Cinema of Lithuania

The Lithuanian film was influenced by the time of the Soviet Union, when the whole industry of the country was run by a company in state control. After independence in 1990, this industry and private film companies disintegrated took over the film production, which has since lost much of its importance.

1909 is regarded as the birth of cinema in Lithuania. This year, in the meantime emigrated to America Antanas Raciunas filmed his home village for others who had emigrated from Lithuania, and Władysław Starewicz shot the film Prie Nemuno. Starewicz already realized in 1910 first puppet animation films. From 1921 newsreels were produced for cinemas.

First movies came only from 1931 on, as directed by Jurgis Linartas and Vlada Stipaitis the film Onyte ir Jonelis in the film business Lietfilm arose. Published in 1938 Stasys Usinskas with the puppet film Storulio sapnas the first animated Lithuanian talkies.

At the time of the Soviet Union

In the early 1940s a studio was founded in Lithuania under Soviet rule, which was henceforth responsible for the production of newsreels. This studio produced in 1953 with Ausra prie Nemuno a first feature film, but still in co-production with Lenfilm. In 1956 it was renamed in Lietuvos kino studija and served from then on as the headquarters for the state's film industry. The first independent feature film, the studio produced in 1957, directed by Vytautas Mikalauskas Horizontas with Zydrasis.

In the period of the Soviet Union, the Lietuvos kino studija produced annually three to four feature films (usually together with other Soviet film societies ), forty documentaries and thirty to forty newsreels. Though the censorship and imposed collectively ideology many filmmakers loaded, received several international film awards - including Vytautas Žalakevičius, Arūnas Žebriūnas, Raimundas Vabalas and Algimatas Puipa.

Since independence in 1990,

When Lithuania became independent in 1990, broke up the state film industry and the Lietuvos kino studija lost greatly in importance. In 1987 Šarūnas Bartas had founded with Kinema a first non-state film production company. Although private companies took over the film production, but the number of films and the budget declined sharply; two feature films and ten documentaries are produced per year. 2006, the state invested 4.8 million litas in the film industry. Especially co-productions with other countries have become more frequent in recent years. American films dominate the Lithuanian cinema since 1990.

For example Arūnas Matelis and Algimatas Puipa are directors who make films since independence successfully and win international awards for her work. Matelis ' Before the flight to Earth was nominated as for the European Film Awards. Puipas Movies Dievų MIŠKAS (2005) and Nuodėmės užkalbėjimas (2007) reached in Lithuania visitor numbers 60000-70000.

Annually, numerous animated films. There are several film studios that specialize in animated films - such as Vilanima, Animaciniu filmu Studija AJ and Animagija. Antanas Janauskas that makes already since 1968 cartoons, Nijole Valadkeviciute Jūratė Leikaitė and others are among the leading animation directors in Lithuania.