{"id":3313,"date":"2026-02-07T14:25:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/3313\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T14:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:25:50","slug":"vilnius-film-fund-opens-for-business-in-lithuania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/3313\/","title":{"rendered":"Vilnius Film Fund Opens for Business in Lithuania"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tA favored filming spot for foreign shoots such as \u201dStranger Things<\/a>,\u201d \u201cSisi\u201d and\u00a0\u00a0\u201cStar City,\u201d Vilnius, Lithuania\u2019s capital has now a new financial scheme to further boost filming and co-production activities. This week Vilnius City Council has just greenlit the launch of the the first city fund in the country, the Vilnius Film Fund, endowed with a \u20ac100,000 ($116,700) budget.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe funding \u2013 capped at \u20ac30,000 ($35,000) per project \u2013 will be earmarked towards documentary, animated, and feature-length films by both Lithuanian and foreign filmmakers. The first round of the support will be announced later this year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe are pleased to be taking another major step in promoting the image of Vilnius as a creative, open, and film-friendly city,\u201d said Simona Bieli\u016bn\u0117, deputy Mayor of Vilnius City Municipality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tShe added: \u201cThe Lithuanian capital has been supporting film education, film academy activities, major film festivals, and projects for some time now. The Vilnius Film Fund perfectly complements the existing film funding model and becomes a platform to attract new ideas and strengthen the city\u2019s cultural identity through film production projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis initiative is important on many levels,\u201d added Jurate Pazikaite, film commissioner and head of the Vilnius Film Office. \u201cFirst, the focus is on highlighting productions that enhance the visibility of Vilnius. During the [selection process], particular attention will be given to the criteria of the city\u2019s involvement. Among them is the role of Vilnius in the film\u2019s storyline, the inclusion of local creators and film professionals working in the city, as well as the broader economic benefits for Vilnius. I believe this is crucial for strengthening the city\u2019s image and fostering economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn addition, the greatest emphasis will be placed on co-productions. This creates opportunities to build connections between Lithuanian and international filmmakers, positioning Vilnius as a regional hub for co-productions. Such initiatives help increase the city\u2019s visibility in the global film industry while attracting new projects and funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHigh profile Lithuanian producer Marija Razgut\u00e9 of M Films, credited for Vytautas Katkus\u2019 \u201cThe Visitor\u201d which bagged best director in Karlovy Vary, is also pleased with this \u2018step further\u201d taken by the local authorities. \u201cThough the budget is modest, the initiative sends a strong signal of commitment to film industry and aims to strengthen Vilnius\u2019 international reach by supporting co-productions. If implemented well, it could become a key tool to attract partners, boost visibility of Vilnius, and complement our national film funding,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe biggest of the three Baltic states with 2.9 million inhabitants, Lithuania has gradually turned into a vibrant production hub since the launch in 2014 of the local film tax incentive \u2013 capped at 30% of a production budget. Vilnius in particular, the home to more than 90% of the country\u2019s film industry, has provided its rich architectural mix as a background to numerous productions, such as \u201cStranger Things 4\u201d the Norwegian WW2 drama \u201cNr 24,\u201d currently playing on Netflix, and the Disney+ Swedish satire \u201cWhiskey on the Rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEarlier this summer, Vilnius also hosted the final shoots of the Sony Pictures Television<\/a>\u2013Apple TV<\/a>+ series \u201cStar City\u201d and transformed into 18th-century Austria for a German, Lithuanian, and Latvian TV series about the family of W. A. Mozart,\u201d according to Pazikaite. \u201cWe are proud that in 2025 alone, filmmakers from the U.S, Germany, Ukraine, Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have chosen Vilnius as their filming location,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNeighboring Estonia and Latvia already have their own regional film funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A favored filming spot for foreign shoots such as \u201dStranger Things,\u201d \u201cSisi\u201d and\u00a0\u00a0\u201cStar City,\u201d Vilnius, Lithuania\u2019s capital has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[3530,171,3531,3532,170],"class_list":{"0":"post-3313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vilnius","8":"tag-apple-tv","9":"tag-lithuania","10":"tag-sony-pictures-television","11":"tag-stranger-things","12":"tag-vilnius"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}