2025 IN-PERSON SCREENING LINE-UP
at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NYC 10006
Full program line-up to be announced shorty …
THE EXALTED (Cildenie)
Juris Kursietis, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, 2024
98 min. In English, Latvian and German with English subtitles North American Premiere
The festival kicks off on Wednesday, November 5, with the North American premiere of The Exalted / Cildenie (dir. Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Estonia/Greece, 2024).
In this exquisite Baltic thriller that pushes the boundaries of loyalty and greed, Anna (Johanna Wokalek), an internationally renowned organist whose partner Andris (Juris Zagars) a successful CEO, is suspected of corruption. As Anna proceeds with a lavish birthday party in the countryside, she must navigate a crumbling reputation, moral dilemmas, false accusations, and religious uncertainty. The restless handheld camera draws us into her emotional turmoil, as the foundation of her life collapses alongside her partner’s arrest.
Actor Juris Žagars will present a Q&A following the screening of the film.
In-Person Screenings: Wednesday, November 5, 6:00 pm (Opening Night with VIP Reception)
Thursday, November 6, 6 pm
ROLLING PAPERS (Pikad paberid)
Meel Paliale, Estonia, 2024
98 minutes. In Estonian with English subtitles
New York Premiere
On Saturday, November 8, director Meel Paliale's "disarming" youth-centered comedy-drama Rolling Papers /Pikad Paberid (Estonia, 2024) makes its NYC Premiere. *The screening will be followed by a film talk with director Meel Paliale.*
Rolling Papers follows Sebastian (Mihkel Kuusk), who leads a monotonous life as a store clerk. He finds his ordinary workday shaken up when he meets Silo (Karl Birnbaum), a free-spirited wanderer. Together, they smoke weed, drift through the ephemeral Estonian summer, and dream of a one-way ticket to Brazil. Rolling Papers explores the complex lives of young adults, united by their uncertainty about the future and a shared longing for a purposeful existence.
Director Meel Paliale will present a Q&A following the screening of the film.
In-Person Screening: Saturday, November 8, 7:30 pm
THE VISITOR (Svečias)
Vytautas Katkus, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, 2025
115 minutes. In Lithuanian with English Subtitles
The festival's grand finale take place on Sunday, November 9 with the US premiere of The Visitor /Svečias (dir. Vytautas Katkus, Lithuania/Norway/Sweden, 2025).
The film follows 30-year-old Danielius (Darius Šilėnas), a Lithuanian expat who has been living in Norway for over a decade. He has everything he needs — a job, a loving Norwegian wife (Hanne Mathisen Haga), a child and friends. But when his father passes away, he is forced to return to his hometown in Lithuania to sell his childhood flat. Dwelling on the ways place shapes personhood, the film unpicks the disorienting disconnect of returning to the place you once belonged and finding yourself a stranger.
A film representative )TBA) present a Q&A following the screening of the film.
In-Person Screening: Sunday, November 9, 6:30 pm