This week, the National Film School of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (KIMO) hosted an Erasmus+ Combined Intensive Programme (CIP) organised by FilmEU alliance members – Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) from Bulgaria, the LUCA School of the Arts (LUCA) from Belgium, and the University of Lusofona (Lusofona) from Portugal. This programme brought together students and lecturers from different countries to promote international cooperation in the fields of film and media.

During the programme, participants delved into different areas of filmmaking such as directing, cinematography, sound design, editing and dramaturgy. During the practical sessions and workshops, students had the opportunity to work in international teams, share their experiences and film their pre-prepared documentary projects over three days. This allowed not only to improve their professional skills but also to broaden their cultural horizons and their understanding of film traditions in different countries.

FilmEU Alliance initiatives such as this mixed intensive programme strengthen cooperation between European film schools and contribute to improving the quality of higher education in the creative industries. As an active member of the Alliance, LMTA aims to foster a new generation of young Europeans capable of collaborating in the various fields of film arts and sciences, and of acquiring interdisciplinary, intercultural and interdisciplinary skills.

Photos by Karina Mečkovska

2025 01 31

On 21-25 November, LMTA National Film School (KIMO) third-year students Eglė Navickaitė, Gabrielė Česevičiūtė, Samanta Molevičiūtė and Urtė-Marija Praniauskaitė, and fourth-year student Simas Narušis took part in the 39th Belfort Film Festival “Entrevues” in France. The students of Film Dramaturgy and Film History and Criticism were accompanied by film industry professionals, lecturers Rasa Paukštytė and Aistė Račaitytė.

During their stay, the students introduced the festival audience to the work of director Arūnas Žebriūnas and three of his films restored at the Lithuanian Film Centre – Gražuolė (Beautiful), Last Day of the Holiday (The Last Day of the Holiday) and Naktibalda (Nightingale). These screenings were part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024. Žebriūnas’ works have been praised for their unique style of poetic cinema and sensitive narratives that have inspired several generations of filmmakers. During the presentation, students shared their insights into Žebriūnas’ work, revealing the films’ relevance in today’s context and opening a dialogue with the festival’s young audience. Young viewers from the local community of Belphor made up the largest part of the audience of these films.

Together with the films, the delegation presented KIMO, the National Film School of the LMTA, to the festival audience. The exceptional innovative study programmes focused on the training of professionals in the contemporary film and media industry, opportunities for creative development and integration into the international film community were highlighted. The KIMO presentation was an important platform to promote this innovative institution, which is a significant step in the development of cinema in the Baltic region.

In addition to the official film and school presentations, the students had the opportunity to actively participate in the festival’s activities: they delved into the repertoire, discussions and film trends, and watched the closing ceremony and the award ceremony.

This experience was a valuable professional step for students studying film criticism and dramaturgy, as well as proof that Lithuanian cinema and LMTA KIMO are part of the international film community. The festival provided an excellent platform to showcase Lithuania’s film heritage, strengthen the links between Lithuanian filmmakers and foreign audiences and inspire new creative initiatives.

Prepared by Simas Narušis, fourth-year student at LMTA KIMO
2024 12 02

Petras Skirmantas, Professor of Dance and Movement at the Faculty of Theatre and Dance of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, has been awarded the Honorary Medal of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania. This award is the Ministry’s highest honour, given for significant achievements in Lithuanian education, science and sport. P. Skirmantas was honoured for his long-standing contribution to the development of Lithuanian dance art and the strengthening of dance education.

The award will be presented to him on 14 October, the day of the founding of the Education Commission of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This award is a sign of recognition not only for the professor, but also for the entire Lithuanian dance community.

Professor’s activities include not only teaching and training students, but also creative projects and cooperation with various international dance organisations. His innovative approach to dance and movement, as well as his commitment to the development of a new generation of dancers, is appreciated both in Lithuania and abroad. This prestigious award highlights his contribution not only to dance, but also to the development of culture in Lithuania.

LMTA inf.
2024-10-08

This September, after more than three decades of existence, the Department of Film and Television at the Faculty of Theatre and Cinema of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) officially became the LMTA National Film School (KIMO). This important change marks a new stage in film education in Lithuania and reflects the growth and achievements of the Academy. 

LMTA is the only higher education institution in Lithuania that offers film studies programmes. Founded in 1993 by the legendary director Henrikas Šablevičius, the Department of Film and Television has produced more than 1000 graduates who are today active in the Lithuanian film industry. Among them are international award-winning filmmakers such as Laurynas Bareiša, whose film “Pilgrims” was named the best film in the Orizzonti programme of the Venice Film Festival, Marija Kavtaradze, who won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, Saulė Bliuvaitė, who was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival, Vytautas Katkus, who was selected for the competition programme of the Cannes Film Festival, Audrius Stonys, who received the award from the European Academy of Cinema, and others.

The success of LMTA graduates, the high quality of their studies and united community have led to the popularity of film studies. In recent years, the number of specialisations in film studies at the LMTA has grown from four to seven, and the number of students has increased by around 40%. The development of film studies has been reinforced by the LMTA’s membership of the international alliance FilmEU and a new, modern infrastructure – this year marked the start of work by lecturers and students on the new LMTA Study Campus.

The National Film School will continue to train film directors, cinematographers, sound designers, editors, playwrights, producers and researchers in film culture. It will also host a wide range of national and international research on film and media, and initiate projects to promote intercultural dialogue and innovation.

“The creation of the National Film School will help to ensure continuity between different generations of filmmakers, facilitate the transfer of knowledge and ensure the accumulation of filmmaking experience. I also believe that it will become a unifying space for the entire film field and a potential forum for discussions on the further development of Lithuanian cinema,” emphasises Associate Professor Laurynas Bareiša, film director.

The mission of the National Film School is to provide a comprehensive education in film and media, combining theory, practice and innovation. “We strive to foster creativity, experimentation and an individual approach, ensuring that our students are able to create compelling and meaningful stories,” says the head of KIMO, Assoc. Prof. Vytautas Dambrauskas.

According to the Rector of the LMTA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Judita Žukienė, “The film studies and the film artists who teach there have recently been a source of joy at the Academy in terms of their relevance, creativity and openness to innovation. I have no doubt that the transformation of the Department into the National Film School and the opening of new spaces for filmmaking will stimulate a breakthrough in the studios and will strengthen their competitiveness in the international field of studies”.

KIMO is taught by renowned filmmakers and researchers of different generations, including National Prize laureates and internationally acclaimed artists such as Laurynas Bareiša, Audrius Stonys, Marija Kavtaradze, Giedrė Beinoriūtė, Ramūnas Greičius, Vytis Puronas, Birutė Kapustinskaitė, Titas Laucius and others. “The Department, which has become the National Film School, has acquired its own face and a clear vision, which will help to maintain the link between the filmmakers of the past and the filmmakers of the future,” said Audrius Stonys, a filmmaker, professor, doctor of art.

2024 09 16

After more than twelve years of negotiations, preparations and successful construction, the students and lecturers of theatre, film and dance specialisations of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) are starting the new academic year in the new buildings of the study campus at Olandų str. 21A, Vilnius. The Faculty of Theatre and Film and the Small Halls Block will concentrate and make effective use of the synergies between the arts and the opportunities for interdisciplinary art. It is a unique space for study, creation and research, allowing the most up-to-date artistic and scientific innovations to be put into practice.

The theatre studios have a modern Black Theatre Hall with a capacity of over 170 people, 9 spacious classrooms for acting and directing classes and 6 smaller classrooms for individual work and self-study. With specialised flooring, the 4 dance classrooms are fully equipped for contemporary and classical dance studies. The White Ballroom, a very spacious, almost 9 m high room, is open for dance performances.

The new infrastructure for cinema is designed for all stages of creation, production and dissemination: from filming and editing to screening. This includes large and small film studios, a make-up room, a sound studio, video and sound editing rooms, a light-testing auditorium, screening rooms, a cinema laboratory (Dolby Atmos sound system) and a 99-seat cinema hall (Dolby surround sound system).

In order to provide the best possible conditions for lecturers and students, the new Academy building includes 3 modern lounges, which will become a place for discussion, collaboration and generation of new ideas. A new professorium is available for meetings, discussions and lecture preparation for the faculty.

The value of the project for the construction of the first two buildings of the LMTA Study Campus is over 29 million Euros, of which 19 million Euros were financed by the EU Regional Development Fund and the state budget, and 10.2 million Euros were covered by the LMTA’s own and borrowed funds. The investment was used for the contract works for the first phase of the construction of the buildings of the Study Campus, for the purchase of specialised equipment for art studios and for creative and research innovations. The design work for the Campus was carried out by UAB “Paleko archstudija” and UAB “Projektų rengimo centras”. The contract works were carried out by UAB “Infes”.

The completion of the first stage of the construction of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s study campus and the opening of new modern spaces dedicated specifically for theatre, cinema and dance are already influencing the Faculty’s development, ensuring the competitiveness of studies and creating conditions for the development of relations and joint projects with international partners. The successful implementation of the project is an exceptional event in Lithuanian culture. The new complex of innovations in art creation, research and studies will be opened to the general public: The LMTA will invite its students and teachers to performances, dance events, film screenings, project presentations, discussions and meetings with the creators of today and tomorrow.

The opening of the first buildings of the LMTA Study Campus will take place on 30 August.

2024 08 27

On August 17, 2024, the awards ceremony of the 77th Locarno International Film Festival took place in Switzerland. Lithuanian filmmakers proudly brought home six awards!

The festival’s main prize, the Golden Leopard, was won by director Saulė Bliuvaitė, an alumna of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), for her debut feature film “Toxic” (“Akiplėša”). This film also won the Best Debut award and received two monetary prizes from the Ecumenical and Youth Juries.

“Toxic” tells the story of teenage life in a bleak industrial district. Dreaming of escaping their town with no prospects, thirteen-year-olds Marija and Kristina prepare to participate in the country’s biggest modeling competition. In their pursuit to meet beauty standards, the girls resort to drastic measures. “This story is based on real events, and the characters are real people. When I started making this film, I thought I was telling a story about the past, about the face of my generation, about something that no longer exists. But during the creative process, interacting with many teenagers of different ages, I realized that the film’s theme is very relevant to them as well. I allowed myself not to be tied to a specific time period, merging my experiences with those of contemporary teenagers. This shaped the world of the film, which has no time definition,” explains the film’s director, Saulė Bliuvaitė. The film’s cinematographer is Vytautas Katkus, producer Giedrė Burokaitė, and executive producer Justė Michailinaitė.

Another film bringing home two awards for Lithuania is “Drowning Dry” (“Sesės”), directed by Laurynas Bareiša (produced by Klementina Remeikaitė and Matiss Kaža). This film won the Best Director award, and the cast—Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius—was recognized for Best Acting.

The film takes place on a hot summer day. Two couples—Justė with her family and Ernesta with her son and husband, who has just celebrated a victory in the martial arts ring—arrive at a countryside house for a peaceful weekend. A lake, an outdoor terrace with a grill, conversations about life and future plans—everything seems normal. But soon, it becomes clear that beneath the idyllic surface of their relationships lie unspoken feelings, jealousy, and competition. It’s only a matter of time before everything comes to the surface.

Director Laurynas Bareiša, an associate professor at the LMTA National Film School and one of the heads of the Film Master’s program, won the Venice Film Festival’s “Horizons” award two years ago with his debut film “Pilgrims” (produced by Klementina Remeikaitė).

Sources: kinopavasaris.lt; lkc.lt; lmta.lt

In July 2024, Lithuania started the month of July with the 100th anniversary Song Festival. This unique tradition, recognised by UNESCO, brought together thousands of participants from Lithuania and abroad to celebrate the vitality of the nation’s culture, history and traditions. The theme of the celebration, “May the Green Forest Grow”, symbolised the synthesis of nature and culture, encouraging the preservation of both nature and culture for future generations.

A large number of students, alumni and lecturers of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre helped to create a spectacular and inspiring atmosphere of the festival with their songs, dances, conductor’s gestures, and sounds of instruments. We are very grateful to them!

The main highlights of the celebration were Anniversary Song Day “Hills Green with Forests” in Kaunas, Kanklės Concert “Let the Kanklės Play”, Ensembles Evening “The Tree of Life”, Vocal Ensembles Concert “Who are You, Earth?”, Brass Band Concert “Brass Storm” and Dance Day “Through the Bridges of the Ages”. The finale of the celebration was the Song Day participant procession and concert in Vingis Park, which was attended by almost 400 choirs and around 12 000 singers.

2024 07 09

Europe’s most talented young chamber ensembles will be in Vilnius for the whole week of St John’s Day to hone their performance skills. The European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) session will conclude with the launch of the digital platform for performers’ career skills and two chamber ensemble concerts at the Museum of Energy and Technology and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

“This is the eighth edition of the European Chamber Music Academy masterclasses, lectures, workshops and concerts organised by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. We feel honoured to be members of this prestigious organisation for more than 10 years. Lithuania is the only Baltic country that belongs to this organisation. Our sessions always attract a lot of attention from foreign professors and ensembles and are highly appreciated”, says Prof. Dr. Indrė Baikštytė. 

This ECMA session will focus on career planning for chamber music ensemble performers and on developing skills in new performance forms. The practical lectures will be given by chamber music luminaries: the ECMA’s Artistic Director, violinist Prof. Johannes Meissl, Vice-Rector of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, pianist Prof. Avedis Kouyoumdjian, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and violist Prof. Patrick Jüdt, University of the Arts Berne. Curator and consultant Andreas Vierziger, who has worked with brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Netflix and Sony Pictures, and Inga Uus, a coach, start-up mentor, strategic management and marketing consultant, will also share their experience.

The eighth ECMA Session is special because it will launch the ECMA Digital Knowledge Platform, a new digital tool to help young chamber music ensembles develop. On this platform, chamber music ensemble performers will find a wealth of useful information, lessons, lectures and presentations on chamber music performance, teaching and career opportunities. The new digital tool will be launched at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, from where it will be broadcast to many European music schools. Two piano trios participating in the ECMA session, Ensemble Ramé and Trio Susato, will play during the event.

The ECMA session brings together 6 ensembles from 5 European music schools: the Susato Trio, the Trio Sheliak, Ensemble Ramé, the Cuore Piano Trio, the Coda Quartet and the Helio String Quartet. It is truly impressive that these ensembles include musicians from as many

as 10 different countries – Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, USA, Philippines, Ukraine, Norway, China and Lithuania. Our country is represented this year by the young and promising Helio String Quartet. All these chamber ensembles participating in the ECMA Session will be heard in two concerts open to the public on 27 June at 7 pm. 27 June at the Museum of Energy and Technology and 29 June at 7 pm. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Great Hall.

“In these concerts, which will take place in a special setting, we will hear refined interpretations of piano trios and string quartets. The programme includes time-honoured masterpieces of chamber music, as well as new works from the second half of the 20th century. This only confirms the great power of chamber music to bring the world and its people closer together,” says I. Baikštytė. 

ECMA, or the European Chamber Music Academy, is an international network of European music academies whose mission is to nurture young talent by focusing on established chamber music ensembles such as string quartets, piano trios and others. In order to promote the chamber music tradition and the best young and driven ensembles, the ECMA organises training for top-class performers and provides opportunities for them to present themselves to the general public through concerts.
ECMA graduates and world-renowned ensembles such as the Boulanger Trio, Quartetto di Cremona, Minetti Quartet, Quatuor Zaïde, Trio Gaspard, Trio Bohémo, and many others have gone on to successful careers. Two Lithuanian ensembles – the FortVio Piano Trio (2012-2014) and the Mettis String Quartet (2014-2016) – have become laureates of renowned international competitions thanks to ECMA training, and have given numerous concerts abroad, featuring not only world classical and contemporary music, but also Lithuanian chamber music repertoire.

The first annual FilmEU Summit 2024, the forum of the FilmEU Alliance of European Universities. Navigating the future” took place last week, bringing together more than 150 participants: teachers, administrators and students from eight countries. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre team shares their impressions and news.

The Forum’s agenda was packed with a wide range of events: a symposium of Alliance leaders, thematic working group meetings, inspiring presentations by experts, interesting presentations of artistic research projects, a screening of student films and informal networking with colleagues from all Alliance partner HEIs. 

The event featured a variety of closed and open sessions – working group meetings, activity presentations, guest speakers, a leadership symposium, meetings of the Academic Council and the Alliance Steering Committee – to discuss important issues related to the future of the film and media industry, scientific and artistic research and innovation, and higher education integration.
The meetings discussed one of the important objectives of the FilmEU Alliance, which is to contribute to the integration and standardisation of higher education in Europe, not only facilitating the movement of students between different countries and universities, but also increasing the recognition of their qualifications across Europe.

“Even before the official launch of the programme, representatives of LMTA and other higher education institutions from other countries have been working intensively on the development of a joint bachelor’s degree programme. The content of the studies, the expected programme outcomes, the movement of students between institutions, quality assurance and other important elements were discussed and approved. This joint degree programme is expected to start in 2025. As an associate member of this joint study programme, LMTA will contribute by organising a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) for all students of the intended joint study programme. It is expected that this programme will open even wider international opportunities for both LMTA and foreign students”, – shares Natalija Verbickienė, Head of Quality and Strategic Planning Department. 

Importantly, the Academic Council of the European University of Cinema and Media Arts, consisting of rectors, presidents, deans, steering committee, student and staff representatives, gathered in Bratislava during the Forum, issued a joint statement in support of the idea and implementation of a common European degree.

Ingrida Jasonienė, Project Manager, says that the WIRE meeting at the Forum has planned training sessions for PhD students until the end of 2028, a MOOC and a Fall Seminar for researchers, including third-country researchers from Ukraine and the Balkans, as well as training for researchers in the laboratories of the FilmEU Alliance schools.

Vitalij Zenčenko, FilmEU project coordinator, stresses that the work of the international audiovisual team of students who took part in the Forum deserves special mention: “The students from different disciplines – photographers, cameramen, editors – did an excellent job in creating video reviews of the event, social media posts, and recording interviews with the guests and organisers. We are glad that even four students from the Film and Television Department of the LMTA – National Film School – were among them!”