This weekend in Šiauliai there will be a conversation with Renata Kuleš on the topic of migrants in today’s Lithuanian context and a screening of the short film program “When Stories Meet III”

The audiovisual installation created for the project “When Stories Meet” to promote tolerance, which has been visiting Resurrection Square in Šiauliai since 16 March, invites not only to hear and share stories, but also to talk about the increasingly topical topic of migration in Lithuania. This Saturday (26 March) at 6 pm. “Artscape” invites the citizens and visitors of Šiauliai and to a conversation with Renata Kuleš, an expert on migration and asylum processes. The speaker will be interviewed by Aušra Raulušonytė, Development Communications Coordinator at “Artscape”, on the topic “The Migrant Crisis of 2021 in the Context of Today’s War in Ukraine and Arrivals of Refugees from Ukraine”.

R. Kuleš is a representative of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Lithuania, actively following and analyzing migration and asylum processes in Lithuania, representing the values of the organization, which are focused on the needs of people forced to leave their countries of origin.

Interviewer Renata Kuleš / Photo by United Nations Refugee Agency

In a talk in Šiauliai, in the installation space of “Artscape”, R. Kuleš will answer questions about the contexts of migration in the world and in Lithuania, and the challenges that unexpected and unforeseen migration brings to states and societies. She will share her perspectives on the 2021 migration crisis in the context of new refugee arrivals from Ukraine. It will also address the selective/selective implementation of human rights – a criticism that can be heard these days in discussions on the treatment of asylum seekers who are still detained in migrant registration and temporary accommodation centers in Lithuania.

After the discussion, the project’s partners, Lithuanian Shorts, will invite you to discover inspiring stories of people living new lives full of uncertainty and searching through the screens. The program will feature four short films that have been acclaimed at the Amsterdam, Toronto, Sundance, Busan and Trieste international film festivals.

Installation “When Stories Meet in Šiauliai” / Rinat Tarzumanov photo.

“The Last Call” (dir. Hajni Kis, Hungary) will show 61-year-old Anik Karpati’s last day in his hometown of Budapest, while German director Zamarin Wahdat’s Bambirak will reveal a man’s dilemma as he tries to maintain his first job in his new country without giving up his duties as a single father.

In “No Crying at the Dinner Table” (dir. Carol Nguyen, Canada), the audience will see a masterfully crafted portrait of a family revealing generational trauma, grief and secrets, while “Seahorse” (dir. Nele Dehnenkamp, Germany, Gabon) will tell the story of Hanan, who accompanies her brother to his swimming lessons, and her memory of a rubber dinghy sinking in the Mediterranean.

Installation “When Stories Meet in Šiauliai” / Rinat Tarzumanov photo.

Based on the stories of third-country nationals living in Lithuania, the audiovisual installation “When Stories Meet” travels through four major Lithuanian cities – Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Kaunas and Vilnius. The screens of the installation tell different, authentic stories of people who have come to Lithuania from different parts of the world: family, home, profession, hobbies, challenges, long journeys, migration.

All events in the installation space are free of charge. For more information, visit the Artscape Facebook page and the “When Stories Meet” website.

The project is co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2014-2020 National Programme.