SUN—November 8—2:00 PM
Tickets: $15 ($10 ASF Members)
In-Person Passes: $125/$95 ASF Members
VIP Passes: $425
Five-Film Package $65 ($45 ASF Members)

*Actor Šarūnas Zenkevičius will be present for film talk and Q&A
110 min. In Lithuanian with English subtitles (Lithuania, 2025)

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NEW YORK BALTIC FILM FESTIVALSeries

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The 9th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America returns this November continuing its tradition of bringing the best new films from the Baltic region to New York audiences!

On Sunday, November 8 at 2 PM, see director Ignas Jonynas’ gripping thriller Borderline (Sienna). Lead actor Šarūnas Zenkevičius will be present for a film talk and Q&A. 

After his wife’s death, mourning 40-year-old ornithologist Vilius (Šarūnas Zenkevičius) is left alone to look after his daughter, Urte. Driving home one day, he accidentally hits a group of smugglers evading border control guards. Impressed by the bird-tracking GPS in Vilius’ car, the criminals offer him a job—and seduced by the high pay and an escape from his daily struggles, Vilius agrees. Soon he begins tracking smuggled goods across the border, rather than migrating birds. But then one day a smuggler assigned to watch his house attacks Urte, placing Vilius in an impossible situation. When he receives his next job, he must make sure it won’t be his last. 

Borderline was awarded Best Baltic Film at the PÖFF (Tallinn Black Nights) in 2025, and actor Šarūnas Zenkevičius received the European Shooting Star at Berlinale (2025) and Best Actor for Borderline at Lithuania’s Silver Crane Awards (2026).

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ignas Jonynas (b. 1971) studied television directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He made his cinematic debut with the short feature film Sunday As It Is (2003) followed by Dancing Worm (2006), which won the Audience Award at Circuito Off Venice International Short Film Festival. Moral choices, measuring one’s conscience and betting on death are all explored in his full-length feature The Gambler (2013), the first film from the Baltic countries to premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival. The Gambler was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Warsaw Film Festival, Special Jury Award and the Prix Luna for Best Film at the l’Europe autour de l’Europe film festival (Paris); Silver Dolphins for Best Script and Best Actor (Vytautas Kaniušonis) at the Festroia International Film Festival in Setúbal (Portugal); and five National Silver Crane Awards in 2014. The film became the first example of successful cinematic collaboration between Lithuania and Latvia.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

The idea and screenplay for the film were developed during the pandemic. At that time, borders became a powerful psychophysical element of life — both separating and connecting us. I was searching for a cinematic way to express this, allowing borders to take on a metaphorical meaning that reflects not only the external world, but also our inner landscape. This is how the idea emerged to create a story about an ornithologist who accidentally becomes involved in smuggling across the border and is forced to confront not only various risks, but also himself.

THE NY BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL + SPONSORS

Established in 2018, the New York Baltic Film Festival is presented and organized by Scandinavia House in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia to the U.S., Consulate General of Lithuania in NYC, Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York, and Honorary Consulate of Latvia in Vermont. 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 American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Latvian Association, Edhard Corporation, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Estonian American National Council (EKRÜ), World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA), Honorary Consulate General of Latvia in New York, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).

For program announcements, please subscribe to the festival newsletter and Scandinavia House newsletter. For more immediate updates, follow NYBFF on Instagram and Facebook.

TICKETS + PASSES

TICKETS + PASSES

IN-PERSON PASS
$125/$95 ASF Members
Access to all in-person screenings at Scandinavia House except opening night.

VIP PASS
$425
Access to all in-person screenings at Scandinavia House. Package includes 2 opening night tickets, 6 additional in-person guest passes, a complimentary NYBFF mug, and acknowledgement on balticfilmfestival.com.

FIVE-FILM PACKAGE
$65 ($45 ASF Members)
Access to any five (5) films screening at Scandinavia House

INSTRUCTIONS
To use your Ticket Package to get individual tickets, log in to your Elevent account here. After logging in, go to your Account page to see your Ticket Package(s) and press “Fulfill Package” next to the package you want to use. Then, browse the event schedule and you will see a free ticket option listed for each event which accepts your Ticket Package. Add the free ticket(s) to your cart and complete the order — no additional information or purchase is required. You can use some or all of your Ticket Package at once.