Tallinn Black Nights to open 30th edition with basketball drama Ulya
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will open its 30th edition on 6 November with Ulya, the basketball life story from Latvian director Viesturs Kairišs, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
The anniversary festival runs 6–22 November. The opening-night screening is set for Alexela Concert Hall in Tallinn, according to PÖFF.
Ulya is a four-way co-production between Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania. That mix makes it a natural curtain-raiser for an edition built around home-region cinema.
The film is inspired by the life of Latvian basketball player Uljana Semjonova. She won Olympic gold twice and world titles three times.
Kairišs directs. Kārlis Arnolds Avots originated the idea, shares the writing credit and plays the lead role.
It is a striking casting choice. Avots stars as a female Latvian player who became a sporting legend, The Hollywood Reporter reported in Cannes coverage. The film is billed as a biographical drama.
Ulya world-premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. That is the Cannes sidebar for distinctive work from new and established film-makers.
The producers are Ego Media, Allfilm, Staron Film and Tremora. Cannes lists Livia Ulman and Andris Feldmanis for screenplay and Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson for music.
There is awards season in the mix too. Latvia has selected Ulya as its entry for best international feature film at the 99th Academy Awards in 2027, The Hollywood Reporter reported. That is the Oscar category for films made outside the United States.
What makes this stand out is the fit. PÖFF has planned a special Focus on Baltics for its 30th edition, putting Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the heart of the programme, according to PÖFF. An Estonian-Latvian story with Cannes pedigree lands squarely in that frame.
