New York Baltic Film Festival to Present Showcase Films at Scandinavia House

The 9th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF), presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, will return November 5-8, 2026, continuing its tradition of bringing new films from the Baltic region to New York audiences. From November 5-8, festival-goers can attend screenings at Scandinavia House in New York alongside director talks and Q&As, receptions and other events.

The Showcase Films for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have now been announced, with the full festival lineup expected early the following week. This year's selections include A Goodnight Kiss (Lithuania), directed by Giedrė Žickytė; Ulya (Latvia), directed by Viesturs Kairišs; and Our Erika (Estonia), directed by German Golub. All films will be presented alongside a director talk and Q&A, and all films are presented in their original language with English subtitles.

This year's festival is curated around themes of great perseverance, with the Showcase Films featuring stories of three real-life women who have overcome overwhelming challenges: Lithuanian human-rights activist Irena Veisaitė, Latvian athletic hero Uļjana Semjonova, and Estonian Olympian Erika Salumäe.

The opening night on Thursday, November 5 will feature the East Coast Premiere of A Goodnight Kiss (Irena), alongside a film talk and Q&A with director Giedrė Žickytė (The Jump). A heartfelt documentary about the writer and human rights activist Irena Veisaitė—who inspired the acclaimed piano work Für Alina by her lifelong friend, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt—A Goodnight Kiss began filming at the outset of Irena's 92nd birthday in 2020. Robbed of her childhood by the Nazi occupation at age 13, and by a new round of tragedies under the Soviet occupation, Veisaitė had an unabating belief in a life free of hatred despite the brutality of these two totalitarian regimes, and was beloved by Lithuania's intellectual and cultural circles. The documentary is a nuanced portrait of a remarkable woman, drawing on unseen testimonies and rare archives after she passed later in 2020.

Saturday, November 7 will feature the North American Premiere of Ulya, a biopic of legendary athlete Uļjana Semjonova, alongside a film talk with director Viesturs Kairišs (2026; Latvia/Poland/Estonia/Lithuania). The film follows Ulya's life from her early teen years on a farm in the snowy fields in Latgale, when her height began approaching two meters at an alarming rate, and does not seem to be stopping. Surrounded by the safe haven of her loving village of Old Believers, Ulya's destiny changes when her sister's fiancé Pavel secretly sends Ulja's class photo to Karbergs, head coach of the Latvian women's basketball team TTT. Transported to an unfamiliar world, Ulya must choose between the fraught world of athletic stardom and her quest to live a normal life.

On Sunday, November 8, NYBFF Will Close with the U.S. Premiere of Our Erika (Meie Erika, Lithuania/Estonia/Latvia, 2026) with a talk with director German Golub. Our Erika is a heartfelt, captivating story of Estonian track bicyclist Erika Salumäe, who fought her way from a troubled childhood in orphanages and foster homes to the highest podium level of the Olympic Games, smashing world records along the way.

ASF Program Manager & NYBFF Curator Kyle Reinhart states, 'This year's iteration of the festival features Baltic stories ranging from the great to the microscopic and focuses on attaining your dreams or enacting change even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Whether exploring personal subjects, such as family life and coming of age, or political history, from the Soviet occupation to the present, the filmmakers in this year's lineup put a deeply human perspective on the struggle to achieve one's goals, and the beauty that often arises from perseverance.'

Early Bird In-Person and VIP Passes are now on sale through October 5 at balticfilmfestival.com; tickets for individual in-person and virtual screenings will go on sale in late September.

For program updates, the festival newsletter can be found at balticfilmfestival.com and the Scandinavia House newsletter at scandinaviahouse.org.

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 to the U.S., Consulate General of Lithuania in NYC, Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York, and Honorary Consulate of Latvia in Vermont. Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, Edhard Corporation, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center, with additional sponsorship by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Latvian Association, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian American National Council (EKRÜ), World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA), Honorary Consulate General of Latvia in New York, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).