26 documentary film projects have been selected for Baltic Sea Docs, the well-established co-production and co-financing forum in Riga, organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia. The 29th edition will take place from 31 August to 5 September 2025. The selection includes 22 projects in development and production stage, along with four projects in post-production, presented in the forum’s "Coming Soon" section.
Published: 04.06.2025.
A still form the project "Face it Without Fear" (Sweden, Ukraine)
Every year, Baltic Sea Docs brings together documentary professionals from over 20 countries, serving as an important meeting platform for filmmakers from the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and beyond. As in previous years, the selection features a strong presence from the Baltic states, alongside projects from Ukraine, Finland, Poland, and other countries in the region.
This year’s project line-up reflects a strong engagement with urgent contemporary issues and deeply personal narratives. Many projects explore the enduring impacts of war (such as “Face It Without Fear” by Svitlana Lishchynska, portraying intergenerational trauma and complicity in violence), others tackle personal rediscovery and loss (“A Guide to Grief” by Ivars Zviedris), while several stand out for their experimentation with form and authorship, from animal-led storytelling (“Creaturama – Epic of the Animals”) to hybrid observational styles (“Kind of Adults”, a self-documented portrait of Gen Z teens).
Two of the projects have been invited to Baltic Sea Docs through collaboration with other industry platforms. “Operation Champion” – a portrait of a para-athlete set against a backdrop of political turbulence (Radium Films, Georgia) – received the Baltic Sea Docs Award at this year’s East Doc Platform, while the war-and-football allegory “The Wars We Play” (Carousel Films, Germany/Ukraine) was awarded at DOK.forum München.
Baltic Sea Docs pitching sessions will take place on 4–5 September. Ahead of them, the selected project teams will join a preparatory workshop led by international industry experts – the experienced documentary film consultant Tue Steen Müller and documentary developer Mikael Opstrup (Denmark). The tutor team will also include film directors Salomé Jashi (Georgia) and Mia Halme (Finland), producer Darya Bassel (Ukraine), and film editor Phil Jandaly (Sweden).
Alongside the industry forum, a public screening programme of recent creative documentaries will take place in Riga and several regional towns between 2–7 September.
Baltic Sea Docs is organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia and supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. More information about the selected film projects is available at: www.balticseadocs.lv/industry/selected-projects-2025/
Baltic Sea Docs 2025 | Selected Projects:
A Guide To Grief | Latvia
director Ivars Zviedris, producers Ivars Zviedris, Liene Ulmane (Documentarian)
Brake for Gold | Poland
director Adelina Borets, producer Glib Lukianets (Gogol Film)
Bride of the Invisible | Lithuania, Poland
director Audrius Stonys, producers Marija Stonytė, Mantas Kazlauskas (UKU films), co-production company Drygas Film Production
Creaturama – Epic of the Animals | Finland, Estonia
director Juha Suonpää, producers Juha Suonpää (Swamphead Oy), Liis Nimik (Klara Films)
Cuba. Deprivation | Latvia
director Staņislavs Tokalovs, producers Līva Vernere, Uldis Cekulis (VFS Films)
DNA of the Nation | Ukraine, Lithuania
director Ivan Sautkin, producers Ivanna Khitsinska (Babylon`13), Ringailė Leščinskienė (Zero Copy)
Elīna Garanča: The Symphony of Life | Latvia, Germany, Austria
director Signe Birkova, producers Gints Grūbe, Dārta Vijgrieze (Mistrus Media), co-production company 3B-PRODUKTION
Face It Without Fear | Sweden, Ukraine
director Svitlana Lishchynska, producers Fredrik Lange (Vilda Bomben Film), Svitlana Lischynska
Garden of Anna | Latvia, India
director Kristīne Briede, producers Kristīne Briede (Vino Films), Rajani Mani (Elephant Corridor Films)
Kind of Adults | Hungary
directors Peter Akar, Rita Balogh, producer Rita Balogh (OTHER FILMS)
Maria Is On TV | Lithuania
directors Viktorija Mickutė, Ieva Balsiūnaitė, producer Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (Just A Moment)
Missing in Action (wt) | Ukraine, Norway
directors Kateryna Holovko, Marharyta Melnychuk, producers Aliona Kachkan, Eugene Rachkovsky (TABOR), Martin Walther (Walther Bros)
Olimbi – Mother Courage | Croatia
director Karlo Mlinar, producer Filip Filković (More-Magnets)
Operation Champion | Georgia
director Mariam Nikolaishvili, producer Irina Gelashvili (Radium Films)
Rapland | Finland
director Miina Alajärvi, producer Oona Saari (Illume)
RepairMan | Lithuania
director Marija Stonytė, producers Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan, Mantas Kazlauskas (UKU films)
Rita | Lithuania
director Gailė Garnelytė, producer Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan (Artišokai)
The Perfect | Estonia, Finland
director Laura Liventaal, producers Hõbe Ilus (Sui), Oona Saari (Illume)
The Roads of Forgotten Dreams | Estonia, Germany
director Joosep Matjus, producers Katri Rannastu (Wildkino), Claudia Zenkert (SEETREE)
The Wars We Play | Germany, Ukraine
directors Anton Yaremchuk, João Pedro Prado, producers Vincent Edusei, Maritza Grass (Carousel Film)
Threads of My Ancestors | Estonia
director Carlos Lesmes, producer Merili Laur (Tin Can)
Women and War | Poland, Germany, Ukraine
directors Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosolowski, producers Maciej Kubicki (Telemark), Hans-Robert Eisenhauer (Ventana Film), Natalie Krasilnikova (Art Dialog)
COMING SOON | films in post-production stage from previous BSD editions
In the Winds of the Icefields | Estonia
director Mihkel Oksmann, producer Hõbe Ilus (Sui)
My Family and Other Clowns | Estonia
directors Heilika Pikkov, Liina Särkinen, producer Ülo Pikkov (Silmviburlane)
Požerskis: In Focus | Lithuania
director Joris Skudra, producer Justė Michailinaitė (Broom Films)
Shut the Fuck Up! | Ukraine
director Taisiia Kutuzova, producer Alona Savchuk (Crimean Waves)
Press Contact:
Ieva Lange
Baltic Sea Docs Communications Manager
ieva.lange@nkc.gov.lv
+371 22189061
Facebook, Instagram: @BalticSeaDocs