This year, creators and industry professionals will come to BLON not only from Europe but also from the USA, Argentina, China, Canada, and other countries around the world. The only festival in the Baltic States that brings together creators and fans of animation, video games, and digital art will present five competitive animation programs, feature films, the international video game competition “Aware Game Awards,” and a virtual reality exhibition.
Read more 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Spain: 3 people injured
“Every year we see how BLON grows and strengthens as an international festival – we receive more and more works from different countries around the world, and at the same time, the creators’ desire to participate in the festival and come to Klaipėda grows. Over these years, together with the BLON team, we have managed to gather an international community of creators and viewers that expands every year,” says the festival director Laura Almantaitė.
Animation about a person in a changing world
According to the head of the festival’s animation program, Svetlana Bezuglova, this year’s animation program brings together stories about people and their relationship with an ever-changing reality – from personal memories and identity searches to historical turning points, community ties, and collective memory. Creators from different countries use animation to talk about universal experiences, and the festival invites you to see what the global auteur animation scene is living today.
“This year’s films tell about a person in a constantly changing world. About how major historical events are reflected in personal stories, how connection with others helps to survive, and how identity is constantly recreated. From childhood to maturity, from intimate memories to collective memory – animation here becomes a universal language that allows us to talk about what connects us all. We wanted to select films that not only amaze with their visual form but also leave an emotional imprint,” says S. Bezuglova.
The heart of the festival remains the competitive short animated film programs. The five competitive programs present the latest works from around the world – from debuting authors to internationally recognized creators, reflecting today’s trends and themes in auteur animation.
One of the brightest highlights of this year’s program will be the Lithuanian creators’ competitive program – for the first time in Lithuania, seven new short animated films will be shown.
The program will be complemented by feature-length animated film screenings, including the legendary Marjane Satrapi film “Persepolis,” briefly returning to the big screen, as well as two special programs – “Voices of Southern Europe,” presenting the most striking recent animation works from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, and a children’s program “Magical Connection,” prepared together with the French Institute in Lithuania.
Video games where experience matters more than the result
The themes and trends emerging in the animation program are continued by the video game exhibition, presenting over a dozen games from around the world this year. Works reflecting the personal states and stories of creators provoke, raise uncomfortable questions, and invite viewing games as another form of contemporary storytelling.
Festival visitors will be able not only to watch the games but also to try them themselves. Many of these differ from typical video games in that they are easy to understand and do not require prior gaming experience – here, skills or results matter less than the player’s emotional reaction and the experience itself.
Read more Dry bridge trapped ships in the harbor
Alongside the finalists’ exhibition of the competitive video game program “Aware Game Awards,” the festival will present works by independent Lithuanian creators, board and video games, meetings with creators, creative workshops, and other activities.
An integral part of the festival remains the virtual reality program. At the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery, visitors will be able to try VR experiences awarded at international festivals, revealing how new technologies expand storytelling possibilities and allow stories to be experienced even more personally.
From cinema screens to meetings with creators
BLON traditionally invites not only to watch films but also to meet their creators. During the festival, there will be film presentations, discussions, and visitors will also be invited to creative workshops for participants of all ages.
This year’s festival focuses on comics, so the program will be supplemented with lectures, creative workshops, and meetings dedicated to this theme, including a visit by Lithuanian-born animation and comics creator Kazimieras Gediminas Prapuolenis (Kaz).
From September 10–13, festival events will take place at the creative industries incubator “Kultūros fabrikas,” the cultural and meeting place “Herkus Kantas,” the “Arlekinas” cinema, Klaipėda Puppet Theatre, and the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery.
Tickets for festival events can be purchased on the festival website blon.lt. Early bird prices apply to festival tickets until September 1.
The festival is funded by the Klaipėda City Municipality, the Lithuanian Film Centre, and the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Read more Azerbaijan’s blow to Russia: took action against propagandists
