04/07/2025 - Vytautas Katkus’s Crystal Globe contender The Visitor leads the Baltic country’s contingent at the Czech festival

The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Central and Eastern Europe’s premier film event, has opened its doors in the Czech Republic, running from 4-12 July. This year, Lithuania takes centre stage with two feature debuts in competition and a new TV series project in the industry programme, marking a significant presence at one of the world’s oldest A-list festivals.

Lithuanian director Vytautas Katkus makes his feature debut with The Visitor [+see also:
interview: Vytautas Katkus
film profile], selected for the festival’s main competition. The film follows Danielius, a 30-year-old new father who returns from Norway to Lithuania to sell his parents’ apartment. As he reconnects with his hometown and old friends, Danielius is confronted by change and solitude, prompting a journey of self-discovery. The film, produced by Marija Razgutė and Brigita Beniušytė (M-Films) with international co-producers, will premiere in the festival’s grand hall and reach Lithuanian cinemas in September.

Also making her feature debut is Gabrielė Urbonaitė with Renovation, premiering in the Proxima competition section. The film, a co-production between Lithuania, Latvia and Belgium, centres on Ilona, a 29-year-old whose vision of adult life is upended by building renovations and an unexpected friendship with a Ukrainian construction worker. Produced by Uljana Kim (Studio Uljana Kim), the film features a cast including Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė and Roman Lutskyi. Urbonaitė, a Silver Crane winner at age 20, also wrote the screenplay.

In the KVIFF Eastern Promises industry section, the series project Therapies will be presented. Based on Birutė Kapustinskaitė’s play and produced by Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (Just a Moment), the seven-part series follows a professor undergoing chemotherapy in a lively hospital ward. The project is part of the Pop Up Series Incubator (see the news), supporting the adaptation of European IPs into series, and will be pitched to industry professionals during the festival.

The Horizons programme will present Two Prosecutors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sergei Loznitsa
film profile] by Sergei Loznitsa, a Cannes competition title, a co-production involving Lithuania and featuring several Lithuanian actors. The film adapts a novella by Georgy Demidov, chronicling the horrors of Stalinist repression.

The Pragueshorts section presents Hoofs on Skates, a stop-motion animation by Ignas Meilūnas, which continues its international festival run. The film, celebrated for its message of tolerance and friendship, has already garnered 30 awards across 150 festivals.

Lithuania’s strong showing at Karlovy Vary this year underscores the country’s growing influence and creative vitality on the European film scene.