Latvia at the Cannes Festival 2026 – official competition and film market

On Tuesday, May 12, the world-famous Cannes Film Festival will begin in France (12–23.05), and the most striking achievement of Latvia this year is the inclusion of feature film "Ulya" by Viestur Kairish in the “Un Certain regard” competition, and many other Latvian film professionals will also actively participate in the festival film market.

Feature film Uļa / Ulya, produced by the Latvian studio Ego Media - Latvian, Polish, Estonian and Lithuanian co-production created according to the idea of the main actor, actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots, selected for one of the two main Cannes competitions, will have its world premiere on May 21. Film will also have market screening.

Ulya is an original and conceptual film work, the idea of which is based on the idea of actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots and the desire to play this emotional and dramatic story of the search for an unusual identity of a teenager, based on the biography of the legendary Latvian basketball player Ulyana Semyonova. The action of the black and white film takes place in the 20th century. At the end of the 60s, the creative team together with the director Viestur Kairish includes Polish cinematographer Wojciech Staron and artist Ieva Jurjāne, film producer – Guntis Trekteris. The national premiere of the film in Latvia is expected in the autumn of this year.

It should be noted that in for main competition of the Cannes Festival also selected the feature film Minotaur / Minotaur by the Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, who lives in emigration, which was shot in Latvia and used the cash rebate system of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) – co-financing for the production of foreign films; the film was mainly financed by France and Germany.

Traditionally, Latvian film professionals will work at the Cannes film market  March é du Film (12-20.05.), Among the 60 pavilions of the film market from 90 countries, the Latvian pavilion will also operate this year, itis financially supported  by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), the representatives of the National Film Centre and the Latvian Film Producers Association, Riga International Film Festival (Riga IFF) and other professionals from Latvia  are also going to work at the Cannes Film Festival on-site.

Especially actively this year in the industry section of the Cannes  Film Festival Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry will participate Baltic Shorts – an association of film institutions, short film organizations and festivals of the Baltic States, which, with the support of the National Film Centre, internationally highlights the Baltic short film industry and its young talents (from Latvia, the Latvian Short Film Agency, the Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF) and the festival 2ANNAS are involved in the initiative). Baltic Shorts will host an industry discussion at the Baltic States Pavilions Why the Baltics? Co-Producing and Connecting with Baltic Talent, the Latvian side will be represented in the discussion by producer and founder of White Picture studio Alise Ģelze, and the conversation will be moderated by Lauma Kaudzīte – Head of RIGA IFF Short Film Program and Executive Director of Short Film Conference. On the SFC platforms Video Library and Market Catalogue, a specially curated selection Baltic Shorts Collection 2026 will be available to film industry professionals, from Latvia the collection includes Anna Konovalova's documentary Carbon-14 and Līva Polkmane and Marta Šleiere's feature film Thank you for your feedback. Meanwhile, in the New Producers Room program, among the ten selected promising producers this year is also Latvian producer Dārta Krāsone, representing the Baltic region.

A panel of Latvian and Nordic producers on cooperation opportunities is also planned in the pavilions of the Baltic States, Latvian producer Uldis Cekulis will participate in this panel.

New issue of Baltic Film Magazine is created especially for the Cannes Film Festival, the content of which has been prepared in all three countries, highlighting the most topical processes and phenomena for the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian film industries (magazine in PDF format HERE.) and will be available in Cannes at the Baltic Pavilions in printed version as well.