Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Vytautas Katkus, Marija Kavtaradze. Fotografia / Photography: Vytautas Katkus. Montaggio / Editing: Laurynas Bareiša. Suono / Sound: Julius Grigelionis. Scenografia / Set Designer: Ieva Rojūtė, Lisanne Fransen. Costumi / Costume Designer: Morta Jonynaitė. Interpreti / Cast: Darius Šilėnas, Arvydas Dapšys, Vismantė Ruzgaitė. Produzione / Produced by: M-Films. Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Stær Film, Garagefilm International. Con il sostegno di / Supported by: film: Lithuanian Film Center, Eurimages, Film Fond Nord, Swedish Film Institute, Creative Europe MEDIA, Lithuanian National Broadcaster. Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Totem Films.
30-year-old Danielius has been living in Norway for over a decade. He has everything he needs—a job, a family, and friends. But when his father passes away, he is forced to return to his hometown in Lithuania to sell his childhood flat. Arriving at the end of summer, the small resort town feels like a temporary retreat. Yet he quickly realises that everything has changed. As Danielius reconnects with familiar places, old friends, and lingering memories, he is confronted by a quiet sense of loneliness. Instead of resisting, he allows
himself to explore it. Between farewells and fleeting moments, Danielius embraces the present—immersing himself in the town one last time before finally letting go. Shot in 16 mm, The Visitor premiered at the latest Karlovy Vary FF, where Vytautas Katkus won the award for Best Director.
“From my first shorts, like Community Gardens, I really wanted to tell the story not of a specific person, but the community where they live or used to live … I believe everyone has their own personal relationship with the spaces where they’ve spent a lot of time. These places become deeply personal, even if they are public. What fascinates me is that every public space holds countless private memories and emotions … I left the place where I was born and I used to live with my parents, and it still exists in my life, but I’m not there, so what is that place for me? A lot of people I know have experienced this strange in-between feeling. Sometimes, you need to return for a while just to understand that it’s no longer your place.” ( V. Katkus)
Vytautas Katkus
Writer, director, and cinematographer Vytautas Katkus was born in 1991 in Vilnius. He graduated in Cinematography from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2014 and worked as a DOP on short films and documentaries. In 2019, he made his directorial debut with the short Community Gardens, which premiered at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes. His second short, Places (2020), premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti section. Cherries (2022), was part of the official selection of Cannes and was also in competition at the Trieste FF in 2023. The Visitor is his debut feature.
filmografia scelta / selected filmography 2019 Kolektyviniai sodai (Community Gardens) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Lithuanian Film Awards – Miglior cortometraggio / Best Short Film 2020 Miegamasis rajonas (Places) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Vilnius IFF – Miglior cortometraggio / Best Short Film 2022 Uogos (Cherries) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Vilnius IFF – Miglior cortometraggio lituano / Best Lithuanian Short Film 2025 Svečias (The Visitor); Premi / Awards: Karlovy Vary IFF – Miglior regia / Best Director.
