FILM COM MISSION VIENNA

OVER THE last decade, the Lithuanian capital Vilnius has been used to double for Rome, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, London, Washington, Oslo and more; it recently hosted the shoot of the frst and second seasons of TV series Sisi, depicting 19th-century Austria, including the Hofurg — the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. “The series were flmed in the old town of Vilnius, using the exteriors of Vilnius University and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic, among other locations,” Vilnius flm commissioner Jūratė Pazkaitė says. “Sisi has since won the Jupiter Award as the best German TV series and Best Series at the Bavarian TV awards.”

Mini-series Clark, based on notorious Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson's autobiography, was also flmed in Vilnius, which stands in for 20th-century Sweden, Denmark and Hamburg, in Germany. “The streets of Vilnius' old town became Hamburg's red-light district, and the hippy utopia of Christiania in Copenhagen was recreated in the courtyards of the Užupis district. An important role was also played by the Lukiškės Prison, which was transformed into fve diferent Swedish prisons,” Pazkaitė adds. “Also, part of the fourth season of Stranger Things was flmed in Vilnius and its surroundings. One of the main locations was again Lukiškės Prison, which is in the centre of Vilnius. Other TV series shot in the capital include Welcome to Texas; Rise of the Nazis, where it doubled for Germany; and Young Wallander, set in Sweden. The movie Nothing to Laugh About, set in Norway, also shot here.

“THE STREETS OF VILNIUS' OLD TOWN BECAME HAMBURG'S RED-LIGHT DISTRICT

JURATE PAZKAITE.

“Trakų Vokė Manor is another interesting location. Its architecture is marked by elements of Neo-Gothic and classicism, alongside a range of eclectic styles. The Royal Mob, War and Peace and The Last Czars were all flmed there.” Pazkaitė says.

From 2014-2021, 286 productions benefted from the Lithuanian Film Tax Incentive, receiving €50.77m in investment. Meanwhile, international production spend in the country in 2021 reached a total of €141m, with investments

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Iceland is deservedly renowned for its stunning and diverse landscapes. It‘s also convenient that these landscapes are often located a few kilometres apart with good access for flm crews. Despite being a relatively small country, Iceland‘s powerful geological activity contributes to its vastly difering terrains. Some of the most extraordinary locations include black-sand beaches, the barren otherworldly landscapes of the highlands, lava felds, waterfalls and glaciers. Beautiful small towns are also scattered around the coast and Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, is increasingly becoming a flming attraction in its own right due to its unique atmosphere and architecture.

“Iceland ofers over 8,000 sq m of sound stages. RVK

Studios ofers three diferent stages and Fossa studios has two, both with production service facilities,” flm commissioner at Film In Iceland, Einar Hansen Tomasson, says. “Shooting days in Iceland in 2022 were around 500 and 2023 is looking similar if not better.” Iceland ofers an incentive of up to 35% on all production costs incurred in Iceland.

According to Bui Baldvinsson, producer at Hero Productions, several feature flms in the past few years have used Iceland as a stand-in for other parts of the world. “In the 2020 flm The Midnight Sky, Iceland was used to double for the Arctic. In the flm Greenland, the scenes in that country were shot it Iceland, and Game of Thrones used Iceland for a number of exterior scenes serviced by production services company Pegasus Productions, including scenes at The Wall and The North, in Westeros. And right now, HBO is flming