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Lithuanian Film Centre, new patron of EWA Network

The Lithuanian Film Centre signs a collaboration with EWA Network

The Lithuanian Film Centre (LFC) becomes a patron of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), as it was announced today. With this new partnership, the LFC supports both the presence of local members in the network and the initiatives organized by EWA in Lithuania.

This collaboration enhances more activities that empower female presence in the Lithuanian industry, including panel discussions, career boosting mentoring programmes, and other events that aim to promote the gender equality agenda in the local and European audiovisual sector. It should be noted that the LFC is the only institution in Eastern Europe that supports EWA, paving the way for future collaborations in the region.

Regarding the backing that the network will receive, Tamara Tatishvili, strategy and partnership manager at EWA, mentioned: "In the disrupted year of 2020, our industry continuously uses phrases such as solidarity, standing together and others that highlight the importance of cooperation against all odds. The fact that the Lithuanian Film Centre is committed to support EWA's activities during 2021, is the fact of true commitment to our membership. It is a signal to us, a European professional network, that we are not forgotten, that there's still a lot to be achieved in the gender equality agenda and that Lithuanian policymakers care for this. In short, it is a practical act of solidarity. We look forward to enhanced cooperation with our Lithuanian colleagues and acting on much needed improvements in the context of the equality agenda."

On behalf of the Lithuanian Film Centre, Irma Šimanskytė, acting director, stated:
“European Women’s Audiovisual Network’s (EWA) initiatives are crucial for the promotion of gender equality in the European audiovisual sector. We are looking forward for permanent partnership with this professional network and we do hope that every instance of our support will contribute to the gender balance in the film industry.”

Currently EWA has three Lithuanian members, producers Živilė Gallego (Fralita Films), who joined after the first presence of EWA in Vilnius in 2016, along with Marija Razgutė (M-Films), and writer-director Lina Vonsavičiūtė (Wide Wings). The network aims to expand its creative community and welcome more Lithuanian professionals in the near future, in order to share their experiences and provide mutual support.

Among the initiatives organized by EWA are the first pan-European Research Study on female directors, the training programme Multiple Revenue Stream Training that was developed from 2015-2017, a Scriptwriters Residency – that is active since 2016 only to be interrupted due to the pandemic, and a number of Development Awards in partnership with industry events including WEMW, Dok Leipzig and Fest Forward Belgrade, with many of the winning projects later premiering in leading festivals.

Furthermore, EWA’s Mentoring Programme for emerging producers is running for the third consecutive year, while a series of online discussions, that have even started before the lockdown period, are organized and are dealing with important film industry topics.