Held in Klaipėda, Lithuania, from 11-14 September, BLON Festival once again confirmed its role as a dynamic showcase for animation, games and digital art. With competitions, VR experiences, game awards and a strong industry programme, the event brought together regional and international voices. Cineuropa sat down with festival director Laura Almantaitė to learn more about BLON’s identity, ambitions and collaborative spirit.

Cineuropa: How would you describe BLON’s identity today, and how has it evolved since its inception?
Laura Almantaitė: BLON today is like a playful yet thought-provoking hub where animation, games and art collide – a mix of creativity, tech and social awareness. Since it started, it’s grown from a rather small national animation and games event into an international, multi-disciplinary festival with diverse animation competition programmes, VR, game awards, youth programmes and industry events. BLON’s identity has evolved into a vibrant, inclusive, well-attended platform that celebrates both established creators and fresh voices, encouraging imagination and conversation about today’s world. We have become a boutique professional space where emerging creators can access industry veterans directly.

BLON has a strong focus on animation and games. What makes the combination of these two industries meaningful for your audience and for the professionals attending?
Bringing animation and games together creates a space where storytelling, art and interactivity meet – perfect for audiences who love imaginative worlds. Also, the two media are the perfect space to convey social topics, which has always been important in BLON programmes. For professionals, it’s a chance to cross-pollinate ideas, share tech and creative approaches, and find collaborators. This mix keeps BLON fresh, showing how animation inspires games and vice versa, while giving visitors a richer, more immersive experience than focusing on just one medium.

How do you position BLON within the Baltic and Nordic festival landscape, and what role do you see it playing on the wider European scene?
BLON stands out in the Baltic and Nordic scene as a bridge between animation, games and digital art – less of a traditional film festival, more a creative playground. It offers a platform for regional talent, in particular Baltic, and recently Ukrainian, as part of our support for that country’s animation professionals, while also attracting international voices, making it a hub for collaboration. On the European stage, BLON is carving a niche for itself as a forward-thinking festival spotlighting fresh, socially engaged and experimental work.

The festival takes place in Klaipėda. How does the location shape BLON’s atmosphere and its connection with local communities?
The choice of Klaipėda over the capital, Vilnius, was strategic, driven by creative vision and social responsibility. Klaipėda was a perfect match: it had an absence of audiovisual festivals, the infrastructure we needed, and the old port-town vibes and architecture, which are deeply integrated within BLON’s identity. The compact city centre encourages spontaneous professional collaborations, which are often more valuable than scheduled meetings. We also saw huge potential to collaborate with, support and nurture local talent while bringing high-quality entertainment to the wider public. Our community approach is long-term, built on years of working closely with local institutions and partners.

Could you tell us more about the selection process? What are the main criteria that guide the programming team when curating the films and projects?
We’re always searching for meaningful works – games, VR, animated shorts and features. This year’s award winners clearly reflect that focus, tackling themes like environmental, social and political issues. Social relevance, innovation and artistic quality are key guiding criteria in our programming.

BLON also includes a professional strand and networking opportunities. What are the highlights of this year’s industry programme, and who are you aiming to attract?
The main highlight this year is that we could not fit everyone in [laughs]! On a more serious note, we bring together world-class experts – like Disney and Pixar animator Doug Frankel and multidisciplinary artist Nathan Jurevicius – alongside local studios like Art Shot and CHARK, so our audience can learn from the best while drawing inspiration from outstanding regional and local projects. We’re very proud of our reputation as a safe, cosy space where meaningful and long-lasting collaborations are born.

International co-operation seems to be crucial for festivals of BLON’s size. Can you share some examples of recent partnerships that have proven particularly fruitful?
Absolutely! From the very start of BLON, we put a lot of effort into building international connections and even launched the Baltic Sea–Nordic Animation and Games Organisations Network early on. These ties have grown into long-term partnerships, and since 2025, BLON has been part of the Northern Animation Network, co-funded by the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, alongside FAF (Norway), REX (Sweden) and VAF (Denmark). It’s a wonderfully supportive collaboration that helps us tackle shared challenges and nurture regional talent. BLON is also an associate partner of FAN – the Festivals Animation Network – helping to promote Southern animation voices across the Northern European region. Now, we’re working towards creating a similar network focused on game festivals.