Kaunas International Film Festival, one of the most important Lithuanian cinematic events has began. The festival opened by a Lithuanian film „The Field of Magic“ premiere in Kaunas cinema “Cinamon”. The best films of contemporary cinema and retrospectives will be also shown in “Zalgiris arena” and Kaunas District Public Library. Next week the festival is coming to Vilnius and other cities.

During the opening Kaunas Film Festival was congratulated Minister of Culture Arūnas Gelūnas and Mayor of Kaunas City Rimantas Mikaitis. Opening film “The Field of Magic“ director Mindaugas Survila and the film crew met the audience. The young director made a warm and poetic story about people who were estranged by a society.

“Airplanes have already started to land with Kaunas International Film Festival guests, coming from all parts of the world. It’s the actual sign that the festival begins, it becomes a place which attracts not only audience from Kaunas and Lithuania, but participants of international cinema – directors, producers, actors, distributors - as well”, said Ilona Jurkonytė, director of the festival. “We are happy and take pleasure in possibility to offer our audience high artistic screenings, enriched by meetings, discussions, music and inspiration.”

The festival had hardly begun and the audience was already invited to meetings with film makers. On Thursday, Jean-Stéphane Bron (Switzerland), director of “Cleveland vs. Wall Street” was visited Kaunas. Premiered at The Cannes Film Festival and provoked discussions “Cleveland vs. Wall Street” raises topical issues about who – bankers, real estate businessmen, government – are responsible for global financial and economic crisis. This film recreates a fictional trial against bankers blamed for the crisis.

A Silent movie with live music opened the retrospective of “Red Westerns” on Wednesday, 7 p.m. in “Zalgiris arena”. A music DJ Tom Flagman arranged the soundtrack to the silent film “By the Law“, directed by a legendary soviet film maker Lev Kulešov. The Russian cinematic theorist Sergej Lavrentjev introduced the Red Western programme with before the silent movie “By the Law“. Earlier the same day at 1 p.m. in Vytautas Magnus University S. Lavrentjev gave a lecture “A Short History of Red Westerns“. The lecture was open for the public.

Kaunas International Film Festival has arranged extra buses, which go through cinema “Cinamon” established in shopping and leisure centre “Mega”. The buses no. 21 and 38 are ready to bring viewers home after last shows in “Cinamon”.