Residents of Vilnius and guests of the capital are invited to celebrate the occasion of the restoration of Lithuania's independence in a special way. March 11 18 p.m. the first public premiere of the unique seven short documentary films "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius" will take place at the Loftas art factory. The film screening on the occasion of the national holiday is free, but the number of places is limited, so it is necessary registration in advance.
After the screening, there will be a discussion, during which you will be able to meet, share your reflections and ask questions to the film's producer Živila Diavara, directors Lina Lužyte and Elvina Nevardauskaita, editing director Ričardis Matačius.
The first is a film with a unique concept
The uniqueness of the film "Once in Vilnius" is that it was created not only by well-known film professionals, but also by residents of Vilnius, guests and tourists. Images of the capital captured by people have been integrated into the film created by a professional team.
Everyone was invited to join the making of the film - people shared the most diverse images in the "Once in Vilnius" app created especially for this project, and the creative group selected some of them for the film. Over the year, the app has accumulated an impressive archive of almost 5.000 city images.
According to the producer Ž. Diavara's goal was to create a film that would reveal how diverse, bright and alive Vilnius is.
"We wanted to show Vilnius as it is, as felt by the people living and visiting here. We didn't want to present the polished face of the city and its façade sides, so viewers can experience Vilnius' authenticity, natural authenticity and variegated - even surprising to many townspeople - identity", says the author of the project's idea, Ž. Diavara.
Vilnius is revealed by people's stories
"Once Upon a Time in Vilnius" is seven separate short stories, but the common feature that unites them all is the opportunity to discover, see and experience the city through the eyes of a different character. The heroes of the film are seven carefully selected, special people with unique stories.
According to the director L. Lužytė, the film about Kamilė, a young creative woman from Vilnius, allows you to experience the sensual side of Vilnius, and the story of Hedvika, a Czech who has been living in Lithuania for several years, is about integration and the LGBTQ+ community.
According to the director Elvina Nevardauskaitė, the film shows Vilnius from all sides - from Old Town to Justiniškii, from walks in the city parks, to the taxi driver's routes seen everyday through the windshield of the car.
"We will spend the night with the composer Migluma in the most popular places of the capital. A family from Cameroon living in Vilnius will enter their bright world. I have no doubt that every viewer will be inspired to live more courageously and curiously by the sensitive story of the blind poet and editor Alvydas. The ambition of the world break champion Nicka teaches you not to stop, and the taxi driver Lauryns, who feels the atmosphere of the districts best, will win hearts not only with the way he knows the atmosphere of the districts, but also with his special personality", says E. Nevardauskaitė.
The news about Vilnius will spread internationally
The film "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius" gives meaning to the 700th anniversary of the city of Vilnius. It premiered for invited guests last December.
This year, the film is participating in the competition program of seven international foreign festivals, so it will start its journey through different continents of the world from April. In Lithuania, private film screenings are also held for interested organizations in their premises or cultural spaces, and in the summer it is expected to invite the audience to open-air screenings.
After traveling to festivals and other formats of art and culture events, the film will land on cinema platforms on the Internet at the end of this year, where it will be available to everyone.
