20-02-2013

Lithuanian producers negotiating deals after Berlin EFM

    Lithuanian films were appreciated by film professionals in the European Film Market (EFM) during the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. Film professionals attended film screenings at EFM, more than one thousand guests visited Lithuania’s stand.

    “Film professionals were interested in collaboration with our filmmakers and film production in Lithuania. During the last three years, we have developed an important status among other participant countries in the European Film Market. Therefore, Lithuania is becoming more and more noticeable by film industry around the world”, says Rolandas Kvietkauskas, the Head of Lithuanian Film Centre.

    In the European Film Market, special attention was paid to Vanishing Waves (directed by Kristina Buozyte. “We sold public screening rights of this film to distributors from Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Taiwan”, claims Ieva Norviliene, the producer of Vanishing Waves. The film is the winner of a number of international film festivals, it won the “Jury Special Mention” at the 47th Karlovy Vary Film festival, became the best European sci-fi film at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival in Spain.

    Programmers from Amsterdam, Thessalonica, Locarno, Bergen and other film festivals attended the screening of documentary films Igrushki (directed by Lina Luzyte) and Father (directed by Marat Sargsyan) produced by Just a moment. “The representatives from one film festival generously complimented both films, and therefore, there is a great chance to be included in their program”, says Dagne Vildziunaite, the producer of the two films.

    Authors of the documentary film Пoд колпаком – Under the Hood (directed by Robert Dennis and Mark Byrne) were also appreciated by the world’s cinema elite. The film is scheduled to premiere at the end of April in Toronto International Documentary Film Festival “Hot Docs”. German television channel MDR already acquired the rights of this film.

    Christmas. Uncensored (directed by Maris Martinsons) is another world premiere which is about to be shown in an international film festival. It was noticed by festivals covering LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexuals, and transsexuals) issues.

    The Lithuanian documentary film Conversations on Serious Topics (directed by Giedre Beinoriute) and children’s sincere answers caught the attention of some film professionals from Asia and Norway.

    We Will Riot (directed by Romas Zabarauskas) was premiered in the European Film Market (Berlin). A sales agent is expected to be found after the premiere.

    Special attention was paid to the Lithuanian film stand, presented in the European Film Market. Visitors were attracted by a provocative advertising campaign, which stated that Lithuanian films are ketchup-free. Since the ketchup is the symbol of bad taste, it was emphasized that Lithuanian films are original and extraordinary.

     

    The Lithuanian Film Centre
    Lithuanian Film Centre was established in May 2012. The aim of the Centre is to participate in designing an effective film and audiovisual sector policy and to foster the sustainability of the Lithuanian film industry.

    For more information:
    Giedre Sileikyte
    “Lithuanian Films” communication
    “Autoriai” |Creative Communication Solutions
    Tel.: + 370 687 94230
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