Shining a spotlight on new talents from the Baltics and beyond, the Baltic Pitching Forum provides details of the masterclasses, lectures, screenings and film professionals that will be part of the 2025 edition which will take place in Vilnius between 7-10 October.
Published: 17.09.2025.
Baltic Pitching Forum | photo by T. Stukas
With new initiatives alongside established and renowned industry events the 13th edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum (BPF), which will return to Vilnius between 7-10 October, will continue to be one of the most recognised gatherings of its kind in the region. Celebrating the best short film projects from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - alongside this year’s guest country Hungary - the BPF will provide a space to network, to collaborate and to celebrate.
As always, the Baltic Pitching Forum is centered around the selected filmmakers pitching their projects to the attending professionals. However, the program includes a number of lectures, keynotes and case studies for both participants and those attending the event as observers. Pitching sessions and other public events will be accessible to all registered professionals.
On October 7th, pitching expert Gabriele Brunnenmeyer will present Mastering the Pitch: Finding the Core of Your Project, which will focus on the central elements of a pitch that convinces, examining the importance of preparation as well as structuring a presentation that resonates with the audience.
On Wednesday, October 8th, festivals and marketing consultant Ewa Bojanowska (Poland) will give the presentation Your Starter Kit for Audience Design: Tools You Can Start Using Tomorrow. Built for short-film creators, the lecture by Ewa Bojanowska demystifies the basics so you can be your own audience designer when budgets are small. This presentation is organised in partnership with Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Lithuania.
Also on that day, the most relevant film industry events will be introduced at Get to Know the Key Players in the European Short Film Industry: Markets and Forums. This presentation brings together leading representatives from Europe’s key short film markets, co-production forums, and work-in-progress events, including Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand. The session will offer valuable insights into how these initiatives operate, what they look for, and how filmmakers can best engage with them. Moderated by Jing Haase, an independent short film industry expert (Denmark/Sweden).
9th October will be dedicated to the pitching sessions of 12 selected short film projects from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Hungary. The participants will present their new ideas to the panel of industry experts alongside the Baltic Producer’s Jury.
10th October will kick off with a seminar called International Co-production in Short Films: Dos and Don'ts. This session will provide practical advice and firsthand insights on international co-production in short films, presented by experienced producers Inja Korać (Croatia), Valentin Leblanc (France) and Dóra Nedeczky (Hungary/Estonia).
Later, forum’s audience will be invited to the presentation Hungary as a Co-Production Partner: What You Need to Know, which will be followed by the presentation Vilnius – Location For Your Future Project by Jūratė Pazikaitė, head of Vilnius Film Office. After that, Austėja Milvydaitė, Head of MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk, will present Creative Europe MEDIA: Opportunities for Short Film Community.
The second part of 10th October will focus on three successful BPF alumni – Anna Hints (director of the most recent shorts Weight of Light and Sauna Day, Estonia), Kristijonas Dirsė (director of Reminiscence, Lithuania) and Jani Lehto (producer of Flower Show, Finland) in Journey After BPF: Alumni in Focus. These BPF alumni will share how they successfully brought their short films to global audiences and reveal the challenges they faced.
In celebration of Hungary being the guest country, the Forum will be rounded out by a short film screening Fresh Cuts – A Selection of Hungarian Shorts, curated by the Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival.
This year, two new initiatives are being launched that will run together and be integrated with the Baltic Pitching Forum.
The first is the European Short Film Industry Events Summit – the first gathering of representatives from European short film industry events, markets, and forums. Its goal is to provide dedicated time and space for the representatives to openly discuss common challenges, share best practices, and explore opportunities for collaboration – both in supporting emerging European talents and professionals, and in fostering new synergies among film industry events across Europe.
The second is the emerging producers training program UP!, dedicated to producers working with short films who are just starting their careers. Throughout the training, participants will deepen their knowledge of the international short film ecosystem, co-production practices, project presentation strategies, and distribution methods. They will also present themselves to the audience during the Baltic Pitching Forum.
This year’s BPF Panel will consist of Elena Ciofalo (manager of ShorTO Film Market, Italy), Catherine Colas (commissioning editor at ARTE TV, Germany), Inja Korać (founder of Cobra Chicks, Croatia), Valentin Leblanc (producer, founder of Black Boat Pictures and White Boat Pictures, France), Sydney Neter (distributor, founder of SND Films, The Netherlands), Julie Rousson (Coordinator of Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market industry events and Euro Connection, France), Ben Vandendaele (distributor, sales agent, founder of Radiator IP Sales, Belgium), Millán Vázquez (distributor, founder of FREAK Agency, Spain), Sari Volanen (TV commissioning editor, YLE TV, Finland).
Aside from giving immediate feedback to the pitches, the BPF Panel will award two short film projects (from the Baltic States) with participant rights to the European Short Film Co-production Forum Euro Connection (part of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), and the ShorTO Film Market and its Pitching Session ‘You Only Pitch Twice’.
The Baltic Producers’ Jury will be made up of Brigita Beniušytė (producer at M-Films, Lithuania), Andris Gauja (founder of Riverbed, Latvia), Dóra Nedeczky (co-owner of Mindwax production company, Estonia/Hungary). They will select one short film project and award it with the Baltic Producers MEDIA Award – a 1000 EUR cash prize, initiated by the Creative Europe MEDIA Desks in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
All projects will be eligible to win awards established by other BPF partners. One project will be receiving The Radiator IP Sales Distribution Award, which consists of the consultancy and guidance of the filmmakers in creating a bridge between the production and the actual distribution of film festivals and beyond. Another project will receive the UP Records Sound Post-Production Award, a prize of sound post-production services worth 2000 euros. One more project will be given the Riga IFF Award – participant rights to the SHORT RIGA Test Screenings event in 2026 or 2027 depending on the project’s timeline.
The 13th Baltic Pitching Forum will take place on October 7-10 at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius. The event is open to the general public and free of charge.
To attend the event, pre-registration is required HERE.
More about the programme – HERE.
The full list of selected BPF projects can be found HERE.
Baltic Pitching Forum is organized by the Lithuanian Short Film Agency “Lithuanian Shorts”. The event is financed by the Lithuanian Film Centre, Vilnius City Municipality, Audiovisual Works Copyright Association “AVAKA” and Baltisches Haus. Associated partners: Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS, Riga International Film Festival, Latvian Short Film Agency and PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival). Partners – Creative Europe MEDIA Desks in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Italian Short Film Center, Estonian Film Institute, Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival.