First ever Lithuanian Film Week in Beijing

The first Lithuanian film week
in China presented seven Lithuanian films: Ignas Miškinis’ Kings’ Shift, Lina Lužytė’s Together
For Ever, Eglė Vertelytė’s Miracle,
Kristina Buožytė’s The Collectress,
Giedrė Beinoriūtė’s Conversations on
Serious Topics, Jokūbas Vilius Tūras’ Dreaming
the Path and The Bug Trainer by
Donatas Ulvydas, Linas Augutis, Rasa Miškinytė and Marek Skrobecki.

Miracle,
directed by Eglė Vertelytė, opened the Lithuanian film week on 2 June in the
Megabox cinema in Beijing’s popular Sanlitun area with welcoming speeches by
Beijing officials, Rolandas Kvietkauskas, the director of the Lithuanian Film
Centre, and the Lithuanian Ambassador to China Ina Marčiulionytė.

Chinese media covered the
festival’s opening ceremony, several television channels have expressed
interest in broadcasting the films. The Lithuanian Film Centre has been
approached by regional festivals interested in screening Lithuanian films
elsewhere in China.

Beijing welcomed Lithuanian
film producers Lukas Trimonis, Rasa Miškinytė, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė, Jurga
Gluskinienė, Ieva Norvilienė as well as Rolandas Kvietkauskas and Dovilė
Butnoriūtė, representatives of the Lithuanian Film Centre.

During the festival, the
Lithuanians met with representatives of China’s key film institutions: the Film
Bureau, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and
Television; China Film Group Corporation; Beijing Film Company; and China Film
Foundation which handles international cooperation projects. The Lithuanian
delegation also visited Beijing Film Academy. The meetings addressed
opportunities to distribute Lithuanian auteur cinema and short films in China
and screen them in festivals.

The Chinese were invited to
visit Lithuania and see the local film production infrastructure, to know more
about the Lithuanian film tax incentive, conditions and coproduction
opportunities in the country. The two sides also discussed the possibility to
sign a cooperation agreement in cinema.

The Lithuanian film week and
the visit of Lithuanian producers in China was organised by the Lithuanian Film
Centre, the Lithuanian culture attaché and the Embassy of Lithuania in China,
Beijing New United Films Co. Ltd., Beijing 8th Day Culture and Communications
Co. Ltd.