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!
See Ivan Pavljutskov’s Morten, a coming-of-age film set between reality and the mystical in the Estonian countryside, on November 7. Director Ivan Pavljutškov will be present for film talk and Q&A
Fifteen-year old Morten lives with his uncle Urmas and a one-eyed cat named Nurru in a crumbling farmhouse in an abandoned forest village. His mother works in Finland to save money for their future home, and the boy has never heard anything about his father. Morten tries his best to hide the reality of his life from his classmates, but finds it difficult without any money or self-confidence. What he does have is a camera—an old one that he inherited from his grandfather—and the photos he takes make him feel as if he’s at least good at something, if not worthy of love.
Until suddenly, one day there are two people who do: Emilie, a girl whom Morten dares to open up to for the first time in his life, and who looks forward to meeting him more than anything. And then there’s Miia—a girl who shouldn’t be interested in someone like Morten at all, but somehow still is. Based on Reeli Reinaus’ novel Morten, Emilie and the Lost Worlds, the film had its world premiere in the Special Screenings section of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2026, and has since won three awards at Italy’s Giffoni Film Festival.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Ivan Pavljutškov was born in Tallinn and graduated from the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) with a BA in Audiovisual Media and MA in Directing. Pavljutškov has participated in several international and local training programs, including Berlinale Talent Campus (Germany, 2013), Scanorama Film Forum (Lithuania, 2013), and the Summer Media Studio Workshop (Lithuania, 2008). He has also worked as a lecturer at the BFM Children’s Film School and as a director for the Estonian Public Broadcaster.