The Fifth Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns in 2022 as a hybrid festival with both in-person and virtual screenings on November 2-13! From November 2 through 6, in-person screenings and events will take place at Scandinavia House in New York, presented in accordance with new COVID-19 safety guidance and protocols. Following the success of last year’s festival, the online version will once again be available to viewers all across the U.S. via the Elevent streaming platform November 4-13.

On November 4 through November 13, see My Father the Spy (dir. Jaak Kilmi & Gints Grūbe, 2019, Documentary). As a young Soviet student in 1978, Ieva could not have predicted that a holiday visit to her father, Imants Lešinskis — working in the Soviet mission at the United Nations in New York City — would irreversibly split her life in two. Entangled in a dark spy game, Ieva was forced to leave her former life behind, never to see her mother or her homeland of Latvia again. In order to find herself and understand the game she unwittingly became part of, Ieva sets out on a journey into the past to confront family secrets, lies, and betrayal.

This film will only be offered as a virtual screening. Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online at the link above.

About the Directors

Estonian director Jaak Kilmi graduated from Tallinn University where he majored in film directing. He has (co-)directed and produced a string of award-winning short films, a number of documentaries, and two feature films, which have received international recognition. He is well known for his socio-critical films that deal with the Soviet era and its repercussions on today’s life. His most recognized films include: documentary fiction Disco & Atomic War (2009), and My Father the Spy (2019) and the feature films Revolution of Pigs (2004), and Came to Visit (1997).

Gints Grūbe worked extensively in media before setting up his own company, Mistrus Media in 2000. He has been a scriptwriter, producer, and director for more than 10 documentaries. His productions have included Escaping Riga (2014), the war drama The Chronicles of Melanie (2016), Emīlija. Queen of the Press (2021), and January (2022), which won Best International Film at the Tribeca Film Festival.

About the NYBFF

Established in 2018, the New York Baltic Film Festival is presented and organized by Scandinavia House in collaboration with the Consulate General of Estonia, Consulate General of Lithuania, and Daris Delins, former Honorary Consul for Latvia in New York and founder of the festival.

Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, National Film Center of Latvia, Lithuanian Film Center, and the Edhard Corporation with additional sponsorship by the Estonian American National Council, Lithuanian Culture Institute, Lithuanian Foundation, Consulate General of Estonia in New York, Embassy of Latvia in Washington D.C., Permanent Mission of Latvia to the U.N. in New York, Consulate General of Lithuania in New York, American Latvian Association, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, the PBLA Culture Fund, and Sondra Litvaitytė.

Organizers & Sponsors