The 7th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! The festival will once again take place in a hybrid festival with both in-person and virtual screenings. In-person events will take place from November 6-10 at Scandinavia House; virtual films in the festival will once again be available to viewers all across the U.S. via the Elevent streaming platform November 9-17.
Beginning Saturday, November 9
8 Views of Lake Biwa (dir. Marko Raat, Estonia, 2024) *Academy Awards Contender*
Estonia’s contender for Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards is a poetic fairy tale set in an Estonian fishing village. In the wake of a recent tragedy, two teenage girls watch ships sail to Kyoto, while villagers create erotic art and engage in spiritual spells; hailed as “one of the most unique films of the year” (Cineuropa).
A Postcard From Rome (dir. Elza Gauja, Latvia, 2024)
In the gentle love story Latvian couple Ernests and Alv?ne use a lottery scheme to fulfill their lifelong dream of traveling to Rome. As they embark on their holiday, it becomes clear that Alv?ne’s Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly progressing — something with which neither is ready to cope.
The Mammoth Hunt (dir. Aist? Stonyt?, Lithuania, 2024)
The documentary revisits 1968 Lithuania, where theater director Jonas Jurasas directs a popular and thinly veiled anti-Soviet production titled “The Mammoth Hunt.” When word gets back to Moscow, he flees to the U.S., while the play’s cast stages a final act of defiance. Director Aist? Stonyt? tracks down recollections from its surviving participants.
Beginning Sunday, November 10
Life and Love (Elu ja armastus, dir. Helen Takkin, Estonia, 2024)
Set during the Great Depression in 1933, Life and Love follows Irma, a young woman who leaves her rural home to pursue a writing career in the city. There, she is pulled into a toxic relationship with her boss at a local print shop, and as political tensions rise, Irma realizes that love and ambition come at a steep cost.
Maria’s Silence (dir. Davis Simanis, Latvia, 2024) *North American Premiere*
This powerful historical drama about Maria Leiko, a famous silent-film actress, follows her as she forced to abandon her career to join Skatuve, the Latvian State Theater in Moscow, where she is manipulated amid purges of political enemies; a film “rich in historical references and complex visual poeticism” (Cineuropa).
Beginning Monday, November 11
Parade (dir. Titas Laucius, Lithuania, 2022)
A dramedy following a former couple’s decision to finalize their divorce through Catholic Court — with unexpected consequences; Parade is “a cracking comedy that bounces its sharply observed characters against the immovable absurdity of Catholic dogma” (Screen International).
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, Consulate General of Lithuania, and Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York. Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center, with additional sponsorship by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Latvian Association, Edhard Corporation, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian American National Council (EKRÜ), Honorary Consulate General of Latvia in New York, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Sondra Litvatyt?, Narbutas and Baltic Film, Media and Arts School at Tallinn University.
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