Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s 30th Anniversary Edition to Open With Cannes Film ‘Ulya’

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will open its 30th edition on Nov. 6 with a screening of Viesturs Kairišs’ Ulya, a co-production between Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania that world-premiered in the Un Certain Regard program of the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

“The evening will also feature an anniversary performance and film music from across the Baltics,” organizers said.

Inspired by the life of legendary Latvian basketball player Uljana Semjonova, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion, Ulya follows its protagonist from an isolated rural Old Believer community into the fiercely competitive world of professional basketball. There, she must navigate both the attention drawn by her extraordinary height and the demands of elite sport.

The film is directed by Kairišs (The Sign Painter, January) and came from an original idea by star and writer Kārlis Arnolds Avots, who plays the lead role. The movie was produced by Ego Media, Allfilm, Staron Film and Tremora. The film has also been selected as Latvia’s entry for the best international feature film Oscar category at the 99th Academy Awards in 2027.

“Ulya is a very good example of what the Baltic film industries can achieve by working together and with partners beyond our region,” said Triin Tramberg, artistic director of PÖFF. “Our countries may be small, but we have a wealth of stories and creative talent. Co-productions bring those strengths together, help ambitious films reach audiences around the world and give our filmmakers a stronger international presence.”

The opening ceremony will celebrate PÖFF’s three decades alongside this year’s Focus: Baltics, which places cinema from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the heart of the festival. Created for the anniversary edition, a stage production entitled “Round and Round” will look back at PÖFF’s first 30 years. Three pianists, one from each Baltic country, will bring the ceremony’s musical program to life. Hans Matthias Kari from Estonia, Kārlis Gusts Zariņš from Latvia and Gabriele Agile Bajoraite from Lithuania will perform selections of film music from their countries.

PÖFF will also present its Lifetime Achievement Awards and the Bruno O’Ya Young Actor Scholarship during the opening ceremony, followed by the screening of Ulya.

The 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival takes place Nov. 6–22.