Press Release
The world premiere of the Lithuanian film “The Visitor” at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was crowned with remarkable recognition — Vytautas Katkus won the Best Director award. This year, the jury of the 59th edition of the festival presented this prize to two directors — the second award went to French director Nathan Ambrosioni for his film “Out of Love.”
In the main competition of one of Europe’s oldest and most significant film festivals, director V. Katkus competed with filmmakers from all over the world with his first feature-length film. After the awards ceremony, Katkus shared that he was especially happy to have had the chance to present his feature debut in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic).
“It was only after arriving here and staying longer that I finally understood what everyone who had been here before admired so much. People told me: you’ll see, this city and this festival truly love cinema — they eagerly go to see films and are hungry to discover new ones. It was wonderful to experience it from both sides — as a viewer, because I had the chance to see so many amazing films, and as a filmmaker,” said director V. Katkus.
“Even better, I got to experience all of this and present The Visitor together with a big Lithuanian team that came along. We were all here together, supporting each other throughout. I had a great time in Karlovy Vary — watching films, relaxing after my own premiere, and then, when I unexpectedly received an invitation to the awards ceremony, I was both surprised and excited: it feels good to be recognized,” V. Katkus smiled.
After its world premiere in Karlovy Vary, The Visitor was praised not only by the festival’s jury but also by international film critics. “With The Visitor, Vytautas Katkus emerges as a distinctive new voice,” noted film critic Wendy Ide in a Screen Daily review.
“Katkus’s film is another example of how the collaboration among young talents has recently revealed a tremendous creative force within Lithuanian cinema,” wrote film critic Olivia Popp in Cineuropa, describing the film as “a gentle embrace. ‘Rest,’ Katkus seems to say, ‘and stay for a while.’”
“Every frame feels like a room in which the characters slowly begin to feel at home,” wrote film critic Guy Lodge for Variety.
Lithuanian audiences will get to see The Visitor this September. This is Vytautas Katkus’s first feature-length film. Its main character, Danielius, a man in his thirties, returns to his hometown to sell his parents’ apartment. With nowhere to rush and feeling a quiet loneliness, he reconnects with people and a city that no longer belongs to him.
This feature debut by V. Katkus had already attracted international industry attention and recognition during its development stage. In 2022, the project for The Visitor won the Next Step Award in the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival and the main prize at the Les Arcs Co-Production Village in France.
Director V. Katkus has previously made three short films: “Community Gardens” (2019) was screened in the Critics’ Week program at Cannes; the premiere of “Places” (2020) took place in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section; and “Cherries” (2022) became the first Lithuanian short to be screened in Cannes’ Official Short Film Competition. The latter was also nominated by the Cannes Film Festival for the European Film Awards (EFA) and has been shown at more than 70 film festivals worldwide.