During 18th Vilnius International Film Festival, cinema professionals from various European countries will visit Vilnius. On March 25th-28th international industry event “Meeting Point – Vilnius” will take place for the fourth time already, aiming at Lithuanian and European cinema professionals: producers, programme managers, film festival organizers and cinema centers.

“It is a part of VIFF that is invisible to the audiences, but especially important to cinema professionals. Already for four years the festival becomes a platform for meetings of colleagues not only from Europe, but the whole world. Representatives of film festivals, international cinema organizations, cinema centers, Lithuanian and foreign producers, cinema politics influencers will gather in Vilnius to meet, share experiences and create connections for further collaboration. We are really glad that in this event Lithuanian filmmakers get a unique opportunity to present themselves for foreign experts. We have quite a few examples, when “Meeting Point – Vilnius” has resulted in considerable outcomes for Lithuanians,” – says Algirdas Ramaska, Vilnius IFF executive director.

“Meeting Point – Vilnius” consists of several parts. First of all – an international conference, where a wide range of topics will be addressed: European audiovisual politics, film financing, distribution, programming and the influence of digital technologies on distributing and exhibiting. Conference moderator – a renowned cinema expert and journalist from the United Kingdom, Michael Gubbins. Participants of the discussion: “Eurimages” executive director Roberto Olla; “ACE” producers chairman of the board of directors Simon Perry; industry manager at Locarno International Film Festival Nadia Dresti; industry project manager at International Sarajevo Film Festival Ena Dozo, as well as representatives of cinema centers from Georgia, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Latvia and Estonia.

Foreign guests will have a chance to discover Lithuanian cinema at a special session of “Meeting Point – Vilnius.” In collaboration with Lithuanian Film Center, the best Lithuanian films from this year, as well as works in progress will be introduced. European professionals will also get to know the most recent Latvian and Estonian creations. Scouting for attractive films from the Baltics, programme coordinators from Transilvania, Bratislava, Warsaw, Minsk, Goteborg, San Sebastian film festivals and the Cannes Critics week, will also come to Vilnius.

Lithuanian cinema professionals and experts from abroad will be invited to Lithuanian Parliament, where, alongside Lithuanian politicians, they will discuss audiovisual sphere politics and financing.

As every year, “Meeting Point – Vilnius” industry event will be an excellent place to gain new skills and develop expertise for the new cinema talents. Journalists from famous cinema publications, such as “Screen,” “Variety,” as well as film critics will hold a special seminar for beginning cinema and culture journalists.

International industry event “Meeting Point – Vilnius” is one of the biggest cinema industry conferences in the Baltic States, created together with Lithuanian Film Center, Vilnius City municipality, MEDIA Desk Lithuania, international Sarajevo, Bratislava, Warsaw, Minsk and Transilvania film festivals.

More information on this event: http://www.kinopavasaris.lt/meeting_point_vilnius