutek Film” Jakub Duszyński, director of the international film festival “IndieLisboa” Miguel Valverde, director and actress Dounia Sichov, actress and professional dancer Judith State, director, cinematographer Laurynas Bareiša.
The 28th “Kino pavasaris” Film Festival will be held on March 16-26 in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys.
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