The first London Baltic Film Festival exceeded our expectations!

 

We had 2 full days with 3 wonderful host countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We hosted 6 screenings, 5 filmmakers, 2 actors, 1 screenwriter, 2 musicians, 1 chef and a few hundred strong festival guests that dipped their toes for the first time in the Baltic sea of cinema.

 

The festival was set inside one of the most atmospheric buildings in London, The Cinema Museum, and was opened with a grand cocktail offered by the 3 embassies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and with the alluring speeches of ambassadors and diplomats. The crowd was eager to follow the Q&As after the screenings of 3 UK premieres and 3 different focuses. 

 

Focus Latvia,  dedicated to the past with an anti-war film, My favorite war by Ilze Burkovska and Wild East by Matīss Kaža, an adventure saga with a fresh take on Baltic intrigue.

Focus Estonia excels with 2 films set during the Cold war era, the sharp comedy satire, Goodbye Soviet Union by Lauri Randla and Dawn of war by Margus Paju, a spy thriller with spine chilling shots.
Focus Lithuania shows a very unusual migrant story with a twist, The Castle by Lina Lužyte set in Ireland and the Lithuanian-Latvian co-production, In the mirror by Laila Pakalnina, a fantasy teasing the fake world of selfies and crossfit through the lens of Snow White.

 

Overall as shown in our capsule video, we managed to bring people closer to the creativity, talent and diversity of Baltic cinema and arts. 

See you again next year for the second edition!