Kaunas International Film Festival () is a film festival founded in 2007 and is held in October each year in Kaunas and Vilnius, Lithuania. The festival specifically celebrates art-house film making but shows indie and internationally acclaimed movies alike, both from and outside of Lithuania. In addition to screenings, many panel discussions, masterclasses, and lectures are offered as part of the festival. The four constant programmes each year are Wide Angle, which explores "contemporary tendencies in the film art"; Identity; Music Moves the World; and All the Muses, which are films focusing on art.
History The Kaunas International Film Festival was founded in 2007 by organization Visos mūzos. The festival was crucial in preventing developers from turning Lithuania's oldest cinema into a casino. Kaunas International Film Festival countered homogenization of cinema culture in Lithuania. The festival is held in October each year in Kaunas and Vilnius, Lithuania. Kaunas International Film Festival was the first film festival in Lithuania to tour the film programs in the country, such as Panevėžys and Nida. Ilona Jurkonytė is the festival's artistic director and Tomas Tengmark is its programmer.
Purpose The Kaunas International Film Festival specifically celebrates art-house film making but shows indie and internationally acclaimed movies alike, both from and outside of Lithuania. The festival is associated with the network Eye on Films, which is hosted by Media Mundus, a member of the CICAE network, and the domestic arm of the European Network of Young Cinema NISI MASA. In addition to screenings, many panel discussions, masterclasses, and lectures are offered as part of the festival. Additional programmes change annually, but the four constants are Wide Angle, which explores "contemporary tendencies in the film art"; Identity; Music Moves the World; and All the Muses, which are films focusing on art. The Silver Audience Award Cup was introduced in 2010.
The 2020 festival was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was the first digital festival in Lithuania.
Years 2007: September 28 through October 7 Films from 32 countries; 1500 attendees Additional programme: "Retrospective: Nouvelle Vague" Audience award: White Palms (), directed by Szabolcs Hajdu 2008 Films from 17 countries; 7000 attendees Additional programmes: Special Focus on Irish Film, "One Hundred Springtimes. Tribute to Vytautas Kernagis", and Train Time Opening film: Love and Other Crimes (), directed by Stefan Arsenijević Favorite film: Bliss (), directed by Abdullah Oğuz 2009: October 1–17 Additional programmes: Nordic Sounds in Film Favorite film: Welcome, directed by Philippe Lioret 2010: October 1–17 Additional programmes: Film retrospectives on Béla Tarr, Deimantas Narkevičius, and Piotr Dumała, Animation, Animated Film (Estonia and Latvia), Best of Slovenian Stop-motion Animation, Elephant Program for Children, Best of Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival (European short animation and short film), Special Screenings Opening film: Eastern Drift (), directed by Šarūnas Bartas Silver Audience Award Cup (inaugural): Heartbeats (), Xavier Dolan 2011: September 27 – October 9 Additional programmes: "After a Scene...", "Coming Attractions", "Films of the Golden Period: Slovak New Wave," Red Westerns, "Extended Glimpses", Tribute to Adolfas Mekas, Special screenings: Jonas Mekas Films, Special Screenings: Avant-garde women programme curated by Jonas Mekas Opening film: The Field of Magic (), directed by Mindaugas Survila Silver Audience Award Cup: How much does your building weigh, Mr. Foster?, directed by Norbert López Amado and Carlos Carcaso 2012 Silver Audience Award Cup: Narcissus (), directed by Dovile Gasiunaite 2013: September 25–29 90 films Most popular film: Lore, directed by Cate Shortland 2014 Favorite film: The Reunion (), directed by Anna Odell 2015: September 30 – October 11 Opening film: The Green Musketeers, directed by Jonas Ohman 2016: No festival held 2017: November 30 – December 13 Opening film: Oblivion Verses (), directed by Alireza Khatami 2018: September 20–30 2019: September 26 – October 6 2020: March 19, April 2 (online only) Exhibitions Videograms (Harun Farock) Opening film: Proxima, directed by Alice Winocour 2021: No festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic
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