France is ready for the Baltics, and the rest of the world may follow suit.
From CinéBaltique festival in Paris, dedicated to Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films — and including a tribute to Estonian filmmaker Leida Laius — to the nearly three-month program dedicated to Baltic documentary films at the Centre Pompidou, local audiences get to discover films that haven’t always been in the spotlight.
“Times are changing. The industry is changing. The needs in Europe are changing. Industries that were previously considered small or peripheral are gaining attention because audiences are actively looking for something unusual, unknown and very different,” says Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Foundation. “The Baltic countries have very distinct cinematic languages and because of recent investments in our industries, we are moving into the center of attention. Not in spite of our size, but because of it.”
Another important initiative? The very first France Baltic Film Meetings, a co-production workshop held by the France’s National Film Board (CNC) in Paris on Feb. 5 and 6. Apart from focusing on the Latvian smash “Flow,” which allowed producers Matīss Kaža and Ron Dyens to revisit the Oscar-winning animation, the teams behind nine selected feature projects met with French producers.
This included Latvia’s “Hungry Street” by Velta Emīlija Platupe, produced by Rija Films’ Vilnis Kalnaellis; “Wagner and Satan” directed by brothers Lauris and Raitis Abele, the latter producing for Tritone Studio; and “She-Devil” by Dāvis Sīmanis, produced by Gints Grūbe for Mistrus Media.
“Our collaboration with France has been marked by close work on screenwriting, while joint film productions have resulted in outstanding cinematic works. In recent years, this partnership has gained new momentum through the development of series within the framework of the Series Mania initiatives and the co-production of ‘Flow’,” says Grūbe.
“Latvia is now preparing to sign a bilateral co-production agreement with France, which would represent a symbolic and strategic step toward deeper and broader collaboration.”
Lithuania presented Birutė Kapustinskaitė’s “Beginners,” produced by Smart Casual’s Rūta Petronytė, “Breadcrumbs in the Snow” (Skirmanta Jakaitė, Art Shot’s Agnė Adomėnė) and “Call Me Salvador” (Titas Laucius and Afterschool’s Klementina Remeikaitė).
Remeikaitė says she was “impressed” by the French producers’ desire to learn more about Lithuania and Baltic projects.
“In recent years, the Baltic States have proven that winning major awards at A-list festivals, and even an Oscar for ‘Flow’, is a reality, not a dream. I want to believe this is just the beginning.”
The selection from Estonia included Anna Hints’ highly anticipated body horror musical “Black Hairy Beast,” produced by Johanna Maria Tamm and Evelin Penttilä for Stellar Film.
“We’ve seen several Baltic films gain international recognition in recent years. From the outside, I sense a growing curiosity toward Baltic cinema as a region,” says Hints, also behind award-winning doc “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.”
“From my personal experience, ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ opened many people’s eyes to the fact that something very specific, deeply local and culturally rooted can also be profoundly universal.”
She adds: “The understanding that we are all connected feels especially important in the chaotic, unstable reality of filmmaking. Every film that travels internationally helps raise curiosity and attention toward the region as a whole. In that sense, each success belongs not only to one film or one country, but also to the shared cinematic space of the Baltics.”
Witnessing the interest in “Black Hairy Beast” in Paris has been “encouraging,” she says.
“Recognition may carry weight within the industry, but the act of creation itself still demands vulnerability, trust and faith. In that sense, each film asks you to risk yourself anew.”
“Building on Anna’s and Stellar Film’s ongoing relationship with French audiences and partners, ‘Black Hairy Beast’ represents a natural continuation of this collaboration. Its universal themes and bold artistic approach resonate internationally,” added the producers in a statement.
Also presented were Elisabeth Kužovnik’s “The Bicycle Thief,” autobiographical coming-of-age story set in an Estonian-Russian family in the 2000s produced by Laura Raud (Nafta Film), and Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo’s “First Love,” overseen by Ivo Felt at Allfilm and focusing on menopause.
“Estonian young talent is all female-led,” noted Sepp, admitting she’s been hoping to create direct, one-on-one encounters between Estonian and French producers and sales companies for a while now.
“As the geopolitical situation in Europe changes, interest in the Baltics has clearly grown. After all, we share the same European identity, understanding of society and goals,” she says, mentioning CNC president Gaëtan Bruel, who added in a statement: “Thanks to the co-production that France wishes to develop with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the range of quality cinema on offer will also be enriched with films eagerly awaited by cinema-going audiences.”
“He has a vision that reaches far beyond the traditional understanding of the film industry, and he approaches cooperation with openness and mutual respect. I have great hopes for the beginning of a new era for Baltic–French co-productions,” she notes.
In Estonia, the expansion of infrastructure “We have two soundstages ready this summer and three more to be added by 2028”; encouragement of co-productions and the planned increase in the country’s cash rebate to 40% might further enable international collaboration.
“We believe in partnerships, not opportunism,” says Sepp. “When democracy is under pressure, size no longer matters. Small or big, we need to stick together to survive. In the Baltics, we know very well what resistance and survival mean.”