The 7th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America is back November 6-17, 2024, with a mix of in-person and virtual screenings of the best new films from the Baltic region. From November 6-10, festival-goers can enjoy screenings and events at Scandinavia House in New York. For those across the U.S., virtual screenings of six of the films will be available to viewers from November 9–17. Screenings will be accompanied by a range of in-person film talks with directors, producers and actors; details will be released in the coming weeks. All in-person evenings will be followed by receptions. 

The full fall program lineup has now been announced. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30 PM with the U.S. premiere of Life and Love (dir. Helen Takkin, Estonia, 2024). Set during the Great Depression in 1933, this compelling drama 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. On Thursday, November 7 at 7 PM, 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. 

Screenings on Friday, November 8 include the North American Premiere of A Postcard From Rome (dir. Elza Gauja, Latvia, 2024) at 6 PM. In this 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. At 8:15 PM, director Marko Raat's 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).

Saturday, November 9 begins with a re-screening of Life and Love at 12 PM. At 3 PM, a program of Baltic Shorts will screen six short films, with two from each of the Baltic countries including live-action, animation and stop motion, including Ootid (U.S. Premiere); On Weary Wings Go By (NY Premiere); The One Who Knows (U.S. Premiere); and others. Making its North American Premiere at 5 PM, Maria's Silence (dir. Davis Simanis, Latvia, 2024) 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).

At 7:30 PM, director Saulė Bliuvaitė's gritty coming-of-age drama Toxic makes its New York Premiere. Dreaming of escape from the bleakness of their rural Lithuanian hometown, two young teens form a unique bond at a modeling school, where they are pushed to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways; "impressively tough-minded...with glimmers of tenderness and humor (Variety) and "gritty and keenly observed" (Screendaily). 

Sunday screenings begin at 2 PM with Parade (Paradas, dir. Titas Laucius, Lithuania, 2022), a Baltic comedy following a former couple’s decision to finalize their divorce through Catholic Court — with unexpected consequences; "a cracking comedy" (Screen International). At 4:15 PM, the Estonian documentary Kelly — Someone Else's Dream explores the dark side of competitive sports with the story of freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru, who shot to fame as an X-Games gold medalist at the age of 13 but was later revealed to have been abused; "an uplifting message of hope and empowerment" (Cineuropa). 

The in-person portion of the festival wraps up at 7 PM with the NYC premiere of Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis, Latvia/France/Belgium, 2024). This visually stunning animated adventure follows a brave cat who, after a devastating flood, teams up with a capybara, lemur, bird, and dog to survive. Praised as "one of the most moving animated films in recent memory" (IndieWire) and "a joy to experience...a deeply affecting story" (THR), Flow is Latvia’s official entry for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards.
 
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ABOUT THE NEW YORK BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL

Established in 2018, the New York Baltic Film Festival is presented and organized by Scandinavia House in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia, Consulate General of Lithuania, and Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York. Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center, with additional sponsorship by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Latvian Association, Edhard Corporation, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian American National Council (EKRÜ), Honorary Consulate General of Latvia in New York, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Sondra Litvatytė, Narbutas and Baltic Film, Media and Arts School at Tallinn University.