Scandinavia House

FAMILY TIME — SCREENING & DIRECTOR TALK
2024-11-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
See Finland’s contender for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, Family Time, in the Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series! The screening will be followed by a film talk and Q&A with director Tia Kouvo.

A family comes together for the holidays — and immediately starts falling apart. Just like every year, middle-aged sisters Susanna and Helena are visiting their parents’ house with their families. And just like every year, Grandpa Lasse drinks too much; Grandma Ella has to take care of everyone; the kids are fed up, and the sisters are arguing about the most pointless things. Tia Kouvo’s bitingly humorous, poignant debut digs into a universal question: Are we destined to remain stuck in the same patterns, or can we ever change — and at last become a happy family?

Winner of the Best Film Award at Riga IFF, Lübeck Nordic Film Days, and International Women’s FF Seoul, as well as three Jussi Awards for Screenplay, Directing, and Film of the Year, Family Time is “a tender film with relatable ideas or emotions at its core” (International Cinephile Society).

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THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
2024-12-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 4, see a special screening of The Girl with the Needle (Denmark/Poland, 2024), Denmark’s selection for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards! Director Magnus von Horn will be present for a film talk and Q&A after the screening.
Karoline, a young seamstress, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post-WWI Copenhagen. With her husband missing and presumed dead in the war, she’s unable to pay rent and subsequently evicted. Destitute and soon pregnant to another man, she falls under the spell of a charismatic candy-store owner, Dagmar Overbye, who promises Karoline a home, job, and solution to her problems. But the job itself comes at a terrible cost… and soon brings her face to face with a nightmarish reality. Inspired by one of Denmark’s most infamous serial killer cases, The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen) is at once chilling and timely — offering an unvarnished look at the lengths a woman will go to in order to survive a coldly patriarchal and unforgiving society.
“Builds to a devastating climax, taut as piano wire” (Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter)
“Invested with a supremely eerie folkloric edge – a bleak historical chapter made timeless” (Robbie Collin, The Telegraph)
This screening is presented in this year’s Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series. See all films here.
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Six-Film Package

ARMAND
2024-12-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 5, see a special screening of Armand (Norway, 2024), Norway’s official selection for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards!
Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) arrives at a parent-teacher meeting called on short notice. Her six-year-old son Armand has been accused of something — but that “something” seems unclear. As the principal, the school nurse, and another pair of parents become involved, it’s revealed that a boundary has been crossed between Armand and his best friend. And as they disagree on how to handle it, the school begins to lose control. A powerful and thought-provoking drama about the complexities of alleged sexual harassment between children, Armand has been acclaimed as a “vivid, creepy, and uncomfortably funny debut” (IndieWire).
“Resonant and haunting — and should spark plenty of post-screening discussions” (Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily)

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THE LAST JOURNEY
2024-12-07 18:00 - 19:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On December 7, see The Last Journey (Sweden, 2024), Sweden’s selection for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards! Director Filip Hammar will be present for a film talk and Q&A following the screening.
When Lars Hammar retired after 40 years as a French teacher in the small town of Köping, he thought that he and his wife Tiina would enter a new phase of travels, wine, and experiences they’d never had time for. But as for many others, retirement didn’t turn out how they imagined — and over the years Lars fell into a depression, seemingly stuck at home in his Belgian leather armchair, much to the despair of the energetic Tiina.
In a desperate attempt to help his father regain his zest for life, filmmaker Filip Hammar took his dad on a surprise road trip to France, retracing the journey they made every summer during Filip’s childhood. With the help of his best friend and fellow filmmaker Fredrik Wikingsson, Filip aimed to invigorate his dad by reliving some of the best moments of his life. But over the course of their travels and film, the metamorphosis Filip hoped for becomes another — a recognition of the inevitable, and the process of aging. A film about life, death, friendship and a portrait of a humble man and his enduring legacy, The Last Journey (Den sista resan) has been Sweden’s highest-grossing documentary and acclaimed as “life-affirming…humorous and heartbreaking” (Variety).
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NO OTHER LAND
2025-01-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On January 6, see No Other Land, a Norwegian-produced, vérité-style documentary by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four directors.
Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community’s mass expulsion by Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta as soldiers destroy the homes of families — the largest single act of forced transfer carried out in the occupied West Bank. After he crosses paths with Yuval Abraham, a young Israeli journalist, the two spend half a decade fighting the expulsion. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel lives under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval is unrestricted and free. Created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, No Other Land was filmed by Basel and Yuval alongside two fellow activists — Isareli Rachel Szor and Palestinian Hamdan Ballal. The film is an act of creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice. (Norway & Palestine, 2024).
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FOUR OSCAR-SHORTLISTED SHORTS
2025-01-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On January 7, see a special screening of four Oscar-eligible short films, presented by The New Yorker! The program will feature “I’m Not a Robot,” a eligible for Best Live-Action Short, as well as the Best Documentary Short-shortlisted films “Eternal Father,” “Incident,” and “Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr.” Filmmakers will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A and reception.
I’m Not a Robot | Directed by Victoria Warmerdam
After repeatedly failing CAPTCHA tests, a music producer named Lara becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: Could she be a robot?
Eternal Father | Directed by Ömer Sami
After starting a family late in life, Nasar fears he won’t live to see his kids grow up. He decides to be cryonically frozen after death, hoping they can someday reunite. His family’s dilemma: follow suit or be left behind? As the future eclipses the present, Nasar must reassess what truly matters.
Incident | Directed by Bill Morrison
Through a montage of surveillance and police body-camera footage, a reconstruction of a deadly shooting by a Chicago police officer becomes an investigation into how a narrative begins to take shape in the aftermath.
Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr | Directed by Kimberly Reed
After Zooey Zephyr’s expulsion from the Montana House of Representatives for defending transgender medical care, she claims a nearby bench as her “office.” Director Kimberly Reed’s intimate documentary turns this shocking political moment into a nuanced portrait of trans and queer joy.
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ARMAND
2025-01-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On January 9, see a special screening of Armand (Norway, 2024), Norway’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards!
Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) arrives at a parent-teacher meeting called on short notice. Her six-year-old son Armand has been accused of something — but that “something” seems unclear. As the principal, the school nurse, and another pair of parents become involved, it’s revealed that a boundary has been crossed between Armand and his best friend. And as they disagree on how to handle it, the school begins to lose control. A powerful and thought-provoking drama about the complexities of alleged sexual harassment between children, Armand has been acclaimed as a “vivid, creepy, and uncomfortably funny debut” (IndieWire).
“Resonant and haunting — and should spark plenty of post-screening discussions” (Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily)

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OPENING NIGHT | THE 2025 SÁMI FILM FESTIVAL
2025-02-06 18:30 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The Annual Sámi Film Festival returns to Scandinavia House and virtually nationwide! Now in its 7th year, the festival celebrates the rich storytelling traditions of the Sámi, an Indigenous people of the northernmost parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. This year’s program is curated by acclaimed visual artist Matti Aikio, whose work in sound and video art has captivated audiences across the globe, and one of 12 artists featured in Arctic Highways, a 2023 exhibition exploring contemporary art by Indigenous artists from the Arctic. Presented annually in partnership with the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, this year’s festival will also be co-presented with Anchorage Museum, a significant art, history, ethnography, ecology, and science museum dedicated to studying and exploring the land, peoples, art, and history of Alaska.
Opening night screenings will be followed by a film talk with festival curator Matti Aikio.
SCHEDULE
Biegga bieggá /Wind is Winding (2024)
Dir. Jenni Laiti & Lada Suomenrinne | 42 min.
They swallow our rivers, and the valleys turn into one big tear of grief. Yet, there are beings who gather the grief for a journey, for what they are carrying the wounded trees and all living beings. Their luggage is full of legacy from the world that is ending, and they will find the path to a portal when the first snow of the winter falls. The wind blows and leads the voyagers to a utopia, challenging them with the questions of being.
Skierri – vaivaiskoivujen maa /Skierri – Land of the Dwarf Birches (1982)
Dir. Markku Lehmuskallio | 118 min.
In Sápmi, a reindeer herder follows the traditional cycles of migratory life, which keep him apart from his home and wife for long periods of time. “Two cultures collide, the minority culture and the majority one. We try to show another way of thinking in this world,” said director Markku Lehmuskallio. The director spent a year working with reindeer herders before filming to better understand the Sámi way of life. Skierri was the first Finnish feature film in which the Sámi people speak their language. The music of Erik Satie is combined with the sounds of nature.
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FLOW
2025-02-12 19:00 - 21:00 | NY
Join us for a special screening of Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis, Latvia/France/Belgium, 2024)! The film, which had its New York premiere at Scandinavia House during the 2024 New York Baltic Film Festival, recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and is Latvia’s contender for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards. Director Gints Zilbalodis will be present for an audience Q&A.

A wondrous journey through natural and mystical realms, the animated feature Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis, Latvia/France/Belgium, 2024) follows a courageous cat and a capybara, lemur, bird and dog after their homes are devastated by a great flood. Teaming up to navigate a boat in search of dry land, the animals must rely on trust, courage and wits to survive the perils of their newly aquatic planet. Flow is a thrilling animated spectacle and a profound meditation on environmental fragility, as well as the spirit of friendship and community. Through charming, expressive, and visually enrapturing 3D animation, director Gints Zilbalodis stunned audiences at Cannes with this heartwarming tale of friendship, teamwork, and adventure.
“Brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and groundbreaking too” (IndieWire).
“A joy to experience but also a deeply affecting story, the work of a unique talent who deserves to be ranked among the world’s great animation artists” (The Hollywood Reporter).

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NORDIC UTOPIA? — A SYMPOSIUM
2025-02-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Join co-curators Ethelene Whitmire and Leslie Anne Anderson and scholars Denise Murrell and Tamara J. Walker as they expand on the various themes, artistic output, and shared histories on view in the exhibition Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century, presented at Scandinavia House until Saturday, March 8th, 2025.
Nordic Utopia? looks at the significance of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden as destinations for African American cultural figures including Ronald Burns, Doug Crutchfield, Herb Gentry, Dexter Gordon, William Henry Johnson, Howard Smith, and Walter Williams through a range of artifacts, artworks (music, paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles), and documentary evidence (photography, film, and journalistic writing).
In this conversation, the curators and scholars will discuss notable works, stylistic influences, and the undertold stories of various African American artists who sought new possibilities, inspiration, and environments in the Nordic countries in the 20th century.
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NYICFF | KENSUKE'S KINGDOM
2025-03-01 11:30 - 13:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House. For complete lineup and tickets visit nyicff.org/tickets.
Fill out a ballot at every screening, and your votes will determine the Festival award winners.
In Kensuke’s Kingdom, Michael and his dog, Stella, are swept overboard when a violent storm befalls his family’s sailing trip. They awake dazed on a beautiful remote island where they must quickly find their wits and the resources to survive—a challenge no less steep for all the island’s beauty. Upon their return from an unsuccessful expedition, they may not be alone; someone has left water near their camp. Soon he meets his mysterious benefactor: an ornery Japanese man named Kensuke, who has been the island’s sole inhabitant since World War II. Despite Kensuke’s rigid boundaries and rules for the island, a friendship begins to form. It couldn’t come at a more fortuitous time, as dangerous invaders begin to threaten their secret world and they must work together to preserve their fragile paradise. (89 min. Ages 8+ | Dir. Neil Boyle & Kirk Hendry | France, Luxembourg & United Kingdom, 2023. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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NYICFF | ¡SALTA!
2025-03-01 13:30 - 15:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House. For complete lineup and tickets visit nyicff.org/tickets.
Fill out a ballot at every screening, and your votes will determine the Festival award winners.
In ¡Salta!, Oscar and Teo (13 and 11 years old) are two brothers, very different from each other, who will have to face the loss of their mother, a scientist obsessed with wormholes. Come for the killer ‘80s soundtrack and gorgeous Spanish seaside vistas. Stay for the wormholes and a brotherly love that spans decades (1940s, 1980s, and 2020s, to be exact—just not always in that order). (85 min. Ages 8+ | Dir. Olga Osorio | Spain, 2023. In Spanish with English subtitles )
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NYICFF | WINNERS
2025-03-01 15:30 - 17:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House. For complete lineup and tickets visit nyicff.org/tickets.
Fill out a ballot at every screening, and your votes will determine the Festival award winners.
In Winners, Mona is struggling to find her footing after arriving with her Kurdish family in Berlin. Her hair is wrong, her accent’s wrong, and she misses home. Home is Syria, or at least it was before she was forced to flee. They’re safe now, but busy Berlin offers a different kind of chaos. Kids challenge teachers, mean girls pick fights, and Mona barely knows any German. What she does know is soccer, even if she vowed never to play after leaving her Syrian team and her cherished aunt Helin. Things don’t get any better when her new teacher and coach convinces her to join the team. Mona and her mates know that teamwork doesn’t come easy, but there’s only one way to win. (119 min. Ages 10+ | Dir. Soleen Yusef | Germany, 2024 In German with English subtitles.)
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NYICFF | MOOMINVALLEY
2025-03-08 11:30 - 13:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House. For complete lineup and tickets visit nyicff.org/tickets.
Fill out a ballot at every screening, and your votes will determine the Festival award winners.
In Moominvalley, our Moominfriends return for more all-new adventures just in time to celebrate their 80th anniversary (and they don’t look a day over… however old they’re supposed to be!). In Moominpappa and Aunt Jane, Moominpappa mustn’t let a surprise visit from his formidable Aunt spoil his book launch party. Then, Little My and Snorkmaiden head to the Lonely Mountains to confront a solitary bogeywoman in Song of the Groke. Finally, an SOS from an old friend sends Moominpappa and Moomintroll on a rescue mission into the frozen wilderness in Moominpappa the Great Explorer. (66 min. Ages 5+ | Dir. Nigel Davies | Finland & United Kingdom, 2024. In English)
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NYICFF | SHORT FILMS 1
2025-03-08 13:15 - 15:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House.
The program SHORT FILMS ONE features selections for our littlest crowd—moviegoers ages five to ten. Whether you’re a baby chick who’s flown the coop, a budding Lego master, or just out for a movie, there’s lots to get into. Shorts include the Portuguese animation The Girl with the Occupied Eyes (André Carrilho, 2024, 8 min. No dialogue), and others; see the full lineup for this program here.
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NYICFF | SHORT FILMS 3
2025-03-08 15:00 - 16:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Explore the world without leaving New York! The New York International Children’s Film Festival takes place February 28–March 16 throughout New York City in 2025, with six screenings at Scandinavia House.
SHORT FILMS THREE features selections for our older crowd: teens and grown-ups only. Shorts include the Japanese animation A Night at the Rest Area (Saki Muramoto, 2024, 12 min. In Japanese with English subtitles), and others; see the full lineup for this program here.
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DOROGU
2025-03-09 14:30 - 16:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
On Sunday, March 9 join us for a screening of the Dorogu trilogy (dir. Jyrki Haapala, Finland, 2024), the first ever Karelian-language film in cinematic history! Karelia, a region of northeastern Europe on the border between Finland and Russia, is a site of incredible geopolitical tension in the era of Russia’s war of aggression. A film talk featuring lead actors Anna Hakkarainen and Minna Karttunen will follow the screening.
Dorogu—On the Mystical Paths of Karelia film trilogy comprises of three Karelian-language short films Veneh, Lindu and Ilmu. The name of the trilogy, Dorogu, means “road,” and these films take the viewer on a journey of transition. Dorogu depicts the sacred and important rites of passage which hold high significance in the Karelian culture and traditions. The trilogy also documents and exhibits the ancient tradition of reciting lamentations and spells, which were of great importance when any transitional rituals took place. Nature plays a central role in the films, almost hypnotically taking viewers on a journey to a mythical landscape.
Veneh depicts the Karelian lament wedding tradition, held at the bride’s home. Viewers follow her last day at her family home, before the groom collects her to bring her away to his family. Lindu concerns Karelian mythology and ritualism related to death. The film follows the journey of a dead man’s soul to his home, as he is guided by a soul bird. Ilmu explores birth and related Karelian mythology and ritualism.

INTERCEPTED
2025-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
See three of the shortlisted finalists for this year’s LUX Audience Awards this season at Scandinavia House! On March 27 we’ll be screening Intercepted, a documentary by Oksana Karpovych contrasting quiet compositions of everyday Ukrainian life since the full-scale invasion with intercepted phone conversations between Russian soldiers and their families.
What drives the people who come to your country to wage war? Intercepted is an attempt to find an answer by showing two parallel worlds. The camera registers images of destruction in unhurried shots, in which we see Ukrainian villages, towns, houses and motorways after their liberation from the Russian occupation. We look closely – not into the abyss of destruction and death, but rather at landscapes being filled again with life. This gives hope and serves to balance out the media’s normalization of horror. They are frames set against the flood of images. Throughout the film, the soundtrack forms a shocking counterpoint. We listen to the recordings of telephone conversations intercepted in 2022 by the Ukrainian Secret Service between Russian soldiers in trenches in Ukraine and their families. It is hard to decide which element is more devastating: the soldiers’ confessions of the rape, looting and brutal torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war or the (mainly) female voices from “back home” that bear witness to chauvinism and hatred, disinformation and schizophrenic propaganda. Sound and image stare each other in the face, stunned, brought together in a cinematic space.
This event has been organized by the European Parliament in partnership with Scandinavia House. The LUX Audience Award is a joint initiative of the European Parliament and the European Film Academy in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. It is the largest audience award worldwide and the only film prize in the world where citizens together with Members of the European Parliament — with each group weighting 50 percent — can decide who the winner will be by rating the nominated films online. The LUX Audience Award fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public through the medium of film. The nominated films address European values and raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues such as mental health, poverty, climate change, freedom of expression, gender equality, and LGBTIQ+ rights.

101 REYKJAVIK
2025-10-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
“A funny, offbeat romantic comedy” —on October 22, see 101 Reykjavik to kick off our 25th Anniversary Rescreens! Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (Everest; Touch), this deadpan black comedy features the unyielding Icelandic landscape as a backdrop to an unlikely tryst.
Based on the classic Icelandic novel by Hallgrímur Helgason, 101 Reykjavík (Iceland, 2000) was a cultural smash upon its release, winning the Discovery Award at Toronto International Film Festival, and was one of the very first films screened here at Scandinavia House. Now, for our 25th anniversary, we’re returning to the story of Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), circling 30 and still living with his parents, who is wasting life away either in a deadbeat bar or at home downloading porn. He is shocked out of his ennui when his mother’s friend Lola (Victoria Abril) comes to visit, a flamenco dancer whose enigmatic ways entrance Hylnur. But is Lola’s relationship with Hylnur’s mother all that it seems?
“Finely acted and shot with a beautiful, understated cinematic sweep … 101 Reykjavk is a poignant, endearingly offbeat work.” (Philadelphia Enquirer)
“A film that’s as outlandish as it is entertaining…” (Film Threat)
This program has been supported by the Monika and Charles Heimbold Fund for Exhibitions and Programs.

OPENING NIGHT: THE EXALTED | NYBFF
2025-11-05 18:30 - 20:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! The festival kicks off on Wednesday, November 5, with the North American premiere of The Exalted (Cildenie, dir. Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Estonia/Greece, 2024). A talk with lead actor Juris Žagars follows the screening. The film will re-screen on Thursday, November 6, also with a talk by Žagars.
In this exquisite thriller exploring the boundaries of loyalty and greed, Anna (Johanna Wokalek), is an internationally renowned organist whose partner Andris (Juris Zagars) a successful CEO, is suspected of corruption. As Anna proceeds with a lavish birthday party in the countryside, she must navigate a crumbling reputation, moral dilemmas, false accusations, and religious uncertainty. The restless handheld camera draws us into her emotional turmoil, as the foundation of her life collapses alongside her partner’s arrest.
Established Latvian director Juris Kursietis‘ return to cinema is deeply atmospheric and character-driven, deftly intertwining Anna’s professional life with her personal crisis. The Exalted presents powerful commentary on loyalty, moral conflict, the weight of public perception and the intersection of personal and public turmoil.
“A bracing, sharp-toothed satire”—Wendy Id, ScreenDaily
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THE EXALTED | NYBFF
2025-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On Thursday, November 6, see The Exalted (Cildenie, dir. Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Estonia/Greece, 2024); a talk with lead actor Juris Žagars follows the screening.
The film also screens on opening night (Wednesday, November 5), also with a talk by Juris Žagars.
In this exquisite thriller exploring the boundaries of loyalty and greed, Anna (Johanna Wokalek), is an internationally renowned organist whose partner Andris (Juris Zagars) a successful CEO, is suspected of corruption. As Anna proceeds with a lavish birthday party in the countryside, she must navigate a crumbling reputation, moral dilemmas, false accusations, and religious uncertainty. The restless handheld camera draws us into her emotional turmoil, as the foundation of her life collapses alongside her partner’s arrest.
Established Latvian director Juris Kursietis‘ return to cinema is deeply atmospheric and character-driven, deftly intertwining Anna’s professional life with her personal crisis. The Exalted presents powerful commentary on loyalty, moral conflict, the weight of public perception and the intersection of personal and public turmoil.
“A bracing, sharp-toothed satire”—Wendy Id, ScreenDaily
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THE BLACK HOLE
2025-11-06 20:15 - 22:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 6, see the New York Premiere of the zany sci-fi parable The Black Hole (Must auk, dir. Moonika Siimets, Estonia/Finland, 2024).
The Black Hole is an absurdist, genre-blending comedic anthology that follows three interconnected stories in a suburban Estonian apartment complex, where residents encounter aliens and fantastical beings while grappling with everyday struggles like abuse, loneliness, and economic hardship. When a mysterious black hole appears among the lilac bushes of their district, accompanied by aliens, a giant spider, and a shorts-wearing Austrian, events begin to unfold that challenge the suburban residents’ hopes for a brighter future.
The film comprises a triptych following residents through their surreal encounters: Sirje (Anne Reemann) and Maret (Eva Koldits), dreaming of finding work abroad, end up in an extraterrestrial science experiment; Jüri (Ursel Tilk), still living with his mother, falls in love with his lustful neighbour, Gertrud (Jekaterina Linnamäe); Mariliis (Doris Tislar), who dreams of a world without abusive men, finds shelter at fearless bodybuilder Uma’s (Rea Lest) apartment full of giant spiders. The clever screenplay weaves together cosmic orgasms, an existential lust for desire, and ancient culinary wisdom – all inspired by Estonian short stories by Armin Kõomägi and Andrus Kivirähk. (115 min. In Estonian with English subtitles)
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THE MUTINY
2025-11-07 18:30 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 7, see the New York Premiere of the gripping historical miniseries The Mutiny (Dumpis, dir. Andrejs Ēķis, Latvia, 2025).
*Tonight’s in-person screening will include the first 4 episodes of the 7-part series; the full series will later be available virtually to all ticketholders. There will be a brief intermission between episodes 2 and 3. The screening will be followed by a film talk with producer Dita Cimermane.*
Based on the true story that inspired The Hunt for Red October, The Mutiny is set in 1975 Riga, where Soviet officer Valery Spagin has just been appointed Captain of the Third Rank of the Soviet naval ship Storozhevoy. He embraces the opportunity to serve his country and vows to uphold its communist ideals. But as Spagin and his family find themselves unwelcome among their new neighbors, he discovers widespread military abuse of power—forcing him to confront his own belief system. Facing mounting threats from a corrupt government, Spagin incites a riot aboard the ship, which soon becomes larger than intended. In fear of international disgrace, the Soviet authorities take drastic action.
Told from the perspective of both the Occupier and Occupied, The Mutiny is a harrowing story of humanity and justice in the twilight of a totalitarian regime. The seven-episode miniseries was showcased at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in the “TV Beats Screening Day” program. It later won Best TV Series at the 2025 Lielais Kristaps Awards, Latvia’s National Film Awards, where it received nine nominations. (In Latvian with English subtitles)
“A call to action against the Russian totalitarian regime” – Annika Pham, Variety
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MURMURING HEARTS
2025-11-08 13:00 - 14:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 8, see the North American Premiere of the powerful and tender documentary Murmuring Hearts (Murmančios Širdys, dir. Vytautas Puidokas, Lithuania/France/Norway, 2024). *This screening will be followed by a talk with film director Vytautas Puidokas.*
Matas, a 14-year old foster child, arrives at a Lithuanian rehab-farm where a group of men are recovering from addiction and aggression. Led by the charismatic Žanas, a former addict, the community follows a strict routine—praying, tending to animals, and making cheese—all to escape the troubled cycles of the past. As they work to heal from within, the men must also take responsibility for the boy, slowly but surely becoming problematic and complicated role models. Struggling with his own demons—abandonment, violence and loneliness—Matas evokes their own unresolved emotions, particularly for those who share a similar history. As dynamics shift, the fractured group slowly works through anger to become a dysfunctional family, bound by their shared struggles. Together, they face the challenge of holding together a community, clinging to the hope of brighter days ahead.
The winner of the Young Europeans Award at International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (FIPADOC), Murmuring Hearts provides a candid glimpse into masculinity, trauma, and what it takes to heal. (80 min. In Lithuanian with English subtitles)
“A raw portrait of addiction” – Annika Pham, Variety
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BECOMING ROOSI
2025-11-08 15:15 - 17:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 8, see the deep, funny and provocative story of a girl navigating adolescence and climate crisis in the documentary Becoming Roosi (Siit ta tuleb, Roosi, dir. Margit Lillak, Estonia/Germany, 2025).
Filmed over a 10-year period, we first meet Roosi when she is eight years old, confronting the unusual conventions of her isolated childhood in an Estonian eco-village. Here, her mother Liina — a dedicated activist — is the frontwoman of the commune. Eight years later, Roosi finds herself following in her mother’s footsteps. Living far from the eco-village and fully immersed in the demands of cosmopolitan life, Roosi grapples with climate grief and guilt. With rare intelligence and outspokenness, she expresses raw truths about her generation’s existential concerns. She also struggles between two extremes: the pressure to inherit her mother’s battle, and the vital need to find her own identity through art, through her body, and through words. As she navigates the uncertain terrain of early adulthood, Roosi reveals the unexpected layers of growing up in today’s fluid, globalized world.
Becoming Roosi weaves together intimate archival moments from a singular childhood with a timeless coming-of-age story. With grace and emotional depth, this vibrant portrait explores the weight of climate anxiety, generational rifts and one young woman’s search for identity. (96 min. In Estonian/English with English subtitles)
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RENOVATION
2025-11-08 17:15 - 18:45 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 6, see the New York Premiere of the sharp, wistful relationship drama Renovation / Renovacija, (dir. Gabrielė Urbonaitė, Lithuania/Latvia/Belgium, 2025).
The feature directorial debut of Lithuanian writer-director Gabriele Urbonaite follows 29-year-old perfectionist Ilona (Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė) as she faces mounting pressure to feel successful and settled by age 30. A work-from home journalist in Vilnius, things are getting serious with her boyfriend boyfriend Matas (Šarūnas Zenkevičius). And they’ve just moved into what seems like an idyllic apartment — until a massive, noisy bout of renovation work begins. In the midst of repairs to the building’s Soviet-era façade, cracks reveal themselves in Ilona’s seemingly perfect life, particularly as she hits it off with Ukrainian construction worker Oleg (Roman Lutskyi). Their connection leads to new discoveries —after spontaneously telling him she’s a poet, she actually begins to write poetry. But it also deepens her uncertainty. Does she really want to settle down and start a family? (90 min. In Lithuanian with English subtitles)
A “satisfying relationship dramedy that jumps into the nuances of having one’s status quo shaken up,” Renovation shows millennials exposed to endless possibilities and the pressure to perform, while wrestling with lingering legacy of Russian oppression and the nearby war in Ukraine.
“Renovation is a curious, delightful beast” – Olivia Popp, Cineuropa
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SHOWCASE FILM & FILM TALK: ROLLING PAPERS | NYBFF
2025-11-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On Saturday, November 8, director Meel Paliale‘s “disarming” youth-centered comedy-drama Rolling Papers (Pikad Paberid, Estonia, 2024) makes its NYC Premiere. *The screening will be followed by a film talk with director Meel Paliale.*
Rolling Papers follows Sebastian (Mihkel Kuusk), who leads a monotonous life as a store clerk. He finds his ordinary workday shaken up when he meets Silo (Karl Birnbaum), a free-spirited wanderer. Together, they smoke weed, drift through the ephemeral Estonian summer, and dream of a one-way ticket to Brazil. Rolling Papers explores the complex lives of young adults, united by their uncertainty about the future and a shared longing for a purposeful existence. Rolling Papers confidently explores the universal themes of a coming-of-age film—struggling with the gap between adolescence and adulthood, trying to figure out where you belong, and the ever-present allure of escapism—while careening away from the typical rudderlessness of the stoner comedy. Instead, the film becomes a tender exploration of fleeting youthful connections and the spark of possibility. The winner of the Audience Award at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), Rolling Papers is Estonia’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.

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TO BE CONTINUED: TEENHOOD
2025-11-09 14:00 - 15:45 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! On November 9, see the North American Premiere of the intimate documentary To Be Continued: Teenhood (Turpinājums: Pieaugšana, dir. Ivars Seleckis and Armands Zacs, Latvia, 2024).
The long-awaited sequel to the 2015 documentary To Be Continued, Latvian directors Ivars Seleckis and Armands Začs reunite with the five children featured in the original film—now 14 years old and on the cusp of adolescence. Zane, Kārlis, Anastasia, Gleb, and Anete—each from vastly different backgrounds across Latvia—find themselves at pivotal moments, navigating unique paths toward adulthood. Their everyday experiences reveal striking contrasts: while Zane’s only household duty is to tidy up her room, Anastasia is charged with stewarding the livestock and taking her little brother to kindergarten. While Kārlis’s mother checks his homework each evening and Gleb’s parents plan his daily routine, Anete spends an entire week alone in her family’s Riga apartment.
As the children grow up, the lives of the film’s protagonists increasingly reflect an intimate cross-section of Latvian society, highlighting ever-greater differences between city and countryside, between the wealthy and the less fortunate, and between the confident and the insecure. “A layered portrait of adolescence,” To Be Continued: Teenhood captures the world through the eyes of teenagers and observes how it also shapes their destinies. (96 min. In Latvian with English subtitles)
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SHORT FILMS | NYBFF 2025
2025-11-09 16:15 - 18:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! This year’s lineup includes a Short Films Session with screenings of six short films, two from each of the Baltic countries. Read the full lineup here.
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CLOSING NIGHT: THE VISITOR | NYBFF
2025-11-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States
The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November with the best new films from the Baltic region! The festival’s grand finale takes place on Sunday, November 9 with the U.S. premiere of The Visitor (Svečias, dir. Vytautas Katkus, Lithuania/Norway/Sweden, 2025).

Thirty-year-old Danielius has been living in Norway for over a decade. He has everything he needs — a job, a family, and friends. But when his father passes away, he is forced to return to his hometown in Lithuania to sell his childhood flat. Arriving at the end of summer, the small resort town feels like a temporary retreat, until he realizes that everything has changed. As Danielius reconnects with familiar places, old friends, and lingering memories, he is confronted by a quiet sense of loneliness, which he chooses to explore rather than resist. Between farewells and fleeting moments, Danielius embraces the present — immersing himself in the town one last time before finally letting go.
Praised as “an appealingly offbeat debut” (Guy Lodge, Variety) and “a cinematic meditation on solitude” (Georg Szalai, THR), The Visitor offers an unhurried, gentle journey through the strange comforts of nostalgia and the meaning of home.
“The theme of migration is so thoroughly mined in arthouse cinema, it is unusual to find a picture that has something fresh to say. But The Visitor… finds both a new angle and an original means of exploring it” —Wendy Ide, ScreenDaily

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