ULYA | North American Premiere & Director Talk — NY Baltic Film Festival 2026

See the North American Premiere of ULYA, a poignant biopic of legendary Latvian athlete Uļjana Semjonova, in the 2026 New York Baltic Film Festival! Director Viesturs Kairišs will be present for a talk on the film, which had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and is Latvia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. This screening will be followed by a reception. Soviet Union, Latvia, 1964. On the Paberze farm in the snowy fields in Latgale, teenager Ulya’s height is approaching two meters at an alarming rate, and does not seem to be stopping. So far she has found a safe haven in her village, where she is surrounded by her loving family and helps out with farmwork. But both Ulya and her parents are troubled, questioning whether there is a place in the world for a giant-sized girl. When her older sister Tatjana’s fiancé Pavel secretly sends Ulja’s class photo to Karbergs, head coach of the Latvian women’s