After Lithuania regained its independence, the film industry, previously dependent on the Soviet government, faced a funding problem. Lithuania has drastically reduced film production. Commercial foreign films have become popular, Lithuanian films are shown less and less in cinemas. Lithuanian cinema was looking for ways to survive. However, recent years show that the country’s cinema has recovered, more and more Lithuanian films are being made, and Lithuania has been discovered by European filmmakers. One of the first filmed series in Lithuania was the series “The New Adventures of Robin Hood” (1999). Such famous English films as the series “Elizabeth” with Hellen Mirren and Jeremy Irons, “Catherine the Great” with Hellen Mirren, “War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina” and the American “Chernobyl” are mentioned.
Today’s Vilnius has become an excellent filming location for cinematographers from all over the world. And this is shown by the results of 2023.
According to the Vilnius Film Office, 43 films and TV series were filmed in Vilnius’ public spaces in 2023. Filmmakers from Latvia, Poland, Great Britain, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Taiwan worked in the capital. Lithuanian and foreign creators have implemented a wide variety of projects in Vilnius – filmed magical realism, futuristic stories, action series, dramas inspired by real events or even criminal detectives. In total, more than 550 film and TV series filming shifts took place in Vilnius this year.
The director of the Vilnius Film Office, Jūratė Pazikaitė, notices that the filmmakers of Vilnius are not chosen by chance. “The contribution of Lithuanian film professionals is extremely important. Most of the film community – more than 90% – is located and works in Vilnius. A tax incentive for cinema is also vital for the film industry, thanks to which Lithuania can successfully compete with other European countries for foreign film investments”, says the head of the Vilnius Film Office.
In 2023, more than 70 commercials were filmed in the capital’s public spaces, including commercials created for world-famous brands Mubi, Kinder, Volvo, Honda, Ikea, Just Dance, Aldi. etc. Advertising creators from Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, France and even Australia worked in Vilnius.
True, the capital was chosen not only by the creators of commercials, but also of music videos. For example, in the last days of December, a music video of an American rapper was filmed in Vilnius, the director of which – Philip R Lopez – has already created for such famous artists as Selena Gomez, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Charlie Puth, Avicii ft. Rita Ora, Kygo and more.
According to Jūratė Pazikaitė, the head of the Vilnius Film Office, filmmakers discovered a lot of different faces of Vilnius this year. “Film crews noticed many cinematic, as yet little-explored places of the city – filming took place in the New Vilnia district, in abandoned factories, on the shores of lakes, in the “Pušyno kelias” sanatorium, and in business complexes. Of course, the cozy, UNESCO-rated streets, palaces and squares of the old town gained a lot of popularity, as they do every year – the most popular locations were undoubtedly Pasažo cross street, Kaštonų Street and the administrative building of the Lithuanian Cooperative Union this year,” says J. Pazikaitė.
On the screens, Vilnius turned into Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Chicago, Vienna and the cities of Eastern Ukraine, France, Germany, Bolivia and even sunny Argentina. Scenes for stories from the 19th century or the 90s, as well as for the future, were filmed in Vilnius.
The analysis of the economic benefits of film projects shows that filming in Vilnius brings significant economic benefits to the city. From the production of film projects, the Vilnius city budget received 5.1 million. euros, including the part of the parking fee from the production of film projects – 281 thousand euros. 19 thousand jobs were created, added value was created – 84.6 million euros, the impact on sectors supporting the film industry – 104.5 million euros.
Film tourism (especially popular excursions to the microdistrict where “Chernobyl” was filmed), film education should also be mentioned.
