Variety Praises Viesturs Kairišs's Film "Ulya"

The Latvian film "Uļa", submitted for the Academy Award (Oscar), has been widely sold abroad even before it opens the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The US film industry publication Variety writes: "This film is a blockbuster."

Sales and audience

The film has closed distribution deals in North America and France. According to director Viesturs Kairišs, it is now the second most-watched film in Latvian history. Internationally, it is sold by B-Rated International.

The black-and-white film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. It was produced by Ego Media (Latvia), Allfilm (Estonia), Staroń Film (Poland) and Tremora (Lithuania).

Not a typical biopic

The film is inspired by the life of Uljana Semjonova, the legendary basketball player born in 1952. Yet, as the director stresses, it is not a typical biographical story. Kairišs told Variety he does not think he could ever make a nice, typical biopic and that he is interested in art films. He also did not really think about sport; he wanted to tell a Werner Herzog-style story about a giant girl living in the countryside.

The director explained that he wanted to get inside the heroine's head and make the film very subjective. To stay with her point of view, the crew used what they called a "crazy camera" and slightly blurred shots. In his words, finding her inner landscape was a very specific task.

Variety praises the direction and the idea of the film, noting that it is the long-cherished dream of the lead character, Kārlis Arnolds Avots.