Partner – Lojoteka
Location – Throughout Lithuania
Since 2025
The national school student film festival “Aurora” was the first event of its kind in Lithuania, designed to celebrate and elevate the voices of young filmmakers. The festival brought together almost 700 participants – students, teachers, artists, and media professionals from across the country.
Over two days, the audience experienced 38 student–created short films presented in two competition programmes “Discoveries” and “Cultural Connections”. The films bravely explored themes of identity, inclusion, and social issues. Alongside screenings, the festival programme offered practical workshops in animation, sound design, screenwriting, and photography, led by acclaimed visual art professionals. The festival also hosted networking events and discussions that created space for meaningful exchange and creative inspiration.
The festival’s outreach included visits to schools in linguistically diverse communities and workshops on film–making in Šalčininkai and Didžiasalis. These activities encouraged young people to express themselves through film, develop media literacy and critical thinking skills, and connect across cultural lines.
Importantly, the festival empowered underrepresented voices – over half of the participants came from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Stories produced through the films submitted to festival competition programmes underscored the festival’s aim to foster empathy, break down stereotypes and spark future creative careers. "Aurora" proved that young people’s stories matter and that cinema is a powerful tool for dialogue, discovery, and social change.
During the project:
Almost 700 participants (students, teachers, film professionals, and community members) took part in the festival activities, half of which were from linguistically diverse regions of Lithuania
280 students participated in workshops on film–making in Šalčininkai and Didžiasalis and other towns
The festival received more than 200 submissions, including fiction, animation, documentary films, and music videos.
A total of 38 short films were selected and competed in two festival competition programmes – “Cultural Connections” and “Discoveries”