The 7th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November continuing its tradition of bringing the best new films from the Baltic region to New York audiences. The festival will once again take place in a hybrid festival with both in-person and virtual screenings. 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.
Six films from this year’s film will be available following their premieres at Scandinavia House, and will remain available to stream through November 17.
VIRTUAL SCHEDULE
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 Alvīne use a lottery scheme to fulfill their lifelong dream of traveling to Rome. As they embark on their holiday, it becomes clear that Alvīne’s Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly progressing — something with which neither is ready to cope.
The Mammoth Hunt(dir. Aistė Stonytė, 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 Aistė Stonytė 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).
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8 VIEWS OF LAKE BIWA, 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).
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 is a powerful historical drama about Maria Leiko, a famous silent-film actress forced to abandon her career to join Skatuve, the Latvian State Theater in Moscow, where she was manipulated amid purges of political enemies; a film “rich in historical references and complex visual poeticism” (Cineuropa).
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).
The documentary THE MAMMOTH HUNT 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 Aistė Stonytė tracks down recollections from its surviving participants.
In the gentle love story POSTCARDS FROM ROME, Latvian couple Ernests and Alvīne use a lottery scheme to fulfill their lifelong dream of traveling to Rome. As they embark on their holiday, it becomes clear that Alvīne’s Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly progressing — something with which neither is ready to cope.