Costume dramas full of melodrama, tense futuristic series, or detail-rich historical detective stories: you can film anything in Kaunas. Alright, we are exaggerating just a tiny bit, but what is a film without a few special effects? Still, any director or producer who has worked with the Kaunas IN Film Office will confirm that time travel is indeed possible in this multifaceted city.
From Baroque to Architecture Worthy of Science Fiction
The new video “All Roads Lead to Kaunas” presents a journey through time. Lithuania’s second-largest city is revealed from various angles and through diverse cityscapes that intrigue filmmakers from all over the world. The many historical layers of Kaunas, a city now in its seventh century, ensure that no extra building work is needed; the existing exteriors and interiors help bring all kinds of scripts to life.
The city’s UNESCO-listed Modernist architecture, inspiring with its ambition, forms, and lines, is indispensable for creating historical narratives. So is the magnificent Nordic Baroque, the pearl of which, Pažaislis Monastery, stands right by the Kaunas Reservoir. It was this very location that was named the best on the continent by the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) in 2020. The award was given to Kaunas for the HBO and Sky series “Catherine the Great”.
On the other shore of the Kaunas Reservoir lies the Open Air Museum of Lithuania, full of vernacular architecture and jokingly called a “permanently ready open-air film set” by professionals. Universally acclaimed series such as “Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter” and “War & Peace” were filmed here.
Creators of plots set today or tomorrow have already taken a liking to Science Island, Lithuania’s first science and innovation popularisation centre, which opened to the public just a year ago on the scenic Nemunas Island.
People Behind the Buildings
It is not just the “cinematic” architecture and nature, but also the professionals living and working in Lithuania who help build a good name for Kaunas in the highly competitive film industry.
From charismatic actors who speak various languages to ordinary citizens happy to take part in crowd scenes, not to mention the numerous production and service companies and the well-disposed municipal representatives responsible for filming permits and sometimes necessary traffic restrictions, the Kaunas Film Office ensures that the work of foreign guests in Kaunas goes without a hitch.
“The Kaunas Film Office does not just encourage foreign and Lithuanian companies to choose Kaunas locations; we strive to ensure an exceptionally smooth creative process, from issuing permits to logistical solutions or assistance in organising local services for everyone who gets in touch”, says the office’s coordinator Edgaras Šilkauskas.
The Dream Team
The video “All Roads Lead to Kaunas”, which presents the opportunities for film and series production in Kaunas, was created by a true dream team that turned the Kaunas Film Office’s vision into a cinematic reality.
The narrative, which travels from ethnographic homesteads through the magnificent walls of Pažaislis Monastery and the Bank of Lithuania building that symbolises the golden age of the interwar period, to the futuristic forms of Science Island, was directed by Mindaugas Anusauskas, with Žilvinas Sprindys as his assistant. The cinematographer was Kasparas Pilybas, the drone operator was Povilas Stankūnas, and the gaffer was Voldemaras Voitkūnas. The actor Paulius Važgauskas presents the cinematic opportunities of Kaunas.
“I want to sincerely thank our partners ProRent and Camrent for their exceptional help in creating this clip, as well as the Kaunas State Musical Theatre for the costumes and, of course, the wonderful locations that agreed to welcome the creative team: Pažaislis Monastery, the Bank of Lithuania, the Open Air Museum of Lithuania, and Science Island”, says E. Šilkauskas, who is convinced that the new clip is the best visual proof of what Kaunas has to offer the world.
