Yesterday, May 21, in southern France, where the 79th Cannes Film Festival is taking place, the world premiere of the feature film “Ulya”, created through the collaboration of director Viesturs Kairišs and actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots, unfolded in a deeply emotional atmosphere. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section—one of the festival’s two main competition programs—which this year features 19 original and artistically bold films from around the world.The first applause for the film erupted in the Claude Debussy Theatre, bringing together international film professionals, festival guests, and audiences. The day became an intense and emotionally charged experience for the film’s team.
From early morning, the filmmakers were welcomed at the Cannes Festival Palace, where the official premiere day program began. This was followed by a photo session, during which more than fifty international media photographers captured both the full team and individual cast and crew members. It marked one of the first encounters with the global media attention that accompanies all Cannes competition participants.
As the screening began at 12:00 PM Latvian time, Cannes Film Festival Artistic Director Thierry Frémaux took the stage to introduce the film. He shared his memories of first viewing the film material in November last year while it was still in post-production and paid special tribute to the legendary Latvian basketball player Uļjana Semjonova, adding movingly that she had been one of his greatest idols in his youth.
Following his remarks, the film’s creative team and actors were invited on stage. Director Kairišs addressed the audience, thanking the festival, the creative team, and the collaboration between film professionals from the three Baltic countries and Poland, which played a crucial role in shaping the story of Uļjana Semjonova.
“The premiere was too overwhelming to fully put into words. It felt like a dream I haven’t yet recovered from. So many emotions, a full heart, and tears of joy,” said director Viesturs Kairišs.
The screening itself was the most emotional moment of the day, with a strong sense of shared experience in the audience. Many viewers were visibly moved to tears at several points. The screening concluded with more than seven minutes of standing ovations.
While standing ovations are not uncommon in Cannes, their duration and intensity in this case were particularly significant. None of the films in the Un Certain Regard section had received such long ovations at their premieres this year. The audience’s emotional and enthusiastic response moved many members of the creative team to tears.
Dita Rietuma, Director of the National Film Centre, emphasized:
“The premiere of Viesturs Kairišs and Kārlis Arnolds Avots’ film at the Cannes Film Festival is a significant achievement for several reasons: it is both a visually refined and nuanced story about the formation of a personality, combining poetic and dramatic elements, and a tribute to the world basketball legend Uļjana Semjonova. The standing ovations at the premiere confirmed that ‘Ulya’ has both surprised and deeply moved audiences—such ovations are never accidental and, I believe, are well deserved. It is also important that ‘Ulya’ is a co-production between the three Baltic states and Poland, recognized and appreciated at the world’s most important film festival. It is a great joy to celebrate the film’s international team and Kārlis Arnolds Avots, who both nurtured the idea and portrayed the main character—Uļjana Semjonova.”
The feature film “Ulya” is a joint work by Kairišs and Avots. The film is based on an idea by Avots, who is also a co-writer, about an emotional coming-of-age and self-acceptance story rooted in the experiences and biography of Uļjana Semjonova.
The story is set in Latvia in the late 1960s. At its center is Ulya, a girl growing up on a remote rural farm in an Old Believer family, where her unusual height raises doubts among those around her about her place in the world. When a class photograph reaches basketball coaches, Ulya is taken to Riga, where her journey toward becoming a world-class athlete begins—while she simultaneously searches for self-belief and her identity.
In the context of Latvian cinema, the inclusion of “Ulya” in the official Cannes Film Festival program continues a series of international successes. In 2024, the animated film “Flow” gained attention at Cannes, while “Ulya” offers a different—live-action—perspective on Latvian history, marked by personal intensity and resonance beyond national borders.
The feature film “Ulya” is produced by Ego Media as a co-production between Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Lithuania, in collaboration with Allfilm (Estonia), Staron Film (Poland), and Tremora (Lithuania).
The film has been supported in Latvia by the National Film Centre, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, the Riga City Council, the Daugavpils Municipality, the Augšdaugava Municipality, Latvijas Finieris, Rietumu Banka, the Future Support Foundation, the Latvian Public Media, Madara Cosmetics, and others.
The creative team includes screenwriters Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Līvija Ulmane, Andris Feldmanis; director Viesturs Kairišs; producer Guntis Trekteris; cinematographer Wojtek Staroń; production designer Ieva Jurjāne; costume designer Rūta Lečaitė; makeup artist Lisi Polumā; editor Armands Začs; and sound director Siim Skepast.
The cast includes Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Chulpan Khamatova, Alekss Kazanavičs, Artūrs Krūzkops, Alise Dzene, Dārta Cīrule, Madara Viļčuka, Varvara Čekhs, Kaspars Dumburs, Šamils Hamatovs, and others.
The Latvian premiere of “Ulya” is scheduled for September 15.
