Kaunas, Lithuania, is reinforcing its ‘Self-Made City’ identity with a new promotional video. Kaunas IN, the city’s tourism and investment agency, is launching the video internationally.
Agnė Kriaučiūnienė, Head of Tourism and Marketing at Kaunas IN, explains the video’s core concept: “Capturing the essence of a city in a minute requires a strong idea. Symbolically, the video centres around a circle – a point, an axis – representing Kaunas’s constant change, dynamism, and vitality. It’s about what we see Kaunas as, or what we aspire it to be.”
Rudolfas Levulis and Andrius Jakučionis directed the video, with production by Pvz.lt and contributions from local professionals. Pvz.lt previously produced the short film ‘Architecture of Optimism’, dedicated to Kaunas’s urban development during the interwar period.
Markevičius was a natural fit, as the opening scene featuring a cascade of black balls is taken from his performance ‘River of Joy’ (produced by Be Kompanijos) at the ConTempo festival.
Levulis explains their sustainable approach: “We prioritize local resources and talent, avoid artificial scenography and AI, and aim to present reality directly, minimizing post-production and 3D. This approach is more important to us than cutting costs.”
Levulis notes, “It was from the modernist architecture that we distilled the forms and symbols characteristic of Kaunas, and we looked for them everywhere else in the city.” Kęstutis Lingys, a cultural producer from Kaunas who joined Pvz.lt for this project, adds to that.
The video showcases Michelin Guide-featured restaurants and cafes, capturing the tastes and interiors beloved by locals, as well as key city events.
Lingys explains the video’s goal: “We aim to capture the interesting and unexpected details that stand out to first-time visitors, revealing the beauty in everyday life that locals might overlook. I believe we achieved that perfectly.” Levulis and Jakučionis agree that without the help of a local, the clichés would have been inevitable.
“From the first moments of communicating with the authors of the video, their idea captured my attention,” reveals Paulius Markevičius, who rarely accepts invitations to appear in commercials. “When we watch tens, hundreds of videos on our phones and elsewhere every day, it seems difficult to come up with something unique. But this idea is original not only in its visual language and technical solutions, but also in its perspective on the city’s image, its relationship with people, symbolism, openness, and inspiring mood. These things are key to a positive representation.”
Markevičius, who has created many different characters in theatre and film, did not hide under a thick layer of make-up this time. “Kaunas feels like home. I can’t remember if I felt that way so strongly before this project, though,” the artist warmly recalls the process that took place last summer and the strengthened connection with Kaunas and its open, friendly, and helpful people, – “I discovered new places and events that I hadn’t been to before. I had the opportunity to be one of the first to visit new locations, such as Science Island. How amazing it is to experience firsts! And I really want to go back. I think you will want to too after watching the clip.”
Time in Kaunas is inseparable from the sound of music, the splash of water, the search for sports and adventures, and listening to legends and visions of the future. Ultimately, Kaunas is a city for those who aspire to greater things. This is the narrative of the ‘Self-made City’ video, accompanied by urban music rhythms. Thanks to a long-term friendship with a Danish producer Thomas Bertelsen, the soundtrack was created by the Copenhagen collective O Future with composer Jens Bjoernkjaer.
“It was amusing to hear a native American speaker grapple with ‘Kaunas,’ but that’s part of the fun. After all, hard to pronounce, difficult to forget, right?” Lingys and Levulis quip.
