FESTIVAL FACT SHEET

Overview

The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, having reestablished their independence in 1991, make films that regularly garner awards at international film festivals. Last year Latvia's animated feature Flow won the Oscar for the Best Animated Film.

In November 2018, the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian communities in Boston organized a gala weekend to commemorate the centenary of their countries’ first declaration of independence in 1918. The celebration included a Baltic Film Festival, which has now become an annual event showcasing feature films and documentaries that reflect the culture and talent of the Baltic people. 

This year many of the films focus on “coming of age,” the challenges young people face in growing up, whether in the Baltics now or during the time of the Soviet occupation.

When and Where?

In-person screenings will be held Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the ArtsEmerson Paramount Center’s Bright Family Screening Room in Boston. Virtual screenings will follow for three weeks starting March 2 - March 23, 2026. Individual tickets and passes are available on the festival website www.bostonbalticfilm.org.

Film Lineup: 27 films in original languages and subtitled in English.

BALTIC (ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA)

The Story of the Baltic University  (2015) — Documentary of the establishment in 1946 of a university by refugees in post-World War II Hamburg, Germany.  The film features rare footage and personal accounts.

ESTONIA

Frank (2025) —  The North American premiere story of a 13-year old boy, who in his pursuit of happiness makes one bad decision after another. His seemingly inevitable downfall is thwarted by a strange disabled man. (most watched film in Estonia in 2025)

Rolling Papers (2024) —  The New England premiere of Estonia’s submission for this year’s Oscars explores the complex lives of young adults, united by their uncertainty about the future and a shared longing for a purposeful existence.

Aurora (2025) — The North American premiere drama of the daughter of a religious leader, enters into a secret extramarital affair that challenges her life. She tries to please everyone, but secrets begin to reveal themselves at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

The Arvo Pärt  Trilogy: Even If I Lose Everything: Arvo Pärt (2015),  24 Preludes For A Fugue (2002 ),  And Then Come The Evening And The Morning (1990) —  Three documentaries of the world's most-performed living composer show the man behind his music, his composition process and a chronicle of his private and public life. 

Only Music Matters:  Neeme Järvi ( 2023) — Documentary traces Järvi’s illustrious international career as a conductor and features behind-the-scenes in Järvi’s homes in Estonia and Florida, and numerous concerts in Europe.

Smile at Last (1985) — The restored version of “one of the first “perestroika films” captures the story of a sensitive girl’s struggles with first love and bullying in a 1980's Estonian orphanage. 

Tree of Eternal Love (2021)—  Absurdist comedy of a self-centered car mechanic and his friend embark on a crazy journey to the other side of the country to chop down a tree where he had carved his ex-girlfriend's initials. 

Von Fock (2025) — Estonian TV detective series of Baltic Germans in the first part of the 19th century where the court assessor Paul von Fock, heir to Sagadi Manor, navigates a web of murders, missing fortunes, and identity puzzles.

LATVIA

To Be Continued: Teenhood (2024) —  Boston premiere of a documentary that captures the world through the eyes of 5 teenagers, who were filmed extensively in 2018, and observes how it shapes their destinies.

To Be Continued (2018)  —  Documentary follows the lives of 5 children during their first year of school in different parts of the Latvian countryside: their school activities, their dreams and their family lives. (Shown at BBFF in 2022)

Red Code Blue (2025)  —  The North American premiere of a crime-comedy set in  chaotic post-Soviet Riga where a young police detective whose idealism clashes with harsh corrupt reality leads him to cross moral boundaries.

Flesh, Blood and Even a Heart (2025)  —  The North American premiere of a film of heartbreak and humor as a woman in her 30s struggles with body image, an estranged, comatose father, a shaky relationship and a mundane crumbling life.

Youth Eternal (2025) —  A coming of age story about a group of millennials who start to face their self-destructive tendencies as they each head straight into their crisis of thirtysomethings.

Nearby (2019) — Comedy of a young couple who meet by chance on a trip to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve. They're both running away from their lives and lost, yet  the trip turns into a shared journey and relationship lasting for three years.

Mellow Mud (2016) — Drama of a 17-year old girl and her adolescent brother who are abandoned by their mother and stuck in a miserable living situation, and must decide between an orphanage or the guardianship of their grandmother whom they despise.

Mother, I Love You (2013)  — Drama of a 12- year old boy who, in order to cover up a bad note at school and stay out of trouble with his mother, starts a spiral of lies, which spin out of control and lead him into a world of petty crime. 

Blizzard of Souls (2019)  — Historical drama brings Latvia’s origin to life when a 16-year old boy enlists to fight for Latvia in WWI with dreams of becoming a hero.  After surviving brutalities and the loss of his family, he wonders if his efforts in battle were futile and if hope is only to be found in rebuilding a family and a home.

The Foundation of Criminal Excellence (2018) — Comedy about a  playwright who writes a script about con artists and their schemes, but when he and his friend try them out for authenticity, they get entangled in real criminal schemes.

Grestomathy (2025) – When a collector’s life proves richer than his collection, a legend is born. Jānis Greste devoted his life to assembling objects he believed would serve future generations. A century ago, he established the first “writers’ corners,” laying the foundation for today’s Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music.

LITHUANIA

Renovation (2025) —  Boston premiere of a young woman facing “cracks" in the walls and in her life, as her apartment building, home, and relationships undergo physical and metaphorical renovations. 

Borderline (2025) — North American premiere of crime-thriller of a mourning ornithologist who gets involved in smuggling at the border of Lithuania and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and engages in dangerous criminal activities after a staged accident.

Tasty (2024) —  North American premiere comedy of two canteen cooks who take part in a cooking competition on TV and dream of the main prize, a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Miracle (2017) — Comedy about the owner of a struggling pig farm in a tiny post-Communist town finds a surprising benefactor in a handsome American man who appears to be the answer to all her prayers.

Southern Chronicles (2024) – Set in early 1990s Lithuania and based on Rimantas Kmita’s semi-autobiographical book, this film mirrors the winding, lesson-filled journey of stories like Catcher in the Rye. Blending humor, heart, and nostalgia, it offers a vivid portrayal of adolescence in post-Soviet Lithuania, shaped by icons like Michael Jordan, Metallica, rap, and Enigma. It won the Baltic Film Competition at the 28th Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Tallinn, 2024.

Marija Gimbutienė: A Sense of the Future, (2024) –  Documentary of the eminent archaeologist and anthropologist known for her foundational role in archaeomythology and her research of the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe." 

The Mammoth Hunt (2024) – Documentary of the story of the acclaimed film director Jonas Jarasas and the search for the  secretly recorded film of the controversial play he staged in 1968 which was critical of the Soviet Union.