This North American Premiere screening of Roots presents a collection of short documentaries telling six very personal stories, all by well-known Estonian female directors between the ages of 29 and 61, connected by a shared symbolic theme of the roots — where we come from, those who are closest to us, and how we are intertwined. In A Poem About Love, director Nora Särak documents her first time leaving Estonia, changing her life for love with no thoughts of returning. In Waiting for a Miracle, director Aljona Suržikova shows us both the joy of giving life and the profound beauty that can shine through grief and loss. Wombstone is director Kersti Uibo’s musing on what the world might look like through a newborn child’s eyes. In 40 Years Later, director Moonika Siimets documents all the things that her parents have accumulated over the years — each object has a story and a place in their lives, but maybe it’s time to let go? Anna Hints’ powerful documentary With Mum At The Monastery explores a mother and daughter’s complicated relationship, and whether silence and meditation will help them to finally find peace. And in My Flesh and Blood, director Heilika Pikkov visits her grandparents, who, after 50 years of marriage, are once again standing at the altar. (Estonia, 2018)

Nordic Film Days Lübeck
Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival

Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias
Galway Film Fleadh

ASF is pleased to co-present the second New York Baltic Film Festival at Scandinavia House with motion pictures from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This year’s programming encompasses the theme of togetherness: on a personal level as well as in relationships and family history, and through the cooperation of various Baltic co-productions. It also shines through in films attempting to incorporate difficult or previously untold stories into contemporary national consciousness.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way — when over 2 million people stood together in human chain linking the 3 capitals of Talllinn, Riga and Vilnius to peacefully call for their independence from the Soviet Union — this year’s festival aims to highlight the diversity of stories that make up the Baltic States. As a chain is made up of links, so a nation is made up of stories.

The 2019 New York Baltic Film Festival is presented by Scandinavia House and organized by the Consulate General of Estonia, Consulate General of Lithuania and Consulate of Latvia in New York. Programming is supported by the Estonian Film Institute, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center. Funding for the festival is courtesy of the governments of the Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and by the generous donations of members of the Baltic community in New York. Additional support to the festival is provided by the Lithuanian Culture Institute, and the American Scandinavian Foundation.