The Fourth Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns in 2021 as a hybrid festival with both in-person and virtual screenings on November 3-14! From November 3 through 7, in-person screenings and events will take place at Scandinavia House in New York, presented in accordance with new COVID-19 safety guidance and protocols. Following the success of last year’s festival, the online version will once again be available to viewers all across the U.S. via the Elevent streaming platform November 3-14.
On November 7, see A Year Full of Drama (Aasta täis draamat, dir. Marta Pulk, Estonia, 2019, Documentary). Twenty-one-year-old Alissija, who has never seen a play, responds to a very unusual job offer – to watch every play in Estonia for a whole year. In the course of that year, she will travel across the country to see and review 224 performances, from local village plays to the biggest productions in the capital.
Director Marta Pulk takes us on a captivating journey to explore how culture affects us – is it alienating and snobbish, or does it create a sense of community and belonging? See the arts through Alissija’s inexperienced eyes and witness her personal inner journey as she questions her identity, her place in society, and her future.
“A gripping individual story and an insightful portrait of a country and its theatre.” – Chris Wiegand, The Guardian
Tickets to this event must be purchased in advance online at the link above; film screenings will take place in Victor Borge Hall. All attendees are required to present proof of vaccination upon arrival in compliance with New York State government; read more here. Attendees are required to follow all Scandinavia House safety protocols, including wearing masks during the program and observing social distancing rules in signage. Please read our full safety protocols here.
Virtual screenings of this film will take place from November 8-14. To read more and purchase virtual passes, please click here.
About the Director
Marta Pulk (b. 1988) received her MA in filmmaking from the Baltic Film and Media School. Pulk’s films have a strong visual signature and display a relentless interest in the human spirit and what it is that makes us fight, and often have a strong social theme at their core.
Pulk’s short films have screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Zagrebdox, Doc Buenos Aires, Bogoshorts, Queens World Film Festival. In 2018, her film VIDA ALEGRE, which was shot in the Peruvian Amazon under the mentorship of Werner Herzog, was chosen for distribution by Black Factory Cinema. A YEAR FULL OF DRAMA (2019) is her first documentary feature.
About NYBFF
Established in 2018, the New York Baltic Film Festival is presented and organized by Scandinavia House in collaboration with the Consulate General of Estonia, Consulate General of Lithuania, and Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York.
Financial support for the festival comes from the Estonian Film Institute, National Film Center of Latvia, and Lithuanian Film Center, with additional sponsorship by the Lithuanian Culture Institute, American Latvian Association, LV-100, Printful, PBLA Culture Fund and the Lithuanian Foundation and the Embassy of Latvia in Washington DC.
Organizers & Sponsors
