Film "Ulia" Tops Latvian Box Office for Third Week Running
The feature film "Uļa" by director Viesturs Kairišs and actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots has been the most-watched film in Latvia for a third consecutive week. More than 60,000 people have seen it so far.
For the third week in a row, the feature film "Uļa", made by director Viesturs Kairišs and actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots, is the most-watched film in Latvia, according to Marija Vorkule, a representative of the filmmakers.
More than 60,000 viewers have watched the film since it reached cinemas. It opened in Latvian theatres on 16 September and drew 23,000 viewers in its first week, the best opening for a Latvian film since 2019.
Charity screening
To mark the film's success and support basketball player Uļjana Semjonova's work for Latvian sports veterans, a special screening will take place on 13 October at 7:30 p.m. at the Forum Cinemas Centrs cinema. All ticket revenue will be donated to the Latvian Olympians Social Fund. After the film, the audience will be able to meet Avots, who plays the lead role and co-authored the screenplay and the original idea.
About the film
The film is based on Avots's idea about a teenage girl's search for identity, drawn from Semjonova's biography. The story is set in the late 1960s and follows Uļa's path from a remote Latvian farmstead to the chance of becoming a world-class sports figure.
The screenplay was written by Avots, Līvija Ulmane and Andris Feldmanis. The producer is Guntis Trekteris, the cinematographer is Poland's Wojciech Staron, and the production designer is Ieva Jurjāne.
"Uļa" is a co-production of Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania, made by the studio Ego Media together with Allfilm in Estonia, Staron Film in Poland and Tremora in Lithuania. The film premiered on 21 May 2026 at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in the south of France.
