Favoured foreign filming spots such as “Stranger Things,” “Sisi,” “Star City,” and Vilnius, the capitals of Lithuania, have new financial schemes to further enhance filming and co-production activities. This week, Vilnius City Council greenlighted the launch of the domestic The First City Fund, the Vilnius Film Fund, which has a budget of 100,000 euros ($116,700).
With 30,000 euros ($35,000) of funds per project, it will be directed towards documentaries, animations and feature films by both Lithuanian and foreign filmmakers. The first round of support will be announced later this year.
“We are pleased to see that we are taking another major step towards promoting the image of Vilnius as a creative, open and cinematic friendly city,” said Simona Bieriun, Vice Mayor of the city of Vilnius.
She added: “The Lithuanian capital has been supporting film education, film academy activities, major film festivals and projects for some time. The Vilnius Film Fund will be a platform that fully complements existing film funding models, attracts new ideas through film production projects and strengthens the city’s cultural identity.”
“This initiative is important on many levels,” added Jurate Pazikaite, film committee member and principal of the Vilnius Film Bureau. “First, the focus is on the emphasis on productions that increase visibility of Vilnius. During the (selection process), special attention is paid to the criteria for urban involvement, including the role of Vilnius in the film storyline, as well as the film experts in which local creators and film experts work in the city.
“In addition, the biggest focus will be placed on co-production. This will create opportunities to build connections between Lithuania and international filmmakers and position Vilnius as a regional hub for co-production. Such initiatives will help increase city visibility in the global film industry while attracting new projects and industries.”
Credited for “The Visitor” by Vytautas Katkus, who won the best director of Karlovy, Marija Razguté, famous Lithuanian producer Marija Razguté of M-film, has also been adopted by local authorities as well. If implemented properly, it could be an important tool to attract partners, raise Villinius’ visibility and complement film funds across the country,” she said.
Lithuania, the largest of the three Baltic Seas with 2.9 million residents, has gradually become a vibrant production hub since the launch of the local film tax incentive in 2014. In particular, Vilnius, a home of more than 90% of the country’s film industry, currently performs on Netflix, including “Stranger Things 4” The Norwegian WW2 drama “NR 24”, and offers a rich architectural mix as the backdrop for many productions, including Disney+ Swedish Satire “Wiskey on the Rocks.”
“At the beginning of this summer, Vilnius also held the final filming of Sony Pictures TV app TV+ series “Star City,” transforming into 18th century Austria for German, Lithuanian and Latvian television series,” Pasikaite said. “In 2025 alone, filmmakers from the US, Germany, Ukraine, Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Latvia and Estonia are proud to have chosen Vilnius as their location,” she said.
Nearby Estonia and Latvia already have their own regional film funds.
