Vilnius Film Fund opens for business in Lithuania
A favorite film spot for foreign shoots such as ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Sisi’ and ‘Star City’, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania now has a new financial schedule to further stimulate filming and co-production activities. This week, the Vilnius city council has just launched the launch of the first city fund in the country, the Vilnius Filmfonds, Green, endowed with a budget of € 100,000 ($ 116,700).
The financing-enclosed at € 30,000 ($ 35,000) per project-olose are reserved for documentary, animated and functions of functions of both Lithuanian and foreign filmmakers. The first round of the support will be announced later this year.
“We are pleased to take another important step in promoting the image of Vilnius as a creative, open and film -friendly city,” said Simona Bieliūnė, deputy mayor of the municipality of Vilnius City.
She added: “The Lithuanian capital has been supporting film education, film academy activities, large film festivals and projects for some time. The Filnius film fund is perfectly an addition to the existing film financing usage and becomes a platform to attract new ideas and to strengthen the cultural identity of the film product projects.”
“This initiative is important at many levels,” added Jurate Pazikaite, film commissioner and head of the Vilnius Film Office. “Firstly, the focus is on emphasizing productions that improve the visibility of Vilnius. During the [selection process]Special attention will be paid to the criteria of the involvement of the city. Among them is the role of Vilnius in the storyline of the film, the recording of local makers and film professionals who work in the city, as well as the broader economic benefits for Vilnius. I believe that this is crucial to strengthen the image of the city and to promote economic growth. ”
“Moreover, the biggest emphasis will be placed on co -productions. This creates opportunities to build connections between Lithuanian and international filmmakers, who positions Vilnius as a regional hub for co -productions. Such initiatives help to increase the vision of the city in the worldwide film industry and at the same time draw new projects and financing.”
Pacificant Lithuanian producer Marija Razguté of M Films, credited for Vytautas Katkus ” The Visitor ‘, who has been won best director in Karlovy, is also satisfied with this’ step further ‘taken by the local authorities.’ Although the budget is modest, the initiative sends a strong signal from the film of international reach. If it is implemented well, it could become an important tool to attract partners, increase the visibility of Vilnius and to supplement our national film financing, “she said.
The largest of the three Baltic states with 2.9 million inhabitants, Lithuania has gradually changed to a lively production hub since the launch of the local film tax stimulation in 2014 – limited by 30% of a production budget. Vilnius in particular has given the home base of more than 90% of the country’s film industry its rich architectural mix as a background for countless productions, such as “Stranger Things 4” The Norwegian WW2 drama “nr 24”, currently playing on Netflix, and the Disney+ Swedish Satire “Whisky op de Rocks”
“Earlier this summer, Vilnius also organized the latest shoots of the Sony Pictures Television-Apple TV+ series” Star City “and transformed into the 18th-century Austria for a German, Lithuanian and Latvian TV series about the family of Wa Mozart,” said Pasikaite. “We are proud that in 2025 alone filmmakers from the US, Germany, Ukraine, Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Laten, Latvia and Estonia Vilnius have chosen their film location,” she said.
The neighboring Estonia and Latvia all have their own regional film funds.
