Director Viesturs Kairišs' film "Ulya" about basketball legend Ulyana Semenova has entered the competitive program of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
About how a dream turned into international success, in a conversation with journalist TV3 News Evita Janushkevich, said the screenwriter and lead actor Karlis Arnolds Avots.
From a dream that was nurtured in silence for years — to the most prestigious film festival in the world. The film "Ulya" — the story of the legendary Ulyana Semenova — is included in the program of the Cannes Film Festival.
"Two days ago, by the way, I finally watched the film and, to be honest, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders, and I realized that I am proud and happy. And the film works, it works in the best way — as an experience, as a strong emotion. The dream has come true — what could be higher than Cannes," Avots said.
However, this is not just a story about cinematic success. It is a personal journey spanning years — an idea that became much closer to the actor than any classic dream role.
"What is most personal is the most creative. And it turned out that the most creative and personal thing in my life became not the story of Hamlet, which I would also gladly play someday, but the story of 'Ulya', because it emotionally disarmed me. I was captivated by it, and I was not afraid of any difficulties that might arise in connection with this film. There was a feeling that this story had to be told," the lead actor is convinced.
He says — there was something inevitable in this story. Not ambition or a calculation for a career, but a desire to understand and honestly tell the story of a person whose name has become a symbol in Latvia.
"It seemed that I understood this better than anyone else, that I could be myself and tell it most honestly. In life, I do not understand anything as deeply, and it is this aspiration, this thirst for knowledge that led me so far that it simply had to be done," he noted.
At first, many perceived this idea skeptically. A film about Ulyana Semenova, especially as an initiative of a young actor — bold, even audacious. But there were people who noticed this fire and believed in it. And it all started with one letter.
"I took a letter to Ulya at the Olympic Committee, to the social fund where she was working at that time. I was incredibly scared because it meant a lot to me. I left the letter on her desk and ran away. She thought I was some kind of crazy young man, and there was no response at first. About a year later, we managed to organize the first meeting. Then I asked Ulya if she had read the letter, and she said yes, she keeps it. Of course, she read it, and it is a dear letter to her. Then she felt how much love and how important it was for me to tell this story. She understood that I wanted to do this for the right reasons, so she didn’t hesitate and agreed quite quickly," Avots recalled.
It was there — in trust and respect — that this film was born. Not only about a sports legend but also about a person whose personality hides a much broader meaning.
"In her personality, there is such a message — to see another person, to help others, to cultivate compassion, empathy, to be kind to oneself, because that is not easy at all," he noted.
And now this dream has brought the story to where Ulyana Semenova once used to be.
"This story deserves to be there, and Ulya played only on the biggest stages of the world, that is, venues, and this is one of them," Avots pointed out.
Ulyana herself did not live to see the premiere of the film, but Karlis is confident — she knows with what love this work was created.
"How my eyes burned, what I feel for her, with what respect, awe, and responsibility I nurtured this story. She directs these transmissions from somewhere above. And I think getting to Cannes is a miracle, almost impossible for an artistic film, so I believe that her support is also in this," the actor is convinced.
The story of Ulya will now begin its journey around the world. The film will be released in theaters in Latvia this fall.
