The “Sky Builder” Delegation Returns from Prix Italia with Historic Recognition
For the first time, a joint project by the State Ensemble “Lietuva” and LRT reached the finals of the international Prix Italia competition, and for the first time, we represented both organisations at the final stage of the competition. “Sky Builder” became proof to us that a Lithuanian story can resonate with international audiences when told through a universally understood language.
This year, as many as 226 entries from 52 countries and 83 broadcasters were submitted to Prix Italia, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious competitions for radio, television and digital content. Among the participating broadcasters were Arte France (France), the BBC (United Kingdom), ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy) and others. Nine international juries selected 27 finalists – three in each category. Among them was “Sky Builder”, a videographic concert produced by the State Ensemble “Lietuva” and LRT.
We are honoured to have been shortlisted in the TV Performing Arts category alongside an ARD production from Germany about the legendary actress and singer Hildegard Knef (congratulations to the winners – you can find all the winners across the different categories here) and a documentary by Sky Italia about the world-renowned photographer Oliviero Toscani. Among the documentary productions, “Sky Builder” stood out for its distinctive concept.
The several days spent at the festival in L’Aquila, this year’s Italian Capital of Culture, were about much more than the awards ceremony itself. On 1 October, the finalists presented their works live to the international juries, took part in face-to-face meetings and Q&A sessions, and met finalists from other categories as well as media and cultural professionals from around the world. For us, it was an opportunity not only to present a story from Lithuania’s history, but also to hear the response of people who had previously known neither Antanas Gustaitis nor ANBO.
We are delighted that television today is all about creativity. As playwright and screenwriter of the project Mindaugas Nastaravičius says, “For all of us, ‘Sky Builder’ is first and foremost about creating: building an aircraft, building a young country, and the human desire and determination to create not only on the ground, but also in the sky. This recognition also honours the creators of interwar Lithuania, and today we lift it high – together with the whole of Lithuania – all the way to the sky.”
The festival culminated in the official Prix Italia Awards Ceremony on 2 October. In L’Aquila, the “Sky Builder” creative and production team was represented by director Dalius Abaris, composer Kipras Mašanauskas, executive producer Modestas Jančiulis, Director of the State Ensemble “Lietuva” Edita Klaunauskaitė, and Greta Švedkauskė, responsible for communications and partnerships.
Being among the top three in an international competition of this scale is already a tremendous achievement. And it belongs to the entire team of nearly 200 people – the creators, performers and technical crew. Our special thanks go to our co-producer LRT for the partnership, for encouraging us to enter Prix Italia, and for giving us the opportunity to present the project on an international stage.
For all the incredible experiences, support and exceptionally warm welcome – from the very first days of preparation to our arrival in L’Aquila – we sincerely thank the Prix Italia organisers and Italian public broadcaster RAI. We returned from the festival with the recognition of being finalists, new connections and even greater international ambitions.
Read more about the festival and its history here.
You can watch the Prix Italia Awards Ceremony on RaiPlay.
The videographic concert “Sky Builder” is available to watch on LRT Mediateka.
Read our previous article: “‘Sky Builder’ Among the Top Three at Prix Italia”
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