Vilnius as a Filming Location: The Impact of On-Site Film Production in 2011–2024 on the Creation of Cityscapes

Abstract

The increase in the film projects shot in Vilnius over the last two decades demonstrates the city’s capability to compete in the global market by offering filmmakers locations that are adaptable to different screenplays. Despite the intensive use of Vilnius’ spatial and visual resources for film production, the filming sites are almost invisible due to their temporary nature and limited access. This visual deficit is heightened by the lack of critical reflection on the phenomenon, as the case of Vilnius that doubles for other cities around the world has not yet been the subject of more systematic research. The article examines the impact of Vilnius film sites on the creation of cityscapes in 2011–2024, using the ideas of researchers who have revealed the significance of the localized cinema production for the visual and socio-cultural identity of the city. The research employs intangible and tangible sources: the iconographic archive of the Vilnius Film Office, film-inspired tours of the city, media coverage of filming, and the interventions of artefacts and film set designs in the urban environment. The research has shown that the film site is a system of agent-actant interactions, which determines the shift in the city’s visibility and imaginary nature, and at the same time attempts to conceal the film industry’s involvement in the fictionalization of the its identity. The case studies of Vilnius filming locations have revealed the discrepancies between the cinematographic and the everyday use of space, form and social value, opening up the possibilities of modelling and changing that relationship, encouraging the search, critical rethinking and artistic reconstruction of the traces of film production in the city’s architecture, imagery, and culture. The importance of the reconstruction for the investigation of the meanings of Vilnius as a film site is also illustrated by the author’s video work, the film “Vitrine Morte” (2022).