Baltics highlighted as 'countries in focus' at Berlinale's European Film Market

VILNIUS - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will be given a special focus at this year's European Film Market (EFM), the Lithuanian Film Center said on Thursday.

The international film industry event will take place during the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, on February 16-22.

Baltic delegations will take part in activities, discussions, film screenings and other events organized by the EFM under the Country in Focus initiative. The three countries will have a joint stand showcasing their film industries.

Lithuania is the only of the three Baltic countries to have two filmmakers selected for this year’s edition of Berlinale Talents.

The first is Milda Baginskaite, a director and screenwriter who currently lives and works in the UK.

The second Berlinale Talent from Lithuania is Vytautas Puidokas, the director of the 2019 feature documentary film El Padre Medico.

According to the Film Center, this year's EFM is also special for Lithuania in that the Berlinale Series Market Selects 2023 program features Troliu Ferma (Troll Farm), a new Lithuanian TV drama series.

It is among 16 selected series that will be presented under the Series Market Selects label, which "highlights outstanding content with a strong market potential".

Two Lithuanian documentary projects will also be presented at the EFM:  Arturas Jevdokimovas' Life and Death of a Christmas Tree and Aiste Zegulyte's Biodestruktoriai (Biodestructors).

The digitally restored version of Grazuole (The Beauty), a 1969 film by Arunas Zebriunas, will be screened in the Berlinale's Retrospective program.