Vilnius is not just the capital of Lithuania—it is the audiovisual heart of the country, home to over 90% of its industry professionals and a perfectly equipped ecosystem ready to host everything from ambitious blockbusters to commercials.
In recent years, the city has built an international reputation thanks to its versatility as a filming location, the high technical level of its crews, and strong institutional support throughout every production stage.
Vilnius will be present at Shooting Locations Marketplace 2025, where it will showcase why it is one of Europe’s most attractive filming destinations.
A city that transforms for every story
Vilnius offers something few European cities can: a wide range of cinematic settings within a compact and easily accessible space.
From the medieval cobblestones of its old town to socialist modernist buildings, palaces, skyscrapers, and former prisons adapted for filming, the Lithuanian capital can just as easily become WWII-era Hamburg, 18th-century aristocracy, or a dystopian future.
Its recent track record proves it: in 2024, 36 films and series were shot in its public spaces, totalling 420 filming days. Productions like Truth and Treason or Star City (by Apple TV and Sony Pictures) chose Vilnius to bring entirely different worlds to life.
The crew of Sisi has filmed all four seasons here. Local talent is used to working with major studios: HBO, Netflix, BBC, or Primark have already trusted them.
The advertising sector has also found Vilnius to be an ideal set, with more than 70 commercials shot last year alone for brands like Kinder, Honda, or Aldi.
Tax incentives, tourism, and a truly helpful Film Office
But Vilnius’s success isn’t only about photogenic streets. A corporate income tax rebate allows Lithuanian companies to fund film productions with significant fiscal benefits—encouraging capital flow into the audiovisual sector.
The Vilnius Film Office, active for over a decade, is the engine behind it all: mediating between filmmakers and authorities, expediting permits, promoting best practices, and highlighting both industry and locations.
Its work has fostered not only filming but also tourism. Visitors to Vilnius can explore locations used in Stranger Things, Chernobyl or Catherine the Great, with tours linking cinematic imagination with the city’s urban and natural heritage.
The Film Office also organises screenings and events to strengthen the bond between cinema and local identity.
This October, Vilnius will be at Shooting Locations Marketplace sharing its experience and showcasing why it has become a European model of a film-friendly city—combining international ambition with local agility.
For those looking to film without limits and with full support, Vilnius is not just an option—it is a strategic choice.