The World Cities Route

Vienna, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Vatican, Berlin, New York, or Tokyo of different epochs… On the cinema screen, Vilnius has turned into various world-renowned cities. Its diverse architecture, the changing seasons, and the work of talented film artists are among the reasons why so many filmmakers come to work in the capital of Lithuania.

This time, the Vilnius Film Office invites you to take a look at Vilnius in the light of the most beautiful cities in the world. Come onboard and let us travel on a film tourism route that will allow you to see the city even more colorful, open, and interesting than before.

Pasažo Alley: Future Copenhagen

We suggest starting the route at Pasažas Alley. Recently, this area has been one of the most popular shooting locations. Scenes for the previously mentioned series “Sisi” were shot here and on the nearby Arklių Street. In various productions, these streets also “played” different foreign cities, including Paris, Vienna, and Oslo.

In 2023 shooting for the series based on the Danish writer Peter Höeg’s bestselling novel “Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow” began in Vilnius. The series’ protagonist tries to find out the true reasons for the death of an Inuit immigrant child, gradually becoming entangled in a much more complex, supernatural plot. Scenes for the series were filmed in Aukštaičių, Vilniaus and Birutės Streets, Vinco Kudirkos Square, and Pasažo Alley was turned into the Copenhagen of the future.

“Vilnius offered us many different, great locations with potential. In some areas, we could even shoot several different scenes. We are happy with the working conditions and local film industry professionals,” the international production team familiar with Vilnius said earlier.

The National Philharmonic: the Glittery Vienna

The next stop is the National Philharmonic right next to you. For the hugely successful series “Sisi” it was transformed into a glamorous quarter of Vienna. The costume drama, which tells the story of the coming of age of Empress Elizabeth of Austria, was shot in various locations across Vilnius: the historical University campus, the streets of the old town, the Writers’ Union building, the Bernardine Yard, Belmontas, etc.

The series stars, Dominique Devenport and Jannik Schümann, had a few scenes In the National Philharmonic, next to one of Vilnius’ most luxurious buildings in the historicist style. This was where riot scenes took place, horse-drawn carriages filled the streets, and the guards of the 19th-century empress buzzed around. While shooting, the team had to hide the manifestations of modern life: cover the Philharmonic’s windows and the ATM located nearby, and temporarily close the neighborhood’s outdoor cafes.

Various scenes for all three seasons of “Sisi” were shot in Vilnius. An international team of several hundred people worked here: costume tailors, sound technicians, stuntmen, make-up artists, lighting experts, cameramen, etc. The fact that Lithuanian professionals were also invited to join the creative team proves that Lithuanians are truly skilled in the art of filmmaking:  the set designer Algirdas Garbačiauskas worked in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd seasons, whereas the costume designer Daiva Petrulytė joined the crew in the 2nd and 3rd seasons.

“This project was a huge challenge because one season consists of six episodes, which means 50 to 60 scenes. The story of Queen Sisi is known all over the world, and many movies have been made. After reading the first season’s script, I realized that I would have to manage huge sets, find suitable locations, and create the atmosphere of the period… I’m not going to lie, it was scary. I’m glad that the series was noticed and critically acclaimed and we could keep developing the story further,” says film artist Algirdas Garbačiauskas.

According to Milda Leiputė, the series’ producer in Lithuania, filming a costume drama in Vilnius is not easy. It is difficult to avoid the city’s modern architecture in the background, and for the audience to feel the atmosphere of 19th century Austria in today’s Vilnius, the well-coordinated work of a team director, cameramen and artists is paramount. The timing of the shooting also posed challenges – the first season was shot right after the pandemic. “During the filming, we had to ask the owners of merchants, catering establishments, and bars to close the cafes again and take the outdoor tables. And let’s not forget the strict requirements that had to be met when shooting, accommodating the actors and the entire team,” Leiputė explains.

Šv. Mykolo Street: the Perilous Hamburg of 1941

Next, we invite you to stroll through the old town of Vilnius and go down to Šv. Mykolo Street, where in the spring and summer of 2024 the American TV series “Truth and Conviction” was shot. The story is based on real, shocking events and it turns the Lithuanian capital into Hamburg in the 1940s. A young member of the Hitler Youth secretly listens to banned BBC radio broadcasts denouncing the Nazi war machine. Inspired by these broadcasts, Helmut Huebener becomes convinced that Hitler is not the savior of the nation, but on the contrary, a deceiver. When his friend is sent to a concentration camp, Helmut finally decides to act. Using his strongest weapon, the written word, and inviting two of his peers to join him, he begins distributing leaflets revealing Hitler’s true face.

“The idea of ​​the “Truth and Conviction” project was born more than 20 years ago. One of the series’ characters, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, a member of the resistance group, became a dear friend, it was from him that we heard about a difficult experience, a murdered friend who believed in a better life and a better future. Karl constantly tried to honor Helmut’s memory, and when he passed away, we felt that this mission had been entrusted to us. We want to encourage people not to be afraid to believe in what is right. Although we, living in the USA, have not experienced such historical moments, we are very much aware of the Lithuanian struggle for independence and what freedom means to you. It is important to us and we feel it,” producer R. Kendall (Kaleidoscope Pictures) says.

“After seeing Vilnius, we immediately sent the photos to Matt Whitaker, the writer of “Truth and Conviction”. He arrived a week later and fell in love with the locations of Vilnius so much that he even adjusted the story a little bit”, Kendall recalls.

“Hamburg is sometimes called the Venice of Germany because of its many canals and unique architecture. In Vilnius, we were looking for buildings that seemed frozen in time yet well-maintained. When we saw the old town’s cobbled streets, we immediately pictured the series’ protagonist secretly walking around at night and throwing leaflets into mailboxes. In Vilnius, we found everything we needed: Hamburg’s official state buildings, the characters’ homes, and little hidden streets,” says John Foss (Kaleidoscope Pictures).

The scenes of the series “Truth and Conviction” were shot in various streets of Vilnius, and Vilnius Juozo Tallat-Kelpšos conservatory, located in Šv. Mykolo St. ir Didžioji St. played a significant role in the plot since it was turned into residential areas and prop rooms of that era.

Vilnius Cathedral Square: Vatican

The World Cities route also leads to the nearby Vilnius Cathedral Square.

In 2016  in Vilnius, the US company “Castle Pictures” worked on a TV film called “The Pope vs. Hitler” for “National Geographic” television. The scenes shot here recreated real-life events that occurred in Berlin, Munich, the Vatican, and Rome. The picture tells the true events of World War II: Pope Pius XI of Rome tried to resist Adolf Hitler by using secret agents who served in the Nazi army.

According to the producer Lina Mišeikytė, who worked on the project, one of the most memorable scenes took place in Vilnius Cathedral Square, when the Nazis approached St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and clashed with the Swiss Guards protecting the city-state.

“Director Chris Cassel, who has worked in Lithuania several times, likes it here very much. He is already familiar with Lithuanian architecture and knows how professional people in our film industry are. In addition, shooting, for example, “The Pope vs. Hitler” in Lithuania was more economical and simpler than in the real Vatican,” Mišeikytė explains.

Kaštonų Street: Oslo Parliament House

Kaštonų Street, which is known to few, but is in fact extremely cinematic, is home to the country’s largest library of Lithuanian biomedicine and related sciences. “Agent Hamilton”, “Young Wallander”, “Generation of Evil”, “Kompromat”, and “Hilma” are just a few names of movies and series that were shot here.

Kaštonų Street has been turned into Swedish cities, including Stockholm and Malmö of various periods, in several films, besides, it has also played a post-war Berlin. Most recently, during the shooting of the Lithuanian-Norwegian co-production “Agent Number 24” in Vilnius, the library building became the Oslo parliament edifice, in the vicinity of which a bomb exploded.

According to Aivaras Šidla, the film location manager who has worked in this location several times, the street and the library have a unique architecture. There are not many streets like this one in Vilnius. “In films, the library often becomes a courtroom or other institutional building of the 1940-1990 period. Since the library has not been heavily renovated, it contains well-preserved authentic details, and this is what fascinates directors, cameramen, and film artists the most,” Šidla explains.

Vilnius Skyscrapers: a New York Recording Studio

After exploring Kaštonų Street, we suggest you move on to the most modern part of the city. Did you know that, besides “playing” European cities the streets and buildings of Vilnius have also been turned into Washington and New York on the big screen? According to representatives of the Lithuanian film industry, several American filmmakers who have visited Vilnius have said that some streets in Vilnius are very reminiscent of Washington.

The film “The Playlist” tells the true story of how the Swedish music platform Spotify came to be. Entrepreneurs Daniel Ekas and Martin Lorentzon revolutionized the music industry by creating a free and legal music platform. “The Playlist” intertwines real and fictional events and challenges to create a compelling and sophisticated narrative.

Few people know that the series that premiered on the “Netflix” platform in 2022, was shot in Vilnius offices, cinema pavilions, and modern skyscrapers, which in “The Playlist” turned into a New York recording studio. Professionals from Lithuania also contributed a lot to the implementation of the series – for example, technical props engineers, who created props for the show and helped set up the programmers’ office that appears in the story often.

Žvėrynas: A Luxurious Quarter of Stockholm

Further along the route lies the charming Žvėrynas, one of the greenest quarters of Vilnius. The lovely quaint wooden villas of the last century impress filmmakers from all over the world.

Among them were the Swedish filmmakers who shot the series “Whisky on Ice” in Vilnius in the fall of 2023. The political drama was set during the tense period of Ronald Reagan and Leonid Brezhnev’s leadership and focused on the political crisis that arose at that time.

On-screen the wooden and Scandinavian-style buildings dotting Žvėrynas turned into 1980s Sweden, to be precise: into the residential area of ​​Stockholm, where the film’s political characters settled. Meanwhile, the Scandinavian-style Composers’ House that opened its doors in Žvėrynas in 1966 will be seen in the background of important political decisions: for the film, work, and recreation areas for government representatives were set up in this historical building.

Colorful Tokyo in the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University

For those who wish for even more nature, we suggest ending the route at Vilnius University the Botanical Garden, situated a little further from the city center. The historical drama “Tokyo Trial” was shot here. The story takes the audience to 1946 and a trial that took place in Japan immediately after World War II. 11 judges from around the world spent two and a half years in Tokyo deciding the historic case that determined the fates of more than 28 US-Japanese war criminals. The film is a documentary-style account of the judges’ efforts to carry out an unprecedented task for humanity, investigating war crimes.

The Japanese garden in Vilnius University’s botanical garden with a bridge, huge stones, and plants characteristic of the Asian region was turned into a stage for a women’s beauty pageant.

In this TV film shot in Lithuania and Japan in 2015, one can see not only the world-famous film stars who played the main roles of judges, Marcel Hensema (films “The Loop of Holland”, “Simon”), Jonathan Hyde (films “Titanic”, “Džiumandži”, “Strain”), Paul Freeman (films “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”) and Irrfan Khan (films “Jurassic World”, “Life of Pi”, “Slumdog Millionaire”), but also a number of Lithuanian film and theater actors. Actor Kęstutis Jakštas played the memorable role of a Soviet judge in the film, and actress Gabija Jaraminaitė played the role of the translator, the only woman in the trial.

Explore the route here: