Vilnius International Film Festival (Kino Pavasaris)

Overview

The Vilnius International Film Festival, known as Kino Pavasaris (Cinema Spring), is Lithuania's largest film festival. The 31st edition runs March 9-22, 2026. The festival attracts over 100,000 attendees each year and screens more than 100 films across 14 Lithuanian cities, including Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai, Panevezys, Marijampole, Alytus, Gargzdai, Vilkaviskis, Silute, Utena, Ukmerge, Pasvalys, and Taurage. The 2026 edition programs 89 feature films and 52 short films that have collectively won 94 major awards at other international festivals.

The festival operates as a cinema discovery platform. It distributes auteur films in Lithuania, organizes summer events, and runs the Meeting Point Vilnius (MPV) industry event. MPV 2025 ran March 17-20 and brought international producers, sales agents, and festival programmers to Vilnius for project pitch sessions, co-production presentations, and one-on-one meetings. Accreditation for MPV is free for industry professionals.

The 2025 competition featured 8 films, including the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Flow by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis (which opened the festival), April by Dea Kulumbegashvili, Toxic by Saule Bliuvaite, and The New Year That Never Came by Bogdan Muresanu. The 2026 edition introduces a short film competition for the first time, open to films with at least one European co-production country.

Submission Details

Kino Pavasaris accepts open submissions for both its feature competition and short film competition. Submissions are made through the festival website.

Entry fees:

• Short films: EUR 20
• Feature films: EUR 40
• Fee is waived for Lithuanian and Ukrainian films and co-productions

Eligibility for feature competition:

• First or second feature-length films by European directors
• Must not have been publicly screened in Lithuania
• Genres: fiction, documentary, animation, or experimental

Eligibility for short film competition (new in 2026):

• Fiction, documentary, animation, or experimental short films
• At least one European country in co-production
• Must not have been publicly screened in Lithuania

Notification: Selected filmmakers are notified by December 19, 2025 for the 2026 edition. Films that do not meet competition requirements may still be selected for other festival programs.

The full submission form and terms are available on the Kino Pavasaris submissions page.

Key Sections and Awards

Competitive sections:

• International Competition - first and second European features competing for the Best Film award (cash prize, split equally between director and producer, funded by Vilnius City Municipality)
• Short Film Competition - European co-produced short films competing for Best Short Film (cash prize from Vilnius City Municipality)

Non-competitive sections:

• Lithuanian Premieres - new Lithuanian features and documentaries
• Lithuanian Shorts Marathon - domestic short film showcase
• Masters and Panorama - films from major international festivals
• Special Programs - thematic focuses, retrospectives, and event screenings

2025 Award Winners:

• Best Film: April (France, Italy, Georgia) directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili
• Special Mention: The New Year That Never Came (Romania, Serbia) directed by Bogdan Muresanu
• Best Short Film: O (Iceland, Sweden) directed by Runar Runarsson
• Special Mention (Shorts): Favours (Sweden) directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson
• Best Lithuanian Short Film: Past the Hill of Napoleon's Hat directed by Arnas Balciunas
• Best Lithuanian Premiere: Sacrum and Profanum in Pievenai directed by Giedre Beinoriute
• Audience Award: The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany, Iran, France) directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
• Young Filmmaker Award: Igne Narbutaite

Meeting Point Vilnius (Industry Event)

Meeting Point Vilnius (MPV) is the industry component of Kino Pavasaris, running for four days during the festival. MPV 2025 was held March 17-20. The event targets national and regional film professionals and connects them with European industry peers, with a focus on discovering young talent.

MPV program includes:

• Work in Progress - Development pitching session (projects in development)
• Work in Progress - Production pitching session (projects in production)
• Producers' presentations on co-production policies in different countries
• Location tour for international producers hosted by Vilnius Film Office
• One-on-one meetings
• Lithuanian Film Forum (separate registration)
• Networking events

Accreditation: Free for industry professionals (application required). Industry + Films accreditation available at EUR 79. The 2025 deadlines were March 9 for industry accreditation and March 4 for Industry + Films.

Past MPV attendees have included programmers from Sundance, Venice, and Locarno. The 2025 edition featured project pitches from Georgia, Lithuania, and other Baltic and Eastern European countries, with budgets ranging from approximately EUR 260,000 and up.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For European first- and second-time feature directors: The International Competition is specifically designed for your films. The EUR 40 entry fee is modest, and the cash prize for Best Film is split between director and producer. Your film must not have been publicly screened in Lithuania. The competition's 8-film selection means a relatively small, curated field.

For short filmmakers: 2026 marks the first year Kino Pavasaris accepts short films from outside Lithuania. Your film needs at least one European co-production country and must not have screened in Lithuania. The EUR 20 fee is waived for Lithuanian and Ukrainian films.

For Lithuanian filmmakers: Kino Pavasaris is the most important domestic platform. The Best Lithuanian Premiere award, the Lithuanian Shorts Marathon, and the Lithuanian Film Forum at MPV provide specific recognition and industry networking opportunities. The submission fee is waived for Lithuanian productions.

For industry professionals: MPV offers free accreditation and focuses on Baltic and Eastern European co-production. The Work in Progress sessions present projects in both development and production stages, making it useful for sales agents, distributors, and co-production partners looking for Baltic content. The Vilnius Film Office location tour is a practical introduction to shooting in Lithuania.

Festival History

Kino Pavasaris was founded in 1995, shortly after Lithuania regained independence from the Soviet Union. The festival has grown from a small domestic event into the largest film festival in the Baltic states, attracting over 100,000 attendees annually. The 2025 edition marked the 30th anniversary and opened with Flow, the Latvian animated feature that won the Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.

The festival expanded beyond Vilnius to screen in 14 cities across Lithuania, making it a national cinema event rather than a capital-city-only festival. The Meeting Point Vilnius industry event was added to serve as a bridge between Baltic and European film professionals, with a focus on co-production and talent discovery.

The festival is supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre, Vilnius, Klaipeda, and Kaunas city municipalities, with main partner Go3 and major partners ERGO and Simbiocity.

Practical Information

• 2026 dates: March 9-22, 2026
• Venues: Forum Cinemas Vingis and other cinemas across 14 Lithuanian cities
• Tickets: Available through the festival website and partner venues
• MPV dates: Typically mid-March during the festival (dates for 2026 to be confirmed)
• MPV accreditation: Free for industry professionals; apply through the Kino Pavasaris website
• Website: kinopavasaris.lt

See Also

For Baltic cinema and co-production, see International Film Markets. For the Tallinn Black Nights festival (the other major Baltic festival), see Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate the cost-benefit of submitting to Kino Pavasaris.