Meeting Point Vilnius (MPV), the annual audiovisual industry event that takes place during the Vilnius International Film Festival Kino Pavasaris, is moving from its traditional talking heads conference format to a boutique event offering a bridging point for national and regional film professionals with those attending from different European countries.
It is taking place in the Lithuanian capital from March 24-27.
Organisers promise a strong focus on discovering young and upcoming talents, as well as supporting existing industry to further developing their careers, at what will be an in-transition event this year.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the MPV will unfold under the watchful eye of Ena Rahelić, who joined as head as MPV’s head of Industry late last year.
“Taking over the event last autumn, I took on a personal and professional challenge, as being in the industry for 15 years I am not for talking but for doing,” says Rahelić, explaining her desire to steer the transition.
“To really achieve all the things we love to talk about so much, such as inclusion, sustainability we have to explore and learn, getting inspired and open for new collaborations.”
Rahelić previously worked for the Sarajevo Film Festival/Obala Art Centar, where she managed the festival’s CineLink Industry Days and has also worked in sales, acquisitions and distribution in Bosnia Herzegovina. Most recently, she worked at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Split in Croatia as a consultant and the festival’s head of industry. She was also the executive producer of Francesco Clerici’s Hand Gestures, which premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum section in 2015.
During the four days of MPV this year, there will practical filmmaking sessions for attendees such as a location tour through the Lithuanian capital’s main shooting locations, a show-running in Eastern Europe masterclass alongside one-to-one meetings and a focus on emerging Baltic talent.
Other changes for 2024 include expanding MPV’s scope to encompass drama series and animation alongside feature films and documentaries This partly a reflection of the growing importance of the streamers as funders and production backers in Lithuania as writers and directors explore different ways of working.
One local success story has been Troll Farm by Vilnius-born actress-producer-writer Gabija Siurbyte, a hit comedy drama series about an executive out for revenge. It was produced by Lithuanian broadcaster LRT and streamer Telia, with backing from the Lithuanian Film Centre.
MPV has partnered with the Creative Europe Media Desk Lithuania to mount a serial storytelling workshop for Lithuanian writers. “We believe this is one of the most important roles - to invest into the education of local professionals and become a strong and appealing partner for international professionals,” says Rahelić.
Around 250 industry guests are accredited for this year’s event, an uptick from last year’s 160. “We have noticed a much higher demand from the local film professionals, which makes us happy and keeps us believing that we are on a good path to succeed at what we are aiming for: Becoming an important event first and foremost for them,” notes Rahelić.
Some 140 international guests will attend from more than 25 countries. Representatives from the Caucasus region – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia – to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Spain, UK and the US are expected.
Rahelić says there are no plans for the event to grow physically bigger. “We believe in the boutique and human approach and not exhausting yourself over days of chasing hundreds and thousands of guests all over the place is the way forward,” she says.
However, she hopes to be able to shine a light on further aspects of the local industry in years to come.
“Lithuania also has an amazing animation industry and offers incredible production and postproduction possibilities worth exploring and we hope to shine a spotlight on that in future MPV editions.”
By way of celebrating its 15th birthday, MPV will open with an “All eyes on Vilnius” party in partnership with Vilnius municipality, at the Lukiškės Prison, where Netflix filmed part of season four of Stranger Things.
MPV is also hosting a gala screening of Polish director Agnieszka Zwiefka’s Vika!, a feature documentary about the life of Wirginia “Vika” Szmyt, an 84-year-old Lithuania-born DJ who gigs in her adopted Poland. Zwiefka filmed footage in Vilnius for the doc. The film is produced by HBO Max for Warner Bros Discovery. Zwiefka and Szmyt will both be in town for a Q&A session, followed by live Vika set for MPV attendees.
“The screening and afterparty is the perfect celebration of the new funk era we see MPV being at,” Rahelić smiles.
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