The Showcase Films for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have now been announced, with the full festival lineup to come early next week. This year’s selections include A Goodnight Kiss (Lithuania), directed by Giedrė Žickytė; Ulya (Latvia), directed by Viesturs Kairišs, with Estonian screenwriters Livia Ulman and Andris Feldmanis; and Our Erika (Estonia), directed by German Golub. All films will be presented alongside a director talk and Q&A. All films are presented in their original language with English subtitles.
This year’s festival is curated around themes of great perseverance, with the Showcase Films featuring stories of three real-life women who have overcome overwhelming challenges: Lithuanian human-rights activist Irena Veisaitė, Latvian athletic hero Uļjana Semjonova, and Estonian Olympian Erika Salumäe.
The opening night on Thursday, November 5, will feature the East Coast Premiere of A Goodnight Kiss (Irena), alongside a film talk and Q&A with director Giedrė Žickytė (The Jump). A heartfelt documentary about the writer and human-rights activist Irena Veisaitė — who inspired the acclaimed piano work Für Alina by her lifelong friend, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt — A Goodnight Kiss began filming at the outset of Irena’s 92nd birthday in 2020. Robbed of her childhood by the Nazi occupation at age 13, and by a new round of tragedies under the Soviet occupation, Veisaitė had an unabating belief in a life free of hatred despite the brutality of these two totalitarian regimes, and was beloved by Lithuania’s intellectual and cultural circles. The documentary is a nuanced portrait of a remarkable woman, drawing on unseen testimonies and rare archives after she passed later in 2020.
Saturday, November 7, will feature the North American Premiere of Ulya, a biopic of legendary athlete Uļjana Semjonova, alongside a film talk with director Viesturs Kairišs (2026; Latvia/Poland/Estonia/Lithuania). The film follows Ulya’s life from her early teen years on a farm in Latgale, when her height began approaching two meters at an alarming rate and did not seem to be stopping. Surrounded by the safe haven of her loving village of Old Believers, Ulya’s destiny changes when her sister’s fiancé Pavel secretly sends Ulja’s class photo to Karbergs, head coach of the Latvian women’s basketball team TTT. Transported to an unfamiliar world, Ulya must choose between the fraught world of athletic stardom and her quest to live a normal life.
On Sunday, November 8, NYBFF will close with the U.S. Premiere of Our Erika (Meie Erika, Lithuania/Estonia/Latvia, 2026), with a talk with director German Golub. Our Erika is a heartfelt, captivating story of Estonian track cyclist Erika Salumäe, who fought her way from a troubled childhood in orphanages and foster homes to the highest podium level of the Olympic Games, smashing world records along the way.
Early Bird In-Person and VIP Passes are now on sale through October 5, and tickets for individual in-person and virtual screenings will go on sale in late September.
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ABOUT THE NEW YORK BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL
Established in 2018, the New York Baltic Film Festival is presented and organized by Scandinavia House in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia to the U.S., Consulate General of Lithuania in NYC, Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York, and Honorary Consulate of Latvia in Vermont. Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, Edhard Corporation, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center, with additional sponsorship by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Latvian Association, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian American National Council (EKRÜ), World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA), Honorary Consulate General of Latvia in New York, and Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).
