VILNIUS — Blockbuster-lovers can take a break from the multiplex for a few weeks. The Kino Pavasaris (“Cinema Spring” in English) film festival is back in Vilnius in its 15th incarnation. Proving that Lithuanian audiences crave more meaning in their movies than the latest American computer-generated imagery can offer, the festival has been filling auditoriums for 15 days every spring since its first tenuous venture in 1995.

Some of the films on show this year are already familiar to cinema audiences with taste elsewhere in the world. Jacques Audiard’s “Un Prophete” (“A Prophet,” France), which the highbrow film lovers’ magazine Sight & Sound named as its best film of 2009, and Michael Haneke’s “Das Weisse Band” (“The White Ribbon,” Austria), which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes almost a [private_supervisor]year ago, will doubtless be shown on well-worn copies from the global festival circuit.

The films have been as carefully selected as ever and the itinerary is impeccable. Not everything is worth seeing, however. From Russia, Pavel Lungin’s “Tsar” is a heavy-handed and pretentious attempt to recreate the mysterious majesty of directors like Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. And only ardent Jim Jarmusch fans are likely to enjoy his latest piece of plotless, stylistic nonsense, “The Limits of Control,” which has lots of pretty shots of Spain but not much substance.

Just about everything else, though, is near-essential viewing. Among the US movies being screened is “A Serious Man,” in which Coen brothers Joel and Ethan follow up their commercial and Oscar-winning successes with an absurd low-key send-up of American Jewish existence, tapping into their own life experience.

One of the winners at this year’s Oscars was the comedienne Mo’Nique, claiming an Academy Award as a dysfunctional mother in Lee Daniels’ hard-hitting film “Precious,” about an illiterate and obese 16-year-old girl who is repeatedly raped by her father, giving birth to two children by him. She develops a fantasy world that helps her survive, seeing herself in the mirror as a thin, pretty, blue-eyed girl. Encouraged by a sympathetic teacher and a social worker, she somehow overcomes her troubles and perseveres in learning to read.

Many of the other films in the festival this year are both artistically made and entertaining. Park Chan-Wook’s “Bak-Jwi” (“Thirst,” South Korea) is a red-blooded vampire movie that serves as a perfect adult-oriented antidote to the Twilight saga.

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” (UK, Australia) is a lovingly recreated romance, the story of the young romantic poet John Keats’ intense but doomed affair with one Fanny Brawne, a passion that was cut short with the poet’s early death from tuberculosis. Another of the beautiful and affecting films at this year’s festival is Japan’s “Okuribito” (“Departures”), a gentle film about the transience of life, directed by Yojiro Takita.

Argentinean cinema has produced some engrossing and inventive films in recent years. Juan José Campanella’s “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (“The Secret in their Eyes”) was the surprise win for best foreign language film at this year’s Oscars. It’s an old-fashioned crime thriller with a heartfelt romantic twist as the sublimely watchable actor Ricardo Darin plays an investigative agent who becomes haunted by the murder of a young woman.

Another country with a magical film industry is Iran, although lately it has been stifled by an ignominious regime, as demonstrated by the imprisonment this month of one of its most influential directors, Jafar Panahi.

Iran’s reflective and philosophical cinema is represented at Kino Pavasaris by Asghar Farhadi, a promising young director whose film “Darbareye Elly” (“About Elly”) won the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It tells the tale of a blossoming romance between two young people vacationing with their families by the Caspian Sea.

British director Andrea Arnold follows up her brilliantly inventive “Red Road,” with a film called Fish Tank, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. It follows an awkward 15-year-old girl who spends most of her time alone. One day her mother brings home a mysterious stranger who promises to bring love and change to their lives, culminating in a claustrophobic and menacing finale.

Another Brit, Duncan Jones, aka “Zowie Bowie” — singer David Bowie’s son — made his film directing debut after graduating from the London Film School with the sci-fi adventure “Moon.” Starring Sam Rockwell, it follows an astronaut who finds all contact with Earth disappearing at the end of three-year period manning a space station alone.

Representing Lithuania this year is “Artimos Šviesos” (Low Lights), directed by Ignas Miškinis, a co-production with Germany. Starring the German actress Julia Maria Köhler, it follows three lonely young people on a mysterious night-time drive in summer through Vilnius.

Documentaries get a full airing at this year‘s festival after previous festivals included recent classics of the genre such as “The Bridge” and “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” (both 2006). This year brings Louie Psihoyos’ shocking eco-doc “The Cove” to Baltic screens, a superb piece of investigative journalism about the secretive business of hunting and slaughtering dolphins in coastal waters in Japan.

Other documentary films look at people‘s eccentricities in the face of hardship. “Afghan Star” (UK) portrays the struggles of pop singers to be heard amid the destruction of an endless war, while “Big River Man” (USA, UK) is about the efforts of a nutty endurance swimmer from Slovenia to swim the entire length of the River Amazon.

Two documentaries hit on the insanities of modern life. Chris Atkins’ sobering “Starsuckers” is a blistering attack on celebrity-obsessed popular media, and Ondi Timoner’s “We Live in Public” (USA) focuses on the loss of privacy and personal identity driven by the virtual world of the Internet.

All films are in the original language. Not all of the foreign-language films come with English subtitles (the above films do, with the unfortunate exceptions of “The Secret in Their Eyes,” “Departures” and “A Prophet”). As has happened with films at Cinema Spring in the past, one or two will probably be billed as having English subtitles and be without them. But that’s all part of the fun. If language is a problem, go on a romantic date with a local who can whisper a translation in your ear. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]year ago, will doubtless be shown on well-worn copies from the global festival circuit.

The films have been as carefully selected as ever and the itinerary is impeccable. Not everything is worth seeing, however. From Russia, Pavel Lungin’s “Tsar” is a heavy-handed and pretentious attempt to recreate the mysterious majesty of directors like Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. And only ardent Jim Jarmusch fans are likely to enjoy his latest piece of plotless, stylistic nonsense, “The Limits of Control,” which has lots of pretty shots of Spain but not much substance.

Just about everything else, though, is near-essential viewing. Among the US movies being screened is “A Serious Man,” in which Coen brothers Joel and Ethan follow up their commercial and Oscar-winning successes with an absurd low-key send-up of American Jewish existence, tapping into their own life experience.

One of the winners at this year’s Oscars was the comedienne Mo’Nique, claiming an Academy Award as a dysfunctional mother in Lee Daniels’ hard-hitting film “Precious,” about an illiterate and obese 16-year-old girl who is repeatedly raped by her father, giving birth to two children by him. She develops a fantasy world that helps her survive, seeing herself in the mirror as a thin, pretty, blue-eyed girl. Encouraged by a sympathetic teacher and a social worker, she somehow overcomes her troubles and perseveres in learning to read.

Many of the other films in the festival this year are both artistically made and entertaining. Park Chan-Wook’s “Bak-Jwi” (“Thirst,” South Korea) is a red-blooded vampire movie that serves as a perfect adult-oriented antidote to the Twilight saga.

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” (UK, Australia) is a lovingly recreated romance, the story of the young romantic poet John Keats’ intense but doomed affair with one Fanny Brawne, a passion that was cut short with the poet’s early death from tuberculosis. Another of the beautiful and affecting films at this year’s festival is Japan’s “Okuribito” (“Departures”), a gentle film about the transience of life, directed by Yojiro Takita.

Argentinean cinema has produced some engrossing and inventive films in recent years. Juan José Campanella’s “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (“The Secret in their Eyes”) was the surprise win for best foreign language film at this year’s Oscars. It’s an old-fashioned crime thriller with a heartfelt romantic twist as the sublimely watchable actor Ricardo Darin plays an investigative agent who becomes haunted by the murder of a young woman.

Another country with a magical film industry is Iran, although lately it has been stifled by an ignominious regime, as demonstrated by the imprisonment this month of one of its most influential directors, Jafar Panahi.

Iran’s reflective and philosophical cinema is represented at Kino Pavasaris by Asghar Farhadi, a promising young director whose film “Darbareye Elly” (“About Elly”) won the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It tells the tale of a blossoming romance between two young people vacationing with their families by the Caspian Sea.

British director Andrea Arnold follows up her brilliantly inventive “Red Road,” with a film called Fish Tank, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. It follows an awkward 15-year-old girl who spends most of her time alone. One day her mother brings home a mysterious stranger who promises to bring love and change to their lives, culminating in a claustrophobic and menacing finale.

Another Brit, Duncan Jones, aka “Zowie Bowie” — singer David Bowie’s son — made his film directing debut after graduating from the London Film School with the sci-fi adventure “Moon.” Starring Sam Rockwell, it follows an astronaut who finds all contact with Earth disappearing at the end of three-year period manning a space station alone.

Representing Lithuania this year is “Artimos Šviesos” (Low Lights), directed by Ignas Miškinis, a co-production with Germany. Starring the German actress Julia Maria Köhler, it follows three lonely young people on a mysterious night-time drive in summer through Vilnius.

Documentaries get a full airing at this year‘s festival after previous festivals included recent classics of the genre such as “The Bridge” and “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” (both 2006). This year brings Louie Psihoyos’ shocking eco-doc “The Cove” to Baltic screens, a superb piece of investigative journalism about the secretive business of hunting and slaughtering dolphins in coastal waters in Japan.

Other documentary films look at people‘s eccentricities in the face of hardship. “Afghan Star” (UK) portrays the struggles of pop singers to be heard amid the destruction of an endless war, while “Big River Man” (USA, UK) is about the efforts of a nutty endurance swimmer from Slovenia to swim the entire length of the River Amazon.

Two documentaries hit on the insanities of modern life. Chris Atkins’ sobering “Starsuckers” is a blistering attack on celebrity-obsessed popular media, and Ondi Timoner’s “We Live in Public” (USA) focuses on the loss of privacy and personal identity driven by the virtual world of the Internet.

All films are in the original language. Not all of the foreign-language films come with English subtitles (the above films do, with the unfortunate exceptions of “The Secret in Their Eyes,” “Departures” and “A Prophet”). As has happened with films at Cinema Spring in the past, one or two will probably be billed as having English subtitles and be without them. But that’s all part of the fun. If language is a problem, go on a romantic date with a local who can whisper a translation in your ear. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]year ago, will doubtless be shown on well-worn copies from the global festival circuit.

The films have been as carefully selected as ever and the itinerary is impeccable. Not everything is worth seeing, however. From Russia, Pavel Lungin’s “Tsar” is a heavy-handed and pretentious attempt to recreate the mysterious majesty of directors like Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. And only ardent Jim Jarmusch fans are likely to enjoy his latest piece of plotless, stylistic nonsense, “The Limits of Control,” which has lots of pretty shots of Spain but not much substance.

Just about everything else, though, is near-essential viewing. Among the US movies being screened is “A Serious Man,” in which Coen brothers Joel and Ethan follow up their commercial and Oscar-winning successes with an absurd low-key send-up of American Jewish existence, tapping into their own life experience.

One of the winners at this year’s Oscars was the comedienne Mo’Nique, claiming an Academy Award as a dysfunctional mother in Lee Daniels’ hard-hitting film “Precious,” about an illiterate and obese 16-year-old girl who is repeatedly raped by her father, giving birth to two children by him. She develops a fantasy world that helps her survive, seeing herself in the mirror as a thin, pretty, blue-eyed girl. Encouraged by a sympathetic teacher and a social worker, she somehow overcomes her troubles and perseveres in learning to read.

Many of the other films in the festival this year are both artistically made and entertaining. Park Chan-Wook’s “Bak-Jwi” (“Thirst,” South Korea) is a red-blooded vampire movie that serves as a perfect adult-oriented antidote to the Twilight saga.

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” (UK, Australia) is a lovingly recreated romance, the story of the young romantic poet John Keats’ intense but doomed affair with one Fanny Brawne, a passion that was cut short with the poet’s early death from tuberculosis. Another of the beautiful and affecting films at this year’s festival is Japan’s “Okuribito” (“Departures”), a gentle film about the transience of life, directed by Yojiro Takita.

Argentinean cinema has produced some engrossing and inventive films in recent years. Juan José Campanella’s “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (“The Secret in their Eyes”) was the surprise win for best foreign language film at this year’s Oscars. It’s an old-fashioned crime thriller with a heartfelt romantic twist as the sublimely watchable actor Ricardo Darin plays an investigative agent who becomes haunted by the murder of a young woman.

Another country with a magical film industry is Iran, although lately it has been stifled by an ignominious regime, as demonstrated by the imprisonment this month of one of its most influential directors, Jafar Panahi.

Iran’s reflective and philosophical cinema is represented at Kino Pavasaris by Asghar Farhadi, a promising young director whose film “Darbareye Elly” (“About Elly”) won the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It tells the tale of a blossoming romance between two young people vacationing with their families by the Caspian Sea.

British director Andrea Arnold follows up her brilliantly inventive “Red Road,” with a film called Fish Tank, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. It follows an awkward 15-year-old girl who spends most of her time alone. One day her mother brings home a mysterious stranger who promises to bring love and change to their lives, culminating in a claustrophobic and menacing finale.

Another Brit, Duncan Jones, aka “Zowie Bowie” — singer David Bowie’s son — made his film directing debut after graduating from the London Film School with the sci-fi adventure “Moon.” Starring Sam Rockwell, it follows an astronaut who finds all contact with Earth disappearing at the end of three-year period manning a space station alone.

Representing Lithuania this year is “Artimos Šviesos” (Low Lights), directed by Ignas Miškinis, a co-production with Germany. Starring the German actress Julia Maria Köhler, it follows three lonely young people on a mysterious night-time drive in summer through Vilnius.

Documentaries get a full airing at this year‘s festival after previous festivals included recent classics of the genre such as “The Bridge” and “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” (both 2006). This year brings Louie Psihoyos’ shocking eco-doc “The Cove” to Baltic screens, a superb piece of investigative journalism about the secretive business of hunting and slaughtering dolphins in coastal waters in Japan.

Other documentary films look at people‘s eccentricities in the face of hardship. “Afghan Star” (UK) portrays the struggles of pop singers to be heard amid the destruction of an endless war, while “Big River Man” (USA, UK) is about the efforts of a nutty endurance swimmer from Slovenia to swim the entire length of the River Amazon.

Two documentaries hit on the insanities of modern life. Chris Atkins’ sobering “Starsuckers” is a blistering attack on celebrity-obsessed popular media, and Ondi Timoner’s “We Live in Public” (USA) focuses on the loss of privacy and personal identity driven by the virtual world of the Internet.

All films are in the original language. Not all of the foreign-language films come with English subtitles (the above films do, with the unfortunate exceptions of “The Secret in Their Eyes,” “Departures” and “A Prophet”). As has happened with films at Cinema Spring in the past, one or two will probably be billed as having English subtitles and be without them. But that’s all part of the fun. If language is a problem, go on a romantic date with a local who can whisper a translation in your ear. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]year ago, will doubtless be shown on well-worn copies from the global festival circuit.

The films have been as carefully selected as ever and the itinerary is impeccable. Not everything is worth seeing, however. From Russia, Pavel Lungin’s “Tsar” is a heavy-handed and pretentious attempt to recreate the mysterious majesty of directors like Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. And only ardent Jim Jarmusch fans are likely to enjoy his latest piece of plotless, stylistic nonsense, “The Limits of Control,” which has lots of pretty shots of Spain but not much substance.

Just about everything else, though, is near-essential viewing. Among the US movies being screened is “A Serious Man,” in which Coen brothers Joel and Ethan follow up their commercial and Oscar-winning successes with an absurd low-key send-up of American Jewish existence, tapping into their own life experience.

One of the winners at this year’s Oscars was the comedienne Mo’Nique, claiming an Academy Award as a dysfunctional mother in Lee Daniels’ hard-hitting film “Precious,” about an illiterate and obese 16-year-old girl who is repeatedly raped by her father, giving birth to two children by him. She develops a fantasy world that helps her survive, seeing herself in the mirror as a thin, pretty, blue-eyed girl. Encouraged by a sympathetic teacher and a social worker, she somehow overcomes her troubles and perseveres in learning to read.

Many of the other films in the festival this year are both artistically made and entertaining. Park Chan-Wook’s “Bak-Jwi” (“Thirst,” South Korea) is a red-blooded vampire movie that serves as a perfect adult-oriented antidote to the Twilight saga.

Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” (UK, Australia) is a lovingly recreated romance, the story of the young romantic poet John Keats’ intense but doomed affair with one Fanny Brawne, a passion that was cut short with the poet’s early death from tuberculosis. Another of the beautiful and affecting films at this year’s festival is Japan’s “Okuribito” (“Departures”), a gentle film about the transience of life, directed by Yojiro Takita.

Argentinean cinema has produced some engrossing and inventive films in recent years. Juan José Campanella’s “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (“The Secret in their Eyes”) was the surprise win for best foreign language film at this year’s Oscars. It’s an old-fashioned crime thriller with a heartfelt romantic twist as the sublimely watchable actor Ricardo Darin plays an investigative agent who becomes haunted by the murder of a young woman.

Another country with a magical film industry is Iran, although lately it has been stifled by an ignominious regime, as demonstrated by the imprisonment this month of one of its most influential directors, Jafar Panahi.

Iran’s reflective and philosophical cinema is represented at Kino Pavasaris by Asghar Farhadi, a promising young director whose film “Darbareye Elly” (“About Elly”) won the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It tells the tale of a blossoming romance between two young people vacationing with their families by the Caspian Sea.

British director Andrea Arnold follows up her brilliantly inventive “Red Road,” with a film called Fish Tank, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. It follows an awkward 15-year-old girl who spends most of her time alone. One day her mother brings home a mysterious stranger who promises to bring love and change to their lives, culminating in a claustrophobic and menacing finale.

Another Brit, Duncan Jones, aka “Zowie Bowie” — singer David Bowie’s son — made his film directing debut after graduating from the London Film School with the sci-fi adventure “Moon.” Starring Sam Rockwell, it follows an astronaut who finds all contact with Earth disappearing at the end of three-year period manning a space station alone.

Representing Lithuania this year is “Artimos Šviesos” (Low Lights), directed by Ignas Miškinis, a co-production with Germany. Starring the German actress Julia Maria Köhler, it follows three lonely young people on a mysterious night-time drive in summer through Vilnius.

Documentaries get a full airing at this year‘s festival after previous festivals included recent classics of the genre such as “The Bridge” and “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” (both 2006). This year brings Louie Psihoyos’ shocking eco-doc “The Cove” to Baltic screens, a superb piece of investigative journalism about the secretive business of hunting and slaughtering dolphins in coastal waters in Japan.

Other documentary films look at people‘s eccentricities in the face of hardship. “Afghan Star” (UK) portrays the struggles of pop singers to be heard amid the destruction of an endless war, while “Big River Man” (USA, UK) is about the efforts of a nutty endurance swimmer from Slovenia to swim the entire length of the River Amazon.

Two documentaries hit on the insanities of modern life. Chris Atkins’ sobering “Starsuckers” is a blistering attack on celebrity-obsessed popular media, and Ondi Timoner’s “We Live in Public” (USA) focuses on the loss of privacy and personal identity driven by the virtual world of the Internet.

All films are in the original language. Not all of the foreign-language films come with English subtitles (the above films do, with the unfortunate exceptions of “The Secret in Their Eyes,” “Departures” and “A Prophet”). As has happened with films at Cinema Spring in the past, one or two will probably be billed as having English subtitles and be without them. But that’s all part of the fun. If language is a problem, go on a romantic date with a local who can whisper a translation in your ear. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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