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Lithuanian Hotels Roll out Red Carpet for Film Festival

Guests pose on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of Vilnius International Film Festival at the Hotel Pacai in Vilnius, Lithuania. (AFP)
Guests pose on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of Vilnius International Film Festival at the Hotel Pacai in Vilnius, Lithuania. (AFP)
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Lithuanian Hotels Roll out Red Carpet for Film Festival

Guests pose on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of Vilnius International Film Festival at the Hotel Pacai in Vilnius, Lithuania. (AFP)
Guests pose on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of Vilnius International Film Festival at the Hotel Pacai in Vilnius, Lithuania. (AFP)

With Lithuania's cinemas still shut due to the pandemic, local movie-lovers will be able to enjoy a cherished film festival in a novel way -- from the comfort of a hotel room.

Organizers of the International Vilnius Film Festival, which began last week, are inviting residents of the capital to check into one of its hotels to watch the films beamed to their rooms.

"The pandemic took a toll on mental health and people need entertainment. It also gives some support to the hard-hit hotel industry," festival CEO Algirdas Ramaska told AFP.

"Some 200 rooms were booked in hotels for an opening night and they are almost sold out for weekends," he said, before greeting guests in dinner jackets and dresses for their tailor-made festival experience.

The hotel rooms are decorated with festival signs and there is a hand-written postcard from the organizers. Prices for the experience, which runs until April, vary from $95 to $350 per night.

Vilnius businesswoman Kristina Sermuksnyte-Alesiuniene said she would visit three different hotels in the coming weeks. "I did not miss a single Vilnius film festival in the last decade and cannot miss this one. And this year it offers once-in-a-lifetime experience," she told AFP in her room, as she settled in to watch the opening ceremony online.

Lithuanian actor Gabija Siurbyte, another festival fan, said the experience will be helpful towards returning to the habit of leaving home to watch movies when the pandemic ends.

"It felt so good to open a wardrobe for a dinner dress and put on heels again," she said at hotel PACAI, a converted 17th-century palace located in the heart of Vilnius's baroque old town.

Last year's edition of the festival had to switch to an online-only format and organizers had been hopeful that the 26th edition in 2021 could be different.

But cinemas in Lithuania have been shut since November.

The festival was opened with "People We Know Are Confused," a drama produced by Dagne Vildziunaite about life in Vilnius as a sign of much needed solidarity. "The feeling is rather strange as we would like to have a usual festival. But we decided to move ahead with the premiere in a show of solidarity to the festival and actors," she told AFP.

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Mariah Carey Wasn't Always Sure About Making a Christmas Album

FILE - Mariah Carey performs at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Dec. 31, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Mariah Carey performs at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Dec. 31, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)
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Mariah Carey Wasn't Always Sure About Making a Christmas Album

FILE - Mariah Carey performs at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Dec. 31, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Mariah Carey performs at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Dec. 31, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)

Mariah Carey relishes the fact that she has become culturally synonymous with Christmas — thanks in part to the longevity of her iconic song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and its ubiquity every year when the holidays roll around.
But the Grammy winner admits she initially wasn’t sure about doing a Christmas record when her label pitched it. “I was a little bit apprehensive,” she recalls, reflecting on her album, “Merry Christmas,” turning 30 this month.
Ahead of her appearance at Sunday’s American Music Awards and an upcoming Christmas tour that kicks off in November, Carey spoke with The Associated Press about the advice she would give to young artists navigating fame and the use of her song, “Always Be My Baby,” in Ari Aster’s 2023 horror comedy, “Beau Is Afraid.”
The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: What has it been like to celebrate nearly 20 years of “The Emancipation of Mimi” and reflect on this album’s legacy? CAREY: I think “The Emancipation of Mimi” is one of my albums where there were different boundaries that got pushed aside and I was really happy about that because I needed to come back, apparently. And so, it was a comeback. But it’s one of my favorite albums. And celebrating it this year and this celebration of “Mimi” was really fun because I never get to do those songs. I never do them. And this this time I did.
AP: Because of that kind of underdog feeling, you felt some artistic liberty and empowerment that maybe you hadn’t before? CAREY: Yeah, I feel like people were ready to re-embrace me. And, you know, how did I feel about that? I mean, I feel like the album “Charmbracelet” was a very good album too, but not everybody knew that album. So, you know, when “We Belong Together” came out after “It’s Like That,” which didn’t do as well but still did pretty well. Whatever.
AP: “It’s Like That” is a great song. CAREY: It’s a good song. And I love performing it. You know, I go through stages with these albums. It’s interesting.
AP: Your first Christmas album, “Merry Christmas,” is turning 30 this month. That was obviously a formative record for you and your career. Do you remember anything about its inception? CAREY: So that was the record company saying, “You should do a Christmas album.” And I was like, “I don’t know that I should at this juncture.” Because, you know, I was very young and was just starting out and I felt like people do Christmas albums later in their lives. But now people have started to do them whenever, like right at the top of their career. So, I mean, what was I feeling like? I was a little bit apprehensive and then I was like, “I love this.” And I decorated the studio and just had the best time.
AP: Chappell Roan has made headlines for speaking out about how she is grappling with sudden fame. As someone who has been in the public eye for so long, do you have advice for young artists who are dealing with this? CAREY: Well, I have been through my share of dramas and it’s not fun because you grow up thinking, “I want to be famous.” I mean, really with me, it was always, “I want to be a singer. I want to write songs.” But “I want to be famous” was right there with it. I feel like it was probably because I didn’t feel like I was good enough on my own because of the things I went through growing up. And that’s not a good way to feel, you know?
But my advice would be try your hardest to go into this industry with a love of your talent or what’s really real for you. You know, if it’s like, “I want to be famous. I want to run around with those people, whoever they are, the famous people,” then it’s probably not the best idea.
AP: Have you seen Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” with Joaquin Phoenix? CAREY: Yes. I had to approve that. I thought it was interesting the way they used my song, “Always Be My Baby.” That was interesting. I mean, it didn’t really match with the movie, but, you know, I was just being edgy by saying, “You know, okay, fine.” It was very different. I mean, I wasn’t reluctant, but I thought, “This is something way different than I’ve done ever.”