Once in Vilnius
How did people live in Vilnius 700 years ago? Historians draw conclusions from written documents, artifacts, drawings, etc. But if the historical residents of Vilnius had a camera and could show future generations the city, what would they have deemed most important to share? As part of Vilnius’ 700th anniversary celebrations, the Once Upon a Time in Vilnius project is inviting all residents and guests to create an exclusive video time capsule.
After all, everyone has their favourite places they’d like to share, sees events in the city through a unique perspective and notices what others might not. It is enough to take your phone out of your pocket and capture what you’d like to show to future generations in another 700 years. Once Upon a Time in Vilnius is inviting everyone to share their visuals with the world. From them, 700 videos are going to be selected for the creation of a unique film entitled, Once in a City Called Vilnius.
Download the app and let’s tell our story together.
A visual legacy for future generations
Since the times of Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vilnius has been famous for being a multicultural city open to people of all nations and cultures. Now, the Once Upon a Time in Vilnius project will provide a platform to showcase Vilnius through the eyes the people who live, work, travel and feel in the city. This is a chance to share that unique feeling with the whole world. This project is like a modern version of Gediminas’ letter, spreading the message of Vilnius to the world. However, it is also a very engaging project for all residents and guests to the city – everyone’s invited to take video footage of the city and leave their mark on history.
You can share your photos and videos of up to five minutes long on a special platform. The uploaded material will be publicly available for everyone to see and will be like a Vilnius yearbook that can be viewed again and again. Feel free to share your favourite images with friends on social networks. Capture your favourite places and special moments, and share them on the Once Upon a Time in Vilnius platform.
Anyone can be a director
We often look for souvenirs to remember special events. The Once Upon a Time in Vilnius project is going to record the best of the city so we can all remember Vilnius’ 700th anniversary for years to come. Anyone can create a unique, personal short film about a day in Vilnius made from the footage collected during the first stage of the project. With Once Upon a Time in Vilnius, anyone can become a director – just choose a plot, characters, location, time of day and any other relevant elements, and … leave the entire editing process to modern technology. Anyone who wants to will be able to create personal films, even if they haven’t submitted footage.
Creating a film will become a fun pastime, allowing you to enjoy the unique result and show your personal version of Vilnius to your friends. Original short films are also going to be taking part in the competition programme – the top three films will be awarded special prizes.
A yearbook of 700 visuals
The Once Upon a Time in Vilnius project will be finalised at the end of 2023 with a feature film entitle, Once in a City Called Vilnius. To celebrate Vilnius’ 700th anniversary, a well-known director will symbolically select 700 videos and images from the collected footage. The final film will highlight the simple yet wonderful details of our lives and illustrate our individual differences. The film will be screened in cinemas, festivals and later will become accessible to everyone on an online platform.
Once in a City Called Vilnius is going to be like a yearbook of the city created by residents and guests of Vilnius, making it attractive to a wide audience. This is a unique opportunity to show the world how the 700-year-old Vilnius can draw attention to itself and remain relevant, even today.
Lights. Camera. Action.
Life in the capital never stands still, so there will be no shortage of exceptional footage at all times of the day or year, as well as special and everyday moments. In the times of Grand Duke Gediminas, chroniclers initiated the history of the city. Today, with Once Upon a Time in Vilnius, everyone can become a chronicler, city guide or director.
An exclusive video database, original participant films and a unique feature film are going to remain relevant as Vilnius enters a new century. All the videos will become a valuable legacy for future generations. And in years from now, it will be interesting to look back and see what the city and its citizens lived like when Vilnius celebrated its 700th anniversary. So, prepare your cameras, or maybe look for some older unique images in your camera roll – save them and share them with everyone in the Once Upon a Time in Vilnius project.
