Four unique documentaries by Lithuanian directors will celebrate Vilnius’ upcoming 700th anniversary on January 25, 2023, according to a press release issued by Go Vilnius.
Vilnius Poker
The upcoming film Vilnius Poker, directed by Donatas Ulvydas, will see the city become a unique character itself.
Although the Ričardas Gavelis novel is set in the 1970s, the filmmakers bring the action to the present day – not only interwar, post-war and Soviet-era Vilnius, but also today's Lithuanian capital is interwoven in the story.
Later this year, an avant-garde jazz concert will present an opportunity to become part of the film – the show will be recorded, with the footage later appearing in the long-form film.
Kartą Vilniuje
Kartą Vilniuje film platform is launching at the beginning of October, which invites Vilnius residents and visitors to share their moments in the capital.
On Vilnius’ 700th anniversary, 700 images will be selected for the film from the archives submitted by people throughout the project, who will also become co-creators of the film. The film will be screened in cinemas, festivals and later on a publicly accessible online platform.
The Legacy of a 19th Century Photographer
The city is a subject particularly close to the heart of Mindaugas Meškauskas, a well-known television director who is fond of vintage photographic techniques and shoots portraits using the wet collodion technique.
It is not surprising, then, that he was attracted to the life and work of Juzefas Čechavičius, a photographer who is little known to many and the most important chronicler of Vilnius in the 19th century.
After the 1863 anti-Tsarist uprising, Čechavičius, who settled in Vilnius, was granted an exclusive permit to take outdoor photographs in and around the city. Except for passing Polish or Russian photographers, almost nobody was allowed to take photographs in the Vilnius area.
Čechavičius' personality is truly extraordinary: a genius or a maverick, an artist or an entrepreneur, or maybe just a modern photographer who felt the pulse of the time?
Based on a rich archive of photographs, interviews, reconstructed computer graphics images and feature interludes, the narrative goes back to the roots of photography, introduces the processes of photography in the nineteenth century, and defines the history of Lithuanian photography in the global context.
The film premiered in Lithuania in September and was presented to a packed audience in Poland at the Warsaw House of History. The film will soon be screened in Panevėžys and Kaunas. In October, it will be screened in Vilnius, Šiauliai, and Klaipėda.
Vilnius in 700 Years. A journey through time with Professor Alfredas Bumblauskas
This reconstructive documentary allows the viewer to be transported into the whirlpool of historical events. The film is dedicated to each of the centenaries of Vilnius, accompanied by the commentary of the well-known historian, Professor Alfredas Bumblauskas.
He is not only the narrator and co-author of the screenplay, but also tried his hand at acting: alongside film and theatre professionals, he played one of the characters in the re-enactment scenes. A whole flock of children from Vilnius will also appear in the film.
"It's a big challenge to travel through 700 years of Vilnius history and try to unravel it. It is always fantastic to work with Professor Bumblauskas, who leads the whole team like a shooting star, and the idea we came up with of travelling through the world of history with the children opens up a lot of directorial possibilities to create a fascinating image,” said Andrius Lygnugaris, the director.
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