Filming of Something Real, an Estonian thriller, has wrapped in Vilnius after several intense months. An international team from Latvia and Estonia brought their vision to life across the city — from residential areas to the cinematic corners of Vilnius Old Town. According to the film’s director and producers, Vilnius can easily stand in for both a Baltic city and a European metropolis. But it wasn’t just the locations that drew the Baltic team here — the city’s skilled crews and attractive tax rebates also played a key role.
Filming and preparation work in Vilnius began in January. A total of 71 film professionals were involved in the shoot, including 59 Lithuanians — actors and technical crew members.
Film director Evar Anvelt shares that Something Real tells the story of a middle-aged man who gets caught up in a tricky blackmail situation set up by a former criminal. In the film, Vilnius will serve as a modern metropolis. “After spending several months in Vilnius, the city is starting to feel more familiar to me. It seems to me that the local film industry is currently experiencing a real boom,” adds the director.
Film producer Gunda Bergmane shot in Vilnius for the first time. “I like challenges, so shooting in Lithuania was an interesting option. During pre-production, I could already sense how well-prepared everyone was, which made this intense shooting schedule possible. This particular project is very location-heavy; we had so many locations in the script, both interior and exterior. Luckily, Vilnius is incredibly diverse — you can find aspects of several European cities in its architecture and aesthetics. I believe it will be interesting for Estonians to see these new places,” says G. Bergmane.
Something Real was filmed in various locations across Vilnius: Konstitucijos Avenue, the Lithuanian Cooperative Union, the area around the Opera and Ballet Theatre, cinematic Kaštonų Street, Paupys, as well as in various school, hospital, and sports centre interiors.
Producer Andreas Kask explains that the themes of the film are highly relevant to today’s world. “At NAFTA, we often make films based on books, and this one is also based on a book by an author and screenwriter we’ve worked with before. The topics of the movie are very contemporary, concentrating on exploitation on different scales, from personal to bigger social perspectives, and how to pursue happiness within this system. We haven’t had a good thriller in Estonia for a while, and since I’m a big genre film fan, that really interested me.
Vilnius has a bigger city feel, which was something that inspired us creatively. It doesn’t feel very different from shooting in Estonia, and that’s a compliment. We felt welcomed, there wasn’t a huge learning curve — the differences are minimal, and the similarities are much bigger. We really enjoyed working with Lithuanians — they were true professionals. The tax rebates, however, were also a key factor in choosing the location,” says producer Andreas Kask.
Latvian and Estonian producers also found some time to explore life in Vilnius. “I had a bit of time to visit some museums, including contemporary art galleries. I feel that there is a great variety in the cultural life here, as well as variety of restaurants and social places, – tells G. Bergmane.
The filming in Lithuania was organized throughout collaboration of Nafta Films Estonia and Nafta Films Lithuania.
