Lithuania has selected director Ignas Miškinis’ film Pietinia Kronikas (The Southern Chronicles) as its official entry for the Academy Award for best international feature film, the Lithuanian Film Centre announced Thursday.
The film, based on a successful novel by Rimantas Kmita, is a coming-of-age drama set in 1990s Šiauliai.
The decision was made by a selection committee in Lithuania approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Academy committees will review submissions from around the world before announcing a shortlist and the five final nominees. Only one will win the Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026.
“This year, several films had strong chances to be chosen. After long and reasoned discussions, we selected Pietinia Kronikas for its exceptional vitality, pulsating energy and the hope it radiates,” said Neringa Kažukauskaitė, film critic and chair of the selection committee.
The coming-of-age drama, set in Lithuania during the turbulent 1990s, has already earned major recognition. It was named best Baltic film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2024, while lead actor Džiugas Grinys was honoured at the Berlin International Film Festival’s European Shooting Stars program.
Domestically, the film has drawn more than 411,000 viewers and won 12 Silver Crane national film awards, the top cinema honours in Lithuania.
“Without doubt, Pietinia Kronikas is one of the brightest Lithuanian films of the year,” said Laimonas Ubavičius, head of the Lithuanian Film Centre. “It tells the story of a young person’s coming of age, love and search for identity. It is at once very Lithuanian and universal, which makes it a strong representative of our country at the Oscars.”
The Oscar submission process in Lithuania is organised by the Lithuanian Film Centre and the Lithuanian Filmmakers’ Union.
This year’s selection committee included Kažukauskaitė, critic Rūta Oginskaitė, producers Arūnas Stoškus and Uljana Kim, documentary filmmaker Arturas Jevdokimovas, and actor Eglė Mikulionytė.
In recent years, Lithuania submitted Laurynas Bareiša’s Sisters (2024), Marija Kavtaradze’s Slow (2023), Bareiša’s Pilgrims (2022), Jurgis Matulevičius’ Isaac (2021), and Karolis Kaupinis’ Nova Lituania (2020).
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