Lithuania

[LT] 2002 Film Act

IRIS 2002-3:1/35

Kathrin Berger

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The Film Act of 5 March 2002 (No. IX-752) is designed to lay down provisions concerning national films and to regulate the distribution and broadcast of Lithuanian and foreign films.

The Act begins by defining terms such as "co-production", "producer" and "film production". It also lays down the criteria for determining whether a production is a "national film". For example, it should be taken into account whether the content of the film reflects the life, culture or traditions of the country or whether the principal protagonists are Lithuanian citizens. Under certain circumstances, co-productions with other countries are considered as national films and it is stipulated that a film can only count as a "national film" if it is filmed in Lithuanian (although other languages are permitted if they are contained in the script).

The Act also requires the creation of an institution responsible for its implementation and for tasks such as preparing draft legislation and managing the film register. It also makes provisions for the establishment of a Film Council, which is meant to have an advisory function.

A separate chapter is devoted to film financing. Sources of funding include state and municipal funds, national film aid programmes, etc. Finally, the Act contains provisions on the protection of the cinematographic heritage.