Tallinn Opening For Latvian Oscar Bid

The central conflict of the Latvian film Ulya is its refusal to follow the standard biography formula. Director Viesturs Kairis admitted he had no interest in creating a "nice, typical biopic." Instead, he aimed for an arthouse perspective that prioritizes the internal experience of the subject over a conventional sports narrative.

The film has secured distribution rights in twelve territories before its opening at the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Buyers include New Mountain Films for North America, Destiny for France, and Invisible Carpet for Italy. ASFK holds the rights for Slovakia, while Five Star Distribution covers former Yugoslavia. Hea Film has Estonia, GPI has Lithuania, and Teleview has the MENA region. Cinema Orion acquired Finland, 1989 took Poland, and Belas Arte secured Brazil.

Ulya is a black-and-white production inspired by the life of Ulyana Semjonova, a basketball player born in 1952. The project is a collaboration between Ego Media of Latvia, Allfilm of Estonia, Staroń Film of Poland, and Tremora of Lithuania. B-Rated International handles international sales. The film previously premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

Kairis described the cinematic approach as a "Werner Herzog-esque story about a giant girl living in the countryside." To capture the inner world of Semjonova, who stood seven feet tall, the crew used "crazy cameras" and slightly out-of-focus shots. Kairis stated that finding the landscape of her inner soul was a very concrete task. The project originated with actor Karlis Arnolds Avots, who had long wanted to portray Semjonova.

Kairis recalled that Avots first expressed the idea when invited to join the Dailes Theatre ensemble. The director initially forgot the proposal until years later, when he overheard Avots explaining the concept to a director of photography during the production of the film January. Kairis realized immediately that it was a film. He noted that while others wanted a standard biopic, that version would not have been his.

Semjonova, who died in January 2026, gave her blessing to the project. A photograph of her with Avots appears at the end of the film. Kairis said she trusted the filmmakers. The film has become the second most-watched movie in Latvian history. Kairis called it a blockbuster in his home country and reported strong reactions at festivals in Rome and Los Angeles.

The director linked the audience response to a cultural pressure to conform. He argued that people should trust the traits that make them feel like a "freak" and embrace those qualities. Kairis noted that the film has resonated with viewers of all sizes, a response his earlier works did not achieve.