The Baltic Film Festival started its celebration with a panel discussion and film premium, featuring award-winning filmmakers and producers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Photo courtesy of Hsuan Ma/ BU News Service
By Hsuan Ma
Boston University News Service
The Baltic Film Festival commenced its three-day event at the Paramount Center, opening with panel discussions, film premieres and in-person Q&A sessions with award-winning filmmakers. The festival, running from March 1-3 with in-person screenings and continuing with online streaming from March 4-18, aims to highlight the creativity, reflectiveness and rebellious spirit that characterizes the Baltic region.
Featuring over 10 award-winning films, the festival seeks to elevate Bostonians’ understanding of the Baltic area’s cultural depth and historical complexities. The Baltic region — known for its rich traditions in music, art and literature — has also faced significant challenges, including political turmoil and struggles for independence, which have deeply influenced its cinema. Through this showcase, the festival not only celebrates the artistic achievements of Baltic filmmakers but also invites audiences to explore the intricate tapestry of the region’s cultural identity and resilience.
BU News Service photographer Hsuan Ma was on the scene, captured the moments in the Friday event.
The panel discussion on Friday, March 1, invited 13 filmmakers to share their experience behind the production. (Left to right) Including Marianne Ostrat (Producer of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood), Stanislavs Tokalovs (Director of Soviet Jeans), Anna Ansone (Director of Can’t Help Myself), Betija Zvejniece (Director of Experts of Youth), Uģis Olte (director of Sacrificial Lamb & RadiRaidi), Agnė Marcinkevičūtė (Director of Mūza), Zivile Gallego (Producer of Remember to Blnk & Muza), Veiko Esken (Producer of Melchior), Tanel Tatter (Producer of Melchior), Dita Rietuma (Director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, film critic, historian and educator), Helga Merits (Director of The Paradox of Seabrook Farms), Giedrius Tamoševičius (Director of The Poet) and Vytautas V. Landsbergis (Director of The Poet). Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
The Baltic Film Festival started its celebration with a panel discussion and film premium, featuring award-winning filmmakers and producers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.The Baltic Film Festival started its celebration with a panel discussion and film premium, featuring award-winning filmmakers and producers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Panel discussion moderator Sandra Kronītis-Sīpols. Kronītis-Sīpols is a first-generation American Latvian who has promoted and celebrated Baltic culture through her leadership roles in various educational and cultural initiatives. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.The audience raised their hands when the moderator, Sandra Kronītis-Sīpols, asked about their ethnicity. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Tanel Tatter, the producer of “Melchior the Apothecary: The Executioner’s Daughter.” Based on the novels by Indrek Hargla, the third film of the Melchior series emerges the story with a fresh and cinematic twist to delve into a medieval thriller where Melchior investigates a mysterious brotherhood amidst sinister plots as danger looms over him and Keterlyn with the arrival of a notorious witch-hunter in Tallinn. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Producer of “Melchior the Apothecary: The Executioner’s Daughter” Veiko Esken is sharing his thoughts at the panel discussion. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Audiences listening to the panel discussion on Friday, March 1. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
“Mūza” delves into the life of Mūza Rubackytė, a world-renowned Lithuanian pianist, portraying her journey through Vilnius, Paris, Geneva, and Budapest, against a backdrop of art music and personal struggle. Directed by Agnė Marcinkevičiūtė, the documentary reveals Rubackytė’s pursuit of freedom, love, and calling amidst the constraints of the Soviet regime, offering an intimate look at the sacrifices behind her success. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Živilė Gallego, founder of Fralita Films in 2009, has produced over 12 films, including the Sundance Directing Award winner “The Summer of Sangailė” and the Lithuanian box office success “Emilia. Breaking Free.” Her productions, notably “Remember to Blink” and “Muza,” have garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards, establishing her as a leading figure in Lithuanian cinema. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Marianne Ostrat, the producer of “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.” A documentary that features women in an ancient Estonian smoke sauna to share personal stories and heal together. Directed by an Estonian filmmaker, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” has become the first documentary from the country to compete at and win an award at the Sundance Film Festival. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Helga Merits, the director of “The Paradox of Seabrook Farms.” The film uncovers the complex saga of the Seabrook family and Seabrook Farms, echoing a Greek tragedy of creation and betrayal amidst a backdrop of refugees and immigrants striving for a new beginning. It highlights the world’s once-largest frozen food plant’s diverse workforce in the 1950s, including interned Japanese Americans and European refugees, exploring their struggles, cultural persistence, and the internal decay of the Seabrook family. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Vytautas V. Landsbergis, the director of “The Poet.” The film explores the story of a gifted poet in post-war Lithuania, coerced by the KGB to betray a partisan group, as he navigates moral dilemmas and a quest for redemption. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Giedrius Tamoševičius is the director of “The Poet.” The film explores the story of a gifted poet in post-war Lithuania, coerced by the KGB to betray a partisan group, as he navigates moral dilemmas and a quest for redemption. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Dita Rietuma is the director of the National Film Centre of Latvia, film critic, historian and educator. She introduced the “Four White Shirts,” a 1967 romantic drama film directed by Rolands Kalniņš in the panel discussion. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Attendee asking questions during the Friday panel discussion. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Audiences discussing after the panel discussion on Friday, March 1. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Aija Dreimane, born and raised in Riga, Latvia, with a background immersed in the world of filmmaking, serves as the Chair of the Boston Baltic Film Festival. She brings her extensive experience and passion for cinema to celebrate and promote Baltic culture through film in the Boston area. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.Aija Dreimane and Gita Līgure. As a former president of ALTS/ANLL and longtime board member, Līgure is dedicated to initiating cultural events that celebrate the Boston Latvian community, including concerts, exhibitions, and theater visits. Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
Audiences and filmmakers watching the premium of “The Invisible Fight.“ Photo Courtesy of Hsuan Ma/BU News Service.
