The feature film "Ulya," created in collaboration between director Viesturs Kairiss and actor Karlis Arnold Avots, has been included in the competition program "Un Certain Regard" of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the National Film Center told the LETA agency.
This was announced at a press conference dedicated to the official selection of the festival. The "Un Certain Regard" program is one of the two main competition programs of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film is based on Avots' idea — a story about a teenager's search for identity based on the biography of Latvian basketball player Ulyana Semenova.
The action of the film takes place in Latvia in the late 1960s. The main character, Ulya, grows up in a remote rural estate in an Old Believer family, and her tall stature makes her relatives doubt whether there will be a place for her in this world.
When a school photograph reaches basketball coaches, Ulya is sent to Riga to join a famous team. However, the girl finds it difficult to believe in herself, accept herself, and find her path — from a confused teenager to a world-class personality.
Dita Rietuma, head of the National Film Center, noted that the Latvian film managed to enter the official program of one of the most significant film festivals in the world. According to her, "Ulya" is an original and conceptual work that managed to surpass thousands of applications from around the world.
The film is a co-production of four countries — Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Lithuania. The project involved the studios "Ego Media," "Allfilm," "Staron Film," and "Tremora."
The creative team includes screenwriters Avots, Livia Ulmane, and Andris Feldmanis, cinematographer Wojtek Staron, production designer Ieva Jurjane, costume designer Ruta Lechaite, makeup artist Lisi Poluma, and editor Armand Zacs.
The film features Avots, as well as Chulpan Khamatova, Alex Kazanavichus, Arturs Cruzkops, Alise Dzenes, Darta Cirule, Madara Vilchuka, Kaspars Dumburs, and Shamil Khamatov.
The National Film Center reported that the premiere of the film "Ulya" in Latvia will take place this autumn.
