Many of Latvia’s most successful modern films explore expressly Latvian themes, placing the unique cultural, historical, and social experiences of the Latvian people on screen. These films often explore topics such as Latvia’s difficult past of war and occupation, telling the stories of Latvia’s national heroes, or exploring the complexities of Latvia’s national identity. Below […]

Tangerines (Mandariinid) is a 2013 Estonian–Georgian drama film. It’s in Russian and Estonian, despite the fact that it takes place in and was filmed in Georgia. The film is about a village in Abkhazia (considered a part of Georgia or an independent republic, depending on who you ask), whose residents are mostly ethnic Estonians. The year […]

Defenders of Riga (Rigas sargi) is a 2007 Latvian drama film. Latvia submitted it to the 2007 Academy Awards for consideration for Best Foreign Language Film, but it was not nominated. The film is based on the book Clock in Reverse (Pulkstenis ar atpakaļgaitu) by Andris Kolbergs, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film […]

The Summer of Saingalė (Sangailės vasara) is a Lithuanian drama film from 2016. Lithuania selected it as its entry to the 2016 Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It did, however, receive many other international awards. The film tells the story of two young women, Saingalė and Austė. They meet at an air show: Saingalė wants […]

November (the word is the same in Estonian and English) is an Estonian art film that was released in February 2017. Mystical, strange, and beautiful, it may represent a new direction in Estonian filmmaking, an industry that has often been dominated by films about Estonia’s many occupations. November is based on the novel Rehepapp by contemporary Estonian […]

Baltic View is a new project that aims to get films from the Baltics—both documentary and feature—to a wider audience. The project currently consists of 12 films uploaded on the video-sharing site Vimeo. In the founders’ own words, the project “is a pioneering international project presenting films from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia under one cinema flag.” […]