At the traditional New York Baltic Film Festival (NY BFF), from November 5, audiences can look forward to a selection of films from the three Baltic countries in 12 screenings over four days. This year, Latvia is represented by three feature films, three short films, and two minoritarian co-productions, where Latvian professionals have collaborated with colleagues from Lithuania and Estonia.
Published: 04.11.2026.
The festival's founder and Latvia's honorary consul in Vermont, Daris Dēliņš, says: "We are excited about this year's program! There is now great interest in Baltic countries, especially Latvian films in New York – after the Oscar for the Flow and the Venice Golden Lion for the Latvian co-production The Unknown Woman – these achievements demonstrate the international competitiveness of the Latvian film industry."
At the New York festival, Latvia will be represented by Viesturs Kairišs' feature film Ulya, which had its world premiere in Cannes; Linda Olte's feature film The Child, and Laila Pakalniņa's latest documentary film Scarecrows. The short film program features the Latvian animated film Tīrība (director Andrejs Brīvulis), the documentary Omamma (director Ieva Ozoliņa), and the feature short film My First Funeral (director Līva Klepere). Latvian professionals have also worked on the Estonian feature film Our Erica (director German Golub) and the Lithuanian documentary film Holy Destructors (director Aistė Žegulytė).
After the film screenings, feature-length film directors Laila Pakalniņa, Linda Olte, and Viesturs Kairišs will participate in conversations with the audience (these days, in New York, he will also draw the attention of members of the US Film Academy for the feature film Ulya, which is Latvia's national submission for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
Screenings of the New York Baltic Film Festival take place in the cinema of New York's Scandinavia House, and the festival organizers emphasize that the collaboration with the Scandinavian Center promotes not only compatriots and friends from the Baltic countries but also other New Yorkers seeking new and interesting films. This helps strengthen understanding in the United States about Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, as well as about world-class talents and successes in the Baltic film industry.
New York Baltic Film Festival is the largest regular event representing Baltic cinema in the United States; it was established in 2018 as an event marking the centenary of the three Baltic states and continues to be supported by the national film institutions of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, as well as the embassies and diaspora organizations of all three countries. Each country is represented annually by three feature films and several short films; this year, they are combined into two programs – Baltic Shorts – Animation and Baltic Shorts – Drama.
The organization of the NY BFF is supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Lithuanian Film Centre, and the Estonian Film Institute, diplomatic services and diaspora organizations, including the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Latvia to the UN in New York, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, the US company Edhard Corporation, the Latvian Association of America (ALA), and the Latvian Honorary Consulate in New York. The festival is also supported by the Lithuanian Consulate General in New York, the Embassy of Estonia in Washington, the Estonian National Association of America, the Lithuanian Foundation in the USA, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and other cooperation partners.