Lithuania’s leading filmmakers protest against presence of nationalist party Nemuno Ausra in government

Leading Lithuanian filmmakers have spoken out in protest at the presence of nationalist party Nemuno Ausra among the country’s coalition government.

Over 30 Lithuanian filmmakers organised a film festival on Sunday, October 5, of screenings of their films in towns across the country and discussions.

Participants included Vytautas Katkus, joint winner of best director at Karlovy Vary Film Festival this year for The Visitor; Marija Kavtaradze, winner of best director at Sundance 2023 for Slow; and Laurynas Bareisa, winner of best film in Horizons at Venice in 2022 for Pilgrims and best director at Locarno 2024 for Drowning Dry.

The directors are part of a group named the Lithuanian Cultural Assembly Initiative Group, which issued a statement at the beginning of October protesting against Nemuno Ausra (translation: Nemunas dawn), named after the Nemunas river that flows through Lithuania.

“Lithuanian culture is in danger!” said the statement. “We, members of Lithuania’s cultural community – including artists, scholars, and cultural workers – write to draw your attention to alarming developments in our country’s political and cultural life that threaten European democratic values, minority rights, freedom of expression, and cultural autonomy. We respectfully seek your attention, expertise, and possible public support.”

The statement added that Nemuno Ausra “employs nationalist, Eurosceptic, and anti-Semitic rhetoric that undermines social trust, democratic values, and minority rights. Its growing influence over cultural policy raises the risk of censorship, marginalization of minority voices, distortion of historical memory, deepening polarization, and greater Kremlin influence.” 

The group had attracted over 68,000 signatures to a petition for its cause and held a protest in Lithuania on September 25, in advance of the country-wide event on October 5.

It asked those wishing to participate to share the slogan ‘Culture at Risk’ on platforms including social media networks.

Resignation

The group’s efforts appeared to have an effect in advance of the October 5 event, as culture minister Ignotas Adomavicius resigned on Friday, October 3 after just one week in office.

Adomavicius had given an interview with news publication Lrytas in which he declined to answer questions about Lithuania’s support for Ukraine and the status of the Crimea region. The minister had been appointed by the Nemuno Ausra party, which as a minority partner in the Lithuanian government appoints two of the 15 government roles.

Earlier on Friday, October 3, prime minister Inga Ruginiene had said that she expected Admoavicius’s resignation imminently; and that she was prepared to dismiss him if he did not resign. Ruginiene said that Nemuno Ausra would continue to be part of the coalition, and would get to nominate a replacement culture minister.

That process is ongoing: Nemuno Ausra leader Remigijus Zemaitaitis will propose the candidates, although Ruginiene has said she will be more actively involved in the appointment.

The Lithuanian Cultural Assembly Initiative has called for Nemuno Ausra to have no role in the appointment of the culture minister. Further supporters include leading Lithuanian producers Dagne Vildzunaite and Marija Razgute; Andrius Blazevicius, director of Karlovy Vary 2021 title The Runner; and Vytautas Dambrauskas, director of the country’s National Film School.

“We call on civic society in Lithuania and across Europe to stand with us in defending these shared values,” said the Assembly statement. “The sequence of events unfolding in Lithuania mirrors those in Hungary, Slovakia, and Georgia, where pro-Kremlin, anti-democratic forces seized control of culture, media, and communication to subjugate free societies. We stand now to prevent that outcome here.”

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