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, see Mariupolis (Ukraine/Lithuania/Germany/France, 2016, Documentary), directed by the late filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius. A man repairs his fishing net and goes out to the bridge. Two trams run into each other – nobody is hurt and cables are fixed the same day. A small concert is given for factory workers and the violinist’s sincere performance makes them cry. Bombs fall into the sea and no one notices. This is Mariupol; where everyday life is defined by the threat of violence in the background. A visually powerful homage to a city in crisis, dedicated to its poets and shoemakers, Mariupolis was followed by Kvedaravičius’s fourth and final film Mariupolis 2, which screens in-person and virtually at this year’s festival.
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 Director
Mantas Kvedaravičius (1976-2022) was a Lithuanian-born filmmaker with a degree in social anthropology from Cambridge University. His first documentary film, Barzakh was selected to screen at numerous festivals and won several awards, including the Amnesty International Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Berlinale in 2011. His following two films, Mariupolis (2016) and Parthenon (2019) were selected to screen at Berlinale and the Venice International Critics’ Week, respectively.
Kvedaravičius was captured and killed by Russian forces in the end of March, 2022 in Mariupol while documenting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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
