On Thursday, May 21, at Cannes Film Festival, film "Ulya / Uļa" had its world premiere. Film was selected for the festival's "Un Certain Regard" section. This year's competition included 19 original and artistically bold cinematic works from around the world. The premiere turned out to be an intense and emotion-filled event for the team of the film.
Published: 22.05.2026.
Foto: Agnese Zeltiņa
Already in the morning, the filmmakers were shot in the palace of the Cannes Festival, where the official program of the premiere day began. This was followed by a photo shoot, where more than fifty foreign media photographers captured both the whole team together, and the actors and filmmakers individually. This was one of the first meetings with the attention of the global media, which accompanies all the participants of the competitions of the Cannes Film Festival.
At the beginning of the screening of the film, the artistic director of the Cannes Festival Thierry Frémaux stepped on the stage, who announced the film, sharing memories of the first viewing of the material last November, when Ulya was still in post-production, and also especially highlighted the personality of the legendary Latvian basketball player Ulyana Semyonova, touchingly adding that the athlete was one of the brightest idols in her youth. After the address, the creative team and actors of the film were invited to the stage. The name was given to the director of the film Viestur Kairish, who thanked the festival, the creative team and the cooperation of three film professionals from the Baltic States and Poland – it was important in creating the story of Ulyana Semyonova.
"The premiere was too thrilling to be able to talk about it. It was a dream I haven't recovered from yet. A lot of emotions, tears of full heart and joy," says director Viestur Kairish about the experience.
The screening of the film was the most emotional moment of the day, as there was a strong coexistence in the hall, and many viewers indulged in tears and touching at several moments. The session ended with a standing ovation of more than seven minutes. Ovations are not uncommon at Cannes, but in this case their duration and intensity were especially significant.
Dita Rietuma, director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, emphasizes: "The premiere of the film by Viestur Kairih and Kārlis Arnolds Avots at the Cannes is a significant achievement for several reasons: it is both a visually sophisticated, nuanced story about the creation of a personality that combines poeticity and dramatism, as well as a tribute to world basketball legend Ulyana Semyonova. The standing ovations at the Cannes Film Festival caused by the film's premiere confirmed that Ulya was both surprising and thrilling– such a standing ovation is not accidental and, I think, deserved. It is also significant that Ulya was created as a co-production of the three Baltic states and Poland, which has been noticed and appreciated at the world's most important film festival. We are very happy for both the Ulya international team and Kārlis Arnolds Avots, who has cherished the idea of the film and played the main character – Ulyana Semyonova."
Film is a joint work of Viesturs Kairišs and Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Avots is also a co-author of the script, and the film is based on the idea of an emotional story of growth and self-acceptance of a young person, which is rooted in the experience and biography of Ulyana Semyonova.
The action of the film takes place in Latvia at the end of the 60s of the last century, at its center is Ulya – a girl who grows up in a remote homestead in an Old Believer family, where her unusual height causes those around her to doubt the girl's place in the world. When the photo of the class falls into the hands of basketball coaches, Ulya is taken to Riga, where her path towards the fate of a world-class athlete begins, while searching for faith in herself and her identity.
In the context of Latvian cinema, the inclusion of the film Ulya in the official programme of the Cannes Film Festival continues a series of international successes – in 2024, the animated film Flow by Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža gained prominence at the Cannes Festival, while Ulya offers a different – feature film view of Latvian history with personal intensity, resonating across the country's borders.
The feature film Ulya was produced by Ego Media studio and produced as a co-production of Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania with the participation of Allfilm (Estonia), Staron Film (Poland), Tremora (Lithuania). The film in Latvia has been supported by the National Film Centre, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, Riga City Council, Daugavpils Municipality, Augsdaugava Municipality, Latvijas Finieris, Rietumu Banka, Future Support Fund, Latvian Public Media, Madara Cosmetics and others.
The creative team of the film includes scriptwriters Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Līvija Ulmane, Andris Feldmanis, director Viestur Kairish, producer Guntis Trekteris, cinematographer Wojtek Staron, artist Ieva Jurjāne, costume designer Rūta Lečaite, makeup artist Lisi Poluma, editing director Armands Začs, sound director Sīms Skepasts.
Starring – Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Chulpana Hamatova, Alex Kazanavich, Artūrs Krukops, Alise Dzene, Darta Cīrule, Madara Viļčuka, Varvara Čekhs, Kaspars Dumburs, Shamils Hamatovs and others.
The Latvian premiere of the feature film Ulya is expected on September 15.
More information:
Diana Calpanova
communication consultant of the film
dcalpanova@golin.com
+371 28741730