Hours
Mon. to Sat. 10am – 4pm
Sun. Noon – 4pm
Main Location
6500 S. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago IL 60629
New Satellite Location
“Balzekas by the Bean”
Opening on July 11, 2026
172 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago
Contact
773-582-6500
info@balzekasmuseum.org
Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival April 22 – 26, 2026
See the offical festival website for all film trailers, screening dates, locations, and ticket information.
Old Man’s Journeys
NERIJUS MILERIS
Legendary film actor Juozas Budraitis turns 85. Over his career, he has appeared in more than 120 films not only in Eastern and Central Europe but also in Switzerland and Italy. Film sets brought him close friendships and moments of joyful creativity. Yet today, many of his colleagues are gone, and the actor is increasingly visited by the regret of unfinished work. The Old Man’s Journey is shaped not by the structure of a traditional biographical film but by the fragmentary nature of memory. The roles he has embodied remain etched in his recollection no less vividly than the key events of his life, and so the film guides the viewer between Budraitis’s youthful memories and his most significant cinematic experiences, weaving them into a single, nostalgic stream of remembrance. [In Lithuanian with English subtitles.]
To Zita
VYTAUTAS V. LANSBERGIS
There are personalities who, by their very presence, bring people together to revive and nurture the memory and identity of a nation. Zita Kelmickaite was one such person. This is a journey to Lithuania in the 1980s and 1990s, when the revival of folk songs became a silent weapon and an important part of the road to independence. Using previously unseen archival material and the voice of Zita Kelmickaite herself, the film reveals not only the phenomenon of her personality, but also the history of an entire generation that cherished national identity.
[This film does not have English subtitles.]
Film screenings of the Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival films shown at the Balzekas Museum are sponsored in part by the Illinois Arts Council, DCASE through CityArts, Chicago Sister Cities International Vilinius and Hamburg Committees, and the Members and Donors of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture. The Museum gratefully acknowledges these sponsors.
This program is sponsored in part by the Illinois Arts Council, DCASE through CityArts, Chicago Sister Cities International Vilinius and Hamburg Committees, and the Members and Donors of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture. The Museum gratefully acknowledges these sponsors.
This program is sponsored in part by the Illinois Arts Council, DCASE through CityArts, Chicago Sister Cities International Vilinius and Hamburg Committees, and the Members and Donors of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture. The beLONGING exhibition is sponsored in part by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Museum gratefully acknowledges these sponsors.
Extended through September 7, 2026
Become a Member
All members receive discounts to events, 10% off Gift Shop purchases, and a subscription to the Museum’s popular magazine: the Lithuanian Museum Review.
Memorial Giving
Memorialize deceased loved ones who cherished their Lithuanian heritage by donating to the museum, and we will send a confirmation of your gift to the bereaved family.
Buy a ‘Brick’
Purchase an engraved commemorative name plate in your own name or in honor or memory of someone else. Your contribution will be displayed on the Museum’s donor wall.
Visit our Gift Shop
For Lithuanians and Lithuanians at Heart, the Balzekas Museum Gift Shop sells books, amber jewelry, folk art, and souvenirs. All Gift Shop purchases support Museum programs and activities.
Try Our Traditional Lithuanian Recipes
Acknowledgments
The Balzekas Museum gratefully acknowledges its members, private donors, and the above grantors for their support of museum programs and exhibitions.
The beLONGING: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago, 1900 to Now exhibition is funded in part by the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Lithuanian Foundation, Inc., Illinois Arts Council, DCASE through CityArts, and other contributors. See the full list here. The exhibition is included in Art Design Chicago, a Terra Foundation initiated citywide collaboration that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.