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 5, see Lame-Os (dir. Marta Elina Martinsone, Latvia/Czech Republic, 2021, Narrative). It’s 1999 and the millennium is fast approaching. Three high school students Sarmīte (Asnāte Sofija Rožkalne), Sveta (Ludmila Karpova), and Katrīna (Katrīna Dambeniece) are tired of being made fun of by their classmates and decide that something needs to change — so in typical teenage fashion they decide to become the most popular girls in school. Drawing inspiration from the best of ’90s Hollywood films and TV series, the friends make a plan: the only way to achieve popularity is to get the coolest guys as their prom dates!

Following a classic ’90s format reinterpreted from a contemporary Baltic point of view, Lame-os is an irreverent, pop-infused musical with a heart, and a nostalgic look back at a not-so-distant past. 

Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online at the link above; film screenings will take place in Victor Borge Hall.

Virtual screenings of this film will take place from November 5-13. To read more and purchase virtual passes, please click here.

About the Director

Marta Elīna Martinsone has studied theater and film directing and worked as a theater director and director’s assistant. She has directed two short films, and her graduation film, Viesturs Kairišs iznāk no meža received the National Film Award for Best Student Film. 

She was co-writer and assistant director on two feature films: 1906 and Nearby. Lame-os is her feature film debut.

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