THU—November 7 through SUN—November 10
** Film schedule will be posted closer to festival; check back for details.**
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 festival will open with the NYC premiere of Motherland (Tomas Vengris, 2019), which follows the journey of 12-year-old Kovas and his mother Viktorija as they return to her homeland of Lithuania shortly after the fall of the USSR.
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.
See the full lineup below.
Film Lineup
THURSDAY—November 7
Motherland (NYC Premiere) with Baltic Way—7 PM
**Festival passholders only
FRIDAY—November 8
The Baltic Freedom Way (NYC Premiere) with Baltic Way—5 PM
Pank with Anthology of the Plot (North American Premieres)—7:15 PM
**Q&A with Paul Aguraiuja & Artūras Jevdokimovas
SATURDAY—November 9
My Father the Banker (North American Premiere)—9:30 AM
The Little Comrade (NYC Premiere)—11 AM
**Q&A with Moonika Siimets
Paradise ’89 (NYC Premiere)—1 PM
Roots (North American Premiere—2:45 PM
SATURDAY—November 9 (continued)
Animus Animalius (NYC Premiere)—5 PM
**Q&A with Aistė Žegulytė
Summer Survivors (U.S. Premiere)—6:30 PM
**Q&A with Marija Kavtaradze
Spoon (North American Premiere)—8:15 PM
SUNDAY—November 10
Jacob, Mimmi & the Talking Dogs (North American Premiere)—3 PM
Take It or Leave It—4:25 PM
**Q&A with Ivo Felt & Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo
Motherland (NYC Premiere)—6:45 PM
**Q&A with Tomas Vengris