The Vilnius International Film Festival (VIFF) Kino pavasaris is a film festival held annually in March in Vilnius, Lithuania since 1995, and is the largest film festival in the nation in number of films and audience. It is one of the most anticipated annual cultural events in Lithuania.
Vilnius International Film Festival Kino Pavasaris is the biggest and most important cinema event in Lithuania. Over more than 20 years, the festival has become a highly attended cultural phenomenon. In 2017, it attracted 114 250 members of audience in 5 Lithuanian cities. This year, Vilnius IFF will take place in 11 cities over two weeks.
The festival's main venue is Forum Cinemas Vingis, with additional screenings taking place at the local art film theatre SKALVIJA, cinema boutique "Pasaka" and at the shopping mall "Akropolis" at "Forum Cinemas Akropolis". Some screenings are shown in the second largest city of Lithuania - Kaunas at local "Forum Cinemas" centre. And from 2018 Vilnius IFF took place in 11 cities over two weeks.
History
The festival was founded in 1995 at the cinema Lietuva.[1] Festival director Vida Ramaškienė.
After the 2002 festival the venue Lietuva was sold to private investors. As a result, the festival did not happen in 2003.
In 2004 the festival got the first donation from the European Commission. Festival's programme becomes more independent and Edvinas Pukšta with Jurga Stakėnaitė started making festival's film programme.
In 2006 the festival changed its location to Forum Cinemas Vingis in Naujamiestis.
In 2018, Vilnius IFF presented 112 feature and 56 short films, including 12 Lithuanian premieres. Like always, the festival has selected strong debuts and works from masters of film. The large programme has been divided into 5 categories: Discoveries, Festivals' Favourites, Masters, Critics' Choice, and Competition of European Debuts.
Programmes
Since 2009, the festival's competition programmes have become our phenomenal calling card for international film industry professionals, and a great educational tool for festivalgoers. This year, films from debuting European directors will take part in the Competition of European Debuts.
Vilnius International Film Festival is organised in various sections:
Competition programmes:
- New Europe – New Names (since 2009), the films are assessed by an international jury of cinema industry professionals: actors, directors, programme directors, cinematographers and producers. The jury selects the best film of the festival and awards it two special prizes.
- Baltic Gaze (since 2014), the idea of this competition programme is to satisfy growing interest of Baltic region cinematography. The films are assessed by the international jury of the cinema industry professionals. The jury will select the best film of this programme and award it with solid monetary prize.
Other programmes:
- Short films. Competition
- Discoveries
- Festivals' favourites
- Masters
- Critics' choice
- VIASAT comedies
- Documentaries
- Retrospective, each year a different director or/and a topic is selected.
- American Independents
- A Letter to Ukraine
- Culinary films
- Films for Family
- Lithuanian films – premiers
- Lithuanian films
- Lithuanians Abroad
- Short films
2018 Vilnius IFF will also be the first Lithuanian festival to welcome members of the prestigious FIPRESCI association, who will award one director from the Baltic region their prize. The FIPRESCI Prize is significant proof of the festival's quality being recognized on an international level.
Industry event "Meeting Point – Vilnius"
International film industry professionals meet in Vilnius to discuss hot topics of today's and tomorrow's audiovisual world. The highlight of the industry event is the presentation of Lithuanian and Baltic film industry.
Awards at Vilnius International Film Festival
The Audience Award
The oldest and one of the most important award of VIFF.
- 2004: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, directed by Kim Ki-duk
South Korea
- 2005: 3-Iron (Bin-jip), directed by Kim Ki-duk South Korea
- 2006: The Method, directed by Marcelo Piñeyro
Argentina
- 2007: The Lives of Others, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Germany
- 2008: 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, directed by Cristian Mungiu
Romania
- 2009: Camino, directed by Javier Fesser
Spain
- 2010: Departures, directed by Yōjirō Takita
Japan
- 2011: Incendies, directed by Denis Villeneuve
Canada
- 2012: The Intouchables, directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
France
- 2013: Searching for Sugar Man, directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Sweden
- 2014: Omar, directed by Hany Abu-Assad
Palestine
- 2015: Mommy, directed by Xavier Dolan Canada [2]
- 2016: Truman, directed by Cesc Gay Spain [3]
- 2017: Perfect Strangers, directed by Paolo Genovese
Italy [4]
- 2018: Loving Vincent, directed by Dorota Kobiela
Poland and Hugh Welchman 
United Kingdom [5]
- 2019: Capernaum, directed by Nadine Labaki
Lebanon
- 2020: Corpus Christi (Boże Ciało), directed by Jan Komasa Poland [6][7]
- 2021: Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Žbanić
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 2022: The Worst Person in the World, directed by Joachim Trier
Norway
- 2023: The Eight Mountains, directed by Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch
Belgium
The Audience Award (Lithuanian film)
Introduced in 2011.
- 2011: Book smuggler, directed by Jonas Trukanas
- 2012: The Last Day of the Honeymoon, directed by Rokas Eltermanas
- 2013: The Swimmer, directed by Gabrielė Urbonaitė
- 2014: The Invisible Front, directed by Vincas Sruoginis and Jonas Ohman
- 2015: Life Is Sacred, directed by Andreas Dalsgaard, Nicolas Servide and Vivana Gomez
- 2016: Junction, directed by Nathan Jurevicius
- 2017: Woman and the Glacier, directed by Andrius Stonys
- 2018: 100 Years Together, directed by Edita Kabaraitė
- 2019: Summer Survivors, directed by Marija Kavtaradzė
- 2015: – no award
The Audience Award (Short film)
Introduced in 2013.
Short Film Competition
Best short film, selected by a jury from short competition programme. Introduced in 2012.
- 2012: Beast (Csicka), directed by Attila Till
Hungary
- 2013: The Whistle (Gwizdek), directed by Grzegorz Zariczny Poland
- 2014: Pandas, directed by Matus Vizar
Slovakia
- 2015: Symphony No. 42, directed by Réka Bucsi Hungary
- 2016: Fear, directed by Michal Blaško Slovakia
- 2017: Close Ties, directed by Zofia Kowalewska Poland
- 2018: By The Pool, directed by Laurynas Bareiša
Lithuania
- 2019: In Between, directed by Samir Karahoda
Kosovo
- 2020: Journey Through a Body, directed by Camille Degeye France
European Debut Competition
Introduced in 2018
Jury
- 2018: Homayoun Ershadi, Audrius Stonys, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė, Elad Samorzik, Kathleen Mclnnis
- 2019: Cosima Finkbeiner, Eglė Vertelytė, Marcin Pienkowski, Mark Peranson, Takeo Hisamatsu
- 2020: Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Evgeny Gusyatinskiy, Boyd van Hoeij, Jonas Holmberg, Katarzyna Sinarska
Best Actress
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Film
CINEUROPE Prize
Retired Awards
Competition programme "New Europe – New Names"
Introduced 2009 - 2018 Retired
The main awards at Vilnius International Film Festival. Introduced in 2009. Chosen by the international jury of the cinema industry professionals: actors, directors, programme directors, cinematographers and producers. The jury will select the best film of the festival and award it with two special prizes.
Best Film
- 2009: The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner, directed by Stefan Kitanov
Bulgaria
- 2010: Eastern Plays, directed by Kamen Kalev Bulgaria
- 2011: Outbound (Periferic), directed by Bogdan George Apetri Romania
- 2012: Courage, directed by Grzegorz Zgliński Poland
- 2013: Loving (Miłość), directed by Slawomir Fabicki Poland
- 2014: Japanese Dog, directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu Romania
- 2015: Koza, directed by Ivan Ostrochovský Slovakia
- 2016 >1: I, Olga Hepnarová, directed by Petr Kazda
Czech Republic and Tomáš Weinreb Czech Republic
- 2016 >2: Thirst, directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova Bulgaria
- 2017: The Last Family, directed by Ostatnia Rodzina Poland
Best Director
Introduced 2009 - 2018 Retired
Best Actors
Introduced 2009 - 2018 Retired
- 2009: Miki Manojlovic
Serbia, film The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
- 2010: Vlad Ivanov Romania, film Police, Adjective
- 2011: Bartu Kucukcaglayan
Turkey, film Majority
- 2012 >1: Anjela Nedyalkova Bulgaria, film Avé
- 2012 >2: Ada Condeescu Romania, film Loverboy
- 2012 >3: Isidora Simijonovic Serbia, film Clip
- 2013: Dan Chiorean Romania, film Rocker
- 2014: Actor: Igor Samobor Slovakia, film Class Enemy. Actress: Michaela Bendulova Slovakia, film Miracle
- 2015: Actor: Márton Kristóf Hungary, film Afterlife. Actress: Margita Gosheva Bulgaria, film The Lesson
- 2016: Actor: Uliks Fehmiu Serbia, film Our Everyday Life. Actress: Monika Naydenova Bulgaria, film Thirst
- 2017: Actor: Marius Repšys Lithuania, film The Saint. Actress: Mia Petričević
Croatia, film Quit Staring at My Plate
CICAE jury film award
Introduced 2009 - 2018 Retired
Special award
Competition programme "Baltic Gaze"
Introduced 2014 - 2018 Retired
Best Film
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Special mention
Best Lithuanian Actress
Introduced by L'oreal Paris in 2007 as "Lithuanian star", discontinued after 2010. Revived in 2012 as "Best Lithuanian Actress" with new sponsor Bourjois.
- 2007: Nelė Savičenko
- 2008: Larisa Kalpokaitė
- 2009: Gabija Ryškuvienė
- 2010: Edita Užaitė
- 2011: - no award
- 2012: Toma Vaškevičiūtė
- 2013: Valda Bičkutė
- 2014: Jurgita Jurkutė
- 2015: Aistė Diržiūtė
- 2016: Viktorija Kuodytė
Best Lithuanian Actor
Introduced in 2014.
Lithuanian debut
Introduced in 2010.
- 2010: Lernavan, directed by Marat Sargsyan
- 2011: Barzakh, directed by Mantas Kvedaravičius
- 2012: A Place We Call Home, directed by Albina Griniūtė
- 2013: The Bomb, directed by Robertas Nevecka
- 2014: The Etude, directed by Austėja Urbaitė
- 2015: Fellow Travelers (Pakeliaiviai), directed by Linas Mikuta
- 2016 - no award
Special award. Since 2013 award of Saulius Macaitis
Special award for best film translations
- 2014: Ieva Mažeikaitė and Goda Lūčiūnienė
- 2015: Andrius Patiomkinas
