One year after sharing the stage at the European Film Market as joint Countries in Focus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia continue to shine. Despite the downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, the lingering fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the growing economic uncertainty worldwide, production across the region has been at or near record highs in recent years.
Here are some of the buzz titles from top Baltic producers that buyers can look forward to at this year’s European Film Market:
Maria’s Silence
Director: Davis Simanis
Producers: Gints Grūbe, Inese Boka-Grūbe
The fourth historical drama from the veteran director, this Latvian-Lithuanian co-production will bow in the Forum sidebar in Berlin. Pic is based on the life of Marija Leiko, a stage and silent film star who struggles with fame and love under Stalin’s totalitarian regime.
Sales: N/A
Soviet Jeans
Creators: Stanislavs Tokalovs, Teodora Markova, Waldemar Kalinowski
Producer: Aija Berzina
Part of this year’s Berlinale Series Market Selects lineup, this Soviet-era comedy-drama series follows an ardent rock and roll fan who sets up an underground jeans factory in a Latvian psychiatric hospital.
Sales: Beta Film
Divorce During the War
Director: Andrius Blaževičius
Producer: Marija Razgute
Tapped to take part in the Berlinale’s Co-Production Market, the Lithuanian director’s third feature follows a couple’s struggles to confront their crumbling relationship and navigate the messy process of divorce against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sales: N/A
The Shadow
Director: Jaak Kilmi
Producers: Kristian Taska, Tanel Tatter, Veiko Esken, Armin Karu
Juhan Liiv, a struggling poet and an unlikely detective, solves gruesome murder cases in Estonia, the “Wild West” of the crumbling Russian Empire in the 1890s. While fighting crime and his own inner demons, he’s considered mad and pronounced crazy. But by standing for justice and truth, at the end of the day, he could prove to be the sanest of all.
Sales: N/A
Fuck the Hague Convention
Showrunner: Gabija Siurbytė
Producers: Gabija Siurbytė, Viktorija Rimukte
The latest series from the creators of the 2023 Berlinale Series Market Selects drama “Troll Farm” is a modern-day take on an international custody battle for a young girl that’s set amid a maelstrom of press and social media.
Sales: Dansu Films
Supporting Role
Director: Ana Urushadze
Producers: Dati Tsintsadze, Zeynep Atakan, Ivo Felt
The Georgian director’s sophomore feature follows a retired film star used to playing heroic leads who embarks on a bizarre, cathartic odyssey after being offered a supporting role to an unpleasant elderly man.
Sales: N/A
Antonivka
Director: Kateryna Gornostai
Producers: Vika Khomenko, Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė
A Berlinale Co-Production Market selection, the Ukrainian director’s follow-up to her Berlin Crystal Bear-winning “Stop-Zemlia” tells the story of a young couple who have survived the war and are looking to start a new life together.
Sales: N/A
