Lithuania Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Swedish director Ruben Östlund has been announced as a guest of honor at the 15th edition of France’s Les Arcs Film Festival, in the role of its Talent Village Ambassador.

Savina Petkova What if a new Messiah appeared today, but his supernatural power was to release people’s intimate videos unprompted? Such a beguiling premise shapes Armenian Vilnius-based director Marat Sargsyan’s sophomore feature, “The Grand Inquisitor.” In it, the omnipotent creature is an AI that looks like a human being and has a human name, Vermis. Soon, his crimes pile up, the authorities are helpless, and any investigation thwarted. The film will be presented next week at Thessaloniki Film Festival’s Agora Crossroads Co-production Forum.

Emiliano De Pablos In standout results that suggests the strength of select Spanish arthouse films on the current international market, Bendita Films Sales, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife-based boutique world sales agency, has closed a formidable raft of deals to Galician auteur Lois Patiño’s multisensory journey film “Samsara.” Winner of a Special Jury Award at Berlin’s 2023 major sidebar Encounters and the Audience Award at Mexico’s Ficunam festival, “Samsara” has just screened in main competition gathered “Samsara”(Oct. 20-28), running up more than a dozen international film festival selections. Bendita Film Sales has clinched commercial release pacts in the U.K.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest points of contention in the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, back in France, Newen Studios has taken a deep dive into AI to deliver daily soaps, as well as source talent and pitch projects in their own metaverse space. During Mipcom, Newen’s head of innovation, Marianne Carpentier, launched the second edition of the banner’s Meta Pitch Contest.

Naman Ramachandran A total of 39 European companies, surpassing 2022, will promote and sell films from the continent at Busan International Film Festival‘s accompanying Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). Of these, 32 will be onsite while seven more will participate online.

There’s a crisis at the border: migrants stranded in desperate conditions, steel and barbed wire barriers thrown in their path. 

EXCLUSIVE: The Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s industry-focused AGORA section has selected 15 projects from 14 countries for this year’s Crossroads Co-production Forum. Scroll down for the full list of projects. 

EXCLUSIVE: Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World, which has just been submitted as Romania’s official entry into the International Oscar race, has been picked up by Mubi for multiple key territories. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Vogter,” a psychological thriller directed by Gustav Möller, whose previous film “The Guilty” won the Audience Award at Sundance, has been pre-sold by Les Films du Losange to multiple territories. “Vogter,” which was just completed and is now in post, has been picked up for Germany, Austria, Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Spain (La Aventura), Italy (Movies Inspired), Japan (Happinet Phantom Studios), Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg (Cineart), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (Kino Pavasaris) and Hungary (Vertigo). Les Films du Losange has closed these deals since unveiling the project at Cannes and is negotiating further sales in other key territories.

Prosecutors in Berlin have dropped an investigation into alleged sexual assaults by Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann, citing a lack of evidence.Responding to the news in a statement, lawyers for Lindemann said: “The rapid termination of investigative proceedings by the Berlin state prosecutor’s office shows that there is insufficient evidence that our client allegedly committed sexual offences”.Allegations against Lindemann began to surface in May when a woman named Shelby Lynn claimed online that she had been drugged after being invited to join pre- and after-show parties at a concert in Vilnius, Lithuania.After she went public, other women came forward with their own allegations. Both Lindemann and the band strongly denied these accusations.

Rammstein‘s frontman Till Lindemann following allegations of sexual assault.The investigation was opened back in June after several women came forward, claiming that the singer drugged and recruited them to engage in sexual activity. Lindenmann had previously denied the allegations with his attorneys adding that the claims were “without exception untrue”.As The Washington Post reports, Berlin’s prosecution office shared a statement on Tuesday, August 29 that read: “The evaluation of the available evidence — above all the press reports that refer to anonymous whistleblowers, as well as the additional questioning of witnesses — has not produced any indications that the accused has carried out sexual acts on women against their will, administered disabling substances or exploited a power imbalance towards underage sexual partners in order to persuade them to have sex.”A post shared by Rammstein (@rammsteinofficial)In a statement, Lindemann’s lawyers said that they would “immediately pursue legal action in response to all such accusations”.The allegations against Lindemann first arose in May, when a 24-year-old named Shelby Lynn claimed that a supposed “casting director” invited her to sit in a “row zero” section at the band’s show in Vilnius, Lithuania.Documented on social media, she claimed that someone led her beneath the stage and the singer later made an advance towards her.

Cinderella. In 2023, he again took on the title of Prince Henry in the book to screen adaption of Red, White & Royal Blue, opposite Taylor Zakhar Perez. His inclination towards royal roles didn't come as a surprise for fans - after all, the British-born actor seemed perfect for the roles.

After a blowout debut weekend, Barbenheimer showed strong continued momentum at the international box office on Monday. Warner Bros’ Barbie for its part had the best Monday ever for the studio overseas at $32M from 69 markets (it also scored the studio’s best Monday domestically). The running offshore total through yesterday is $226.3M, bringing the global Kenergy to $414.4M.

EXCLUSIVE: Anonymous Content has partnered with New Europe Film Sales to handle North American rights for animated feature The Peasants, directed by Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent filmmakers D.K. Welchman and Hugh Welchman. 

A man stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death as she played in the street. Lilia Valutyte was knifed in the heart by Deividas Skebas outside a shop where her mother was working.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he was “shocked and concerned” by recent allegations that a top BBC presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexual images.

President Joe Biden and King Charles III met on Monday, but the royal family kept it casual. The king didn't give Biden the "full Royal treatment" because it wasn't an official state visit, royal commentators and experts explained to Fox News Digital. Biden stopped by the United Kingdom for a quick meeting ahead of his appearance at the NATO summit.

President Joe Biden was unable to attend King Charles III’s coronation — but he recently flew across the pond to sit down with the monarch for the first time.

More than £6million of public cash has been dished out to a “hellhole” homeless hotel branded “disgusting” by council chiefs. Stomach-churning ­revelations over standards at the Copland Hotel in Glasgow’s Govan have been exposed by a homeless man once forced to live there.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry strand has unveiled the winners of it’s project showcases, which took place at the fest from July 2-4.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Assel Aushakimova’s dark comedy about journalism in Kazakhstan “Bikechess” has won the Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s Works in Progress award, which runs as part of the festival’s industry section, Eastern Promises. The section is focused on feature film projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa. The Kazakh film follows Dina, who works as a journalist for the national television station. The stories she is asked to report on are becoming increasingly absurd and full of praise for the government. Her love life is limited to a few secret meetings with her married camera­man. Dina looks after her young sis­ter, a lesbian activist, who regularly finds herself in trouble with the au­thorities.

EXCLUSIVE: The Europe-based Pop Up Film Residency mentorship program has unveiled the filmmakers and mentors who will participate in its summer 2023 edition.

King Charles is set to have a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden next week.

McKinley Franklin editor The Palm Springs International ShortFest winners were announced on Sunday, with Japan and the U.S.’s “The Old Young Crow” taking the prize for best of the festival. Lithuania’s “Way Better” won best animated short and China’s “Will You Look At Me” landed best documentary short. Additionally, the award for best live-action short over 15 minutes went to France’s “Sèt Lam” and Spain’s “Mystic Tiger” took home the award for the best live-action short 15 minutes and under. The festival handed out cash prizes worth $25,000, as well as five awards to help winners qualify for the Academy Awards. The competition included some 299 short films within the official selection. The annual festival began on June 20 and will conclude Monday, June 26.

Oscar Qualifying AwardsBest of the Festival Award - Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Harold Matzner, Palm Springs International Film Society’s Immediate Past ChairmanJury: Angel An (VP of Acquisitions, Roadside Attractions); Kiva Reardon (Vice President of Film, PASTEL); Clay Pruitt (Head of Programming, Impact Distribution, Impact Distribution, Seed&Spark)Winner:  The Old Young Crow (Japan/USA), Directed by Liam LoPintoSpecial Mention:  48 Hours (Iran), Directed by Azadeh MoussaviSpecial Mention:  Away (Hungary/Belgium/Portugal), Directed by Ruslan FedotowBest Animated Short – Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.Jury: Geoff Marslett (Animator/Director/Writer/Producer); Irene Soriano (Writer/Film Curator); Gabe Van Amburgh (Film Programmer and Senior Manager, SXSW)Winner:  Way Better (Lithuania), Directed by Skirmanta JakaitėSpecial Mention:  Ashkaska (Spain/Argentina), Directed by Lara MaltzSpecial Mention:  Eeva (Croatia/Estonia), Directed by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten TšinakovBest Documentary Short – Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.Jury: Eugene Yi (Director/Editor/Writer, Free Chol Soo Lee); Maria Santos (Funds Program Officer, International Documentary Association); Opal H.

On Tuesday, June 20, Estonia’s parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage, making the country the first Baltic state, and the first ex-Soviet state, to legalize same-sex marriage.The vote comes a week after Lauri Hussar, the president of the Riigikogu, Estonia’s unicameral parliament, announced the commitment from the country’s liberal governing coalition to legalize same-sex marriage within a month.The law will take effect on January 1, 2024. It does not need to be ratified by any other governmental body.In a 55-34 vote, the legislature amended the Family Law Act, which encompasses topics such as alimony, custody, and child support, to permit  same-sex couples to wed.

Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider has spoken out about allegations that have been against the band’s frontman Till Lindemann in relation to his conduct at after-show parties on their current tour. Schneider said that he did not believe that Lindemann had done anything illegal, but added that the singer has “distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble”.Allegations against Lindemann began to surface at the end of last month when a woman claimed online that she had been drugged after being invited to join pre- and after-show parties at a concert in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry platform has unveiled 27 film projects that will be showcased during its Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch and First Cut+ Works in Progress presentations. The most promising projects, selected by international juries, will receive awards with a total value of 115,000 EUR.  The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary, during this year’s KVIFF Industry Days on July 3 (Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch) and July 4 (First Cut+ Works in Progress). For Works in Progress, 11 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa have been selected.

Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann is being investigated by prosecutors in Berlin, following multiple allegations of sexual assault.According to Agence France-Presse (via Barron’s), the investigation follows several women coming forward, claiming that they were drugged and prepositioned for non-consensual sex acts at various Rammstein shows.“Preliminary proceedings have been initiated against Till Lindemann on allegations relating to sexual offences and the distribution of narcotics,” said a spokeswoman. She also claimed that the inquest was started at their own will, and that no further comments would be issued so as not to hinder the investigation.In a statement to Agence France-Presse, the frontman denied all claims, and labelled the accusations as being “without exception untrue”.The allegations against Lindemann first arose last month, when a 24-year-old named Shelby Lynn claimed that a supposed “casting director” invited her to sit in a “row zero” section at the band’s show in Vilnius, Lithuania.Documented on social media, she claimed that someone led her beneath the stage and the singer later made an advance towards her.