The 7th edition of “Baltic Shorts Residency” moves to a new location and announces selected participants
The Baltic Shorts Residency, the only short film script development residency in the Baltic countries, has announced the participants of its 7th edition and its new residency location. From May 18 to June 4, the selected screenwriters from across the Baltic States will reside at Trakų Vokė Manor in Vilnius (Lithuania), where they will intensively develop their new short film scripts. This year, three participants were selected from over 50 applications: Agnė Girsaitė (Lithuania), Marija Stefānija Linuža (Latvia), and Nataliia Domini (Estonia).
“Baltic Shorts Residency“ is an intensive two and a half weeks long short film script development residency program dedicated to the filmmakers from the Baltic countries who are willing to dive deep into the writing process, under the guidance of script consultant Anna Ciennik (France). With many years of experience as a scriptwriting expert, Anna Ciennik has worked with such significant international film industry events and programmes as the Cannes Film Festival’s La Résidence du Festival de Cannes, the Locarno Film Festival’s “Locarno Residency” programme, the international film training programme “Torino Film Lab” and the “European Short Pitch” programme for the development of European short film projects. She also works on feature films as a co-writer or consultant.
This year, the Residency relocates to one of the most impressive architectural ensembles in the Vilnius region – Trakų Vokė Manor (Lithuania). Today, it is a state-protected cultural heritage site of exceptional historical, architectural, and landscape value. The manor functions as an active cultural centre dedicated to preserving and revitalising its heritage through contemporary cultural initiatives. It hosts exhibitions, educational programmes, tours, concerts, and private events. The location is also popular with filmmakers shooting historical films and series, offering Residency participants the opportunity to create in a setting that has already become part of cinematic narratives.
One of the three selected “Baltic Shorts Residency 2026” participants is Lithuanian filmmaker Agnė Girsaitė. She will develop the script for a new short fiction film “Everyday, Everywhere” about a woman who witnesses a violent incident from a train window. The film uses thriller elements such as uncertainty and rapid decision-making in critical situations, focusing on the female protagonist’s experience between reality and inner emotional states. Agnė Girsaitė is a Lithuanian film director and screenwriter. In 2024, she completed her film directing studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre National Film School (KIMO). Her graduation film “Closeout” premiered at the 62nd Gijón International Film Festival and has since been showcased at various other European film festivals. Agnė is also a film educator and coordinator at Youngblood Film School, working primarily with teenagers who are just beginning their journeys in filmmaking.
The participant representing Latvia is filmmaker Marija Stefānija Linuža, who will develop the script for their short fiction film “Hag Eyes”. The film tells the story of the world through a child’s eyes, where overheard stories about witches become a source of imagination and perception, blending reality with fantasy. Marija Stefānija Linuža is a Riga-born filmmaker who studied film directing at the ZeLIG School for Documentary in Italy. Their debut film “AMA OSA” (2022), a documentary about a young artist discovering herself through her work as a camgirl, received a Special Mention at the Filmmaker Festival in Milan and screened at festivals in Italy and Germany, including DOK.fest Munich. After eight years abroad, they have returned to Latvia and are currently developing a hybrid short, “I Am”, drawing on home movies from Baltic archives to explore emotional inheritance passed down through the female lineage.
Estonian participant Nataliia Domini, of Ukrainian origin, will be developing the script for her animated short film “Nocturnal Theatre of Being Seen”. The project explores shame, social performance, and the absurd effort of being human in public. It mixes surreal humour, bodily vulnerability, and dream logic. Domini describes herself as a multidisciplinary artist and animation director working across animation, illustration, and autobiographical fiction. Originally trained in philosophy and psychology, she turned to animation out of curiosity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which soon became her vocation. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she relocated and completed an MA in animation at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her work blends existential reflection with dark humour, irony, and poetic nonsense. Her graduation film “ˌaɪs ˈkriːm, aɪ skriːm” has travelled internationally, screening at PÖFF Shorts, Primanima, Anifilm, Sottodiciotto, and the Melbourne International Animation Festival.
The Baltic Shorts Residency is organised by the Lithuanian short film agency “Lithuanian Shorts” with the support of the Lithuanian Council for Culture. The project is partly supported by the Vilnius City Municipality. Partners: Trakų Vokė Manor, PÖFF Shorts | Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Riga International Film Festival, Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS and Latvian Short Film Agency.
