The name of Vilnius rang out loudly in the world media arena yesterday. At the prestigious "The World Media Festivals" awards ceremony held in Hamburg on Wednesday, the app "Once in Vilnius" created for the 700th anniversary of the capital of Lithuania was awarded gold in the category of internet apps. The platform presenting the city in an innovative way attracted about 5 thousand people. of the capital's residents, who captured thousands of moments in Vilnius, which later became the Lithuanian record-breaking documentary film "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius".
Now in its 25th year, The World Media Festivals awards provide some of the most prominent awards in the media industry. This year, more than 800 works from 32 countries applied for the prestigious awards in almost twenty different categories - from advertising or public relations to tourism and internet apps.
Živilė Diavara, the author of the idea of the app "Once in Vilnius" and the film "Once in Vilnius" (English Once Upon a Time in Vilnius) producer claims that this award is an important recognition not only for the capital, but also for all of Lithuania and the people who contributed to the project.
The "Once in Vilnius" app was born from the desire to show Vilnius as widely as possible, as it is seen by the eyes of the capital's residents and guests. The award of "The World Media Festivals" was received - a well-deserved appreciation of the capital, our country and everyone who touched the project - from the people who uploaded the videos to the platform to the programmers who constantly improved it or the "Go Vilnius" agency who believed in the idea. This shows that love for Vilnius can give rise to unique, internationally recognized solutions that reflect the vibrant, innovative and creative face of the city," says Ž. Diavara.
Dovilė Aleksandravičienė, head of the Vilnius city business and tourism development agency "Go Vilnius", which contributed to the app's creation, adds that it is not the first time that such awards have been given to the initiatives of the people of Vilnius, which speak of the creative potential hidden in the capital.
"Although we are a small country and a relatively small city in the international context, Vilnius still manages to surprise the world with authentic, modern and big ideas. Such projects as "Once in Vilnius" and the resulting documentary film "Once in Vilnius" only once again reveal what a strong creative charge lies in the minds of the capital's residents and how important it is to use it properly in order to promote the name of Vilnius and Lithuania. We are particularly happy about the international award given to the app and the contribution of Go Vilnius to its development", says D. Aleksandravičienė.
The competent international jury that evaluated the applicants for The World Media Festivals awards took into account the creativity, innovation and effectiveness of the projects developed in different media channels in reaching the target audience. The Gold Award is given in the respective categories for excellence in the development of modern media solutions.
A Lithuanian record-breaking film was created
The "Once in Vilnius" app, also known as Vilnius' Instagram page, was created for the capital's 700th anniversary. The ambitious and modern project involved a very wide audience, Vilnius residents and guests of the city, who recorded the capital and uploaded the recorded videos to a specially created platform.
In total, the app was downloaded by about 5 thousand people. of people who shared videos from the capital of Lithuania. Among them are the unique and unknown places of Vilnius, the capital full of movement and peace, the city full of delicious bites or romance.
All videos uploaded to the app claimed to be included in the unique film "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius", the result of which, a seven-episode documentary directed by Lina Lužytė and Elvina Nevardauskaitė, saw the light of day last December. 129 videos of Vilnius residents and tourists were used for its creation.
Also, very recently, the Lithuanian record registration agency "Rekordų Akademija" recorded a record related to a documentary film - "Once Upon a Time in Vilnius" became the film with the largest number of authors, reaching 159 people.
The potential of the app is huge
Speaking about the future of the app, Ž. Diavara emphasizes that the platform could continue to be used.
"We have accumulated an impressive archive of Vilnius, a mountain of wonderful views of the capital. Now we see that the potential of this app is extremely high. Both are possible tourists, both city residents can use it and admire the city's spaces, experience or remember from a distance what it means to be in Vilnius - what its nightlife, cultural or social life looks like. We hope that the app will continue to be used in the field of tourism, and our accumulated experience may be applied in other cities as well - we are always open to requests for its further development", says the initiator of the project.
