Rūta Petronytė holds a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Industries and a Master’s degree in Political Science, specializing in “Politics and Media” at the International Relations and Political Science Institute. She has been working in the film industry since 2012, accumulating experience in various national and international projects as a production coordinator, production manager, executive producer, and producer. Her first produced film, “Sasha Was Here” (dir. Ernestas Jankauskas), co-produced with Gabija Siurbyte, premiered at the 2018 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Rūta is a member of the EWA Network, actively engaged in feminism and women’s rights issues. She is also a member of the Independent Lithuanian Producers Association. Rūta participated in the Locarno Match Me ’22, EPI Audiovisual Woman 2023, and ACE Training Days 2023 programs.

In 2022, she co-founded the studio “Smart Casual” (www.smartcasual.lt) with Justinas Pocius, promoting openness, sustainability, equality, and integration standards on and off the screen. The studio actively engages in the international film community, collaborating with six directors to produce short and feature-length fiction and documentary films, developing projects with international partners to create films on topics relevant to a global audience.