Short film from KIMO – selected to the Cannes „Semaine de la critique“
The film “Class Photo” by LMTA National Film School master’s student Arnas Balčiūnas has been selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival’s parallel program Critics’ Week competition. The Lithuanian director’s film will compete with nine short films from around the world; these works were selected from 2,400 submissions. Balčiūnas’s short film “Class Photo” is his final master’s project at the National Film School of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Vytautas Dambrauskas, head of the LMTA National Film School (KIMO), points out that although the Cannes Film Festival has a special program dedicated to student works, Balčiūnas’s film will not compete there—it will instead take part in a competition alongside other filmmakers who are already taking confident steps in the film industry.
“Until now, in Lithuania’s history, we have not had a student work competing in any Cannes program. Being selected for such a festival is a major achievement not only for Lithuania, but also for the LMTA National Film School.”
“Class Photo” is Arnas Balčiūnas’s sixth short film, and several of his earlier works have already gained recognition both internationally and in Lithuania. His debut film “Blausos” won the Best International Film award at the Friss Hús Short Film Festival in Hungary, his second work “Hablo dėsnis” traveled to 25 international festivals, and the film “After Passing Napoleon’s Hat” received a special mention at the Drama Festival in Greece. In Lithuania, Balčiūnas has won two Silver Crane Egg awards for Best Student Works and has been recognized at festivals such as Kino Pavasaris, Scanorama, and the Vilnius Short Film Festival.
Balčiūnas’s latest short film “Class Photo” takes viewers to an abandoned school—here, Ignas, who has returned, meets a former classmate. As they wander through corridors filled with conflicting memories, they try to capture what is about to disappear.
The film’s writer and director is Arnas Balčiūnas; cinematographer: Milda Juodvalkytė; editor: Antanas Skridaila; sound director: Fausta Pilkaitė; composer: Matas Beržinskas; production designer: Rūta Strazdaitė; producer: Morta Verbickaitė. The main roles are played by Džiugas Gvozdzinskas and Mantas Barvičius. International distribution: M-Films; production company: LMTA National Film School (KIMO).
Information provided by M-Films.
2026 04 16