PARIS – A surge of interest in Baltic cinema is taking hold in France, marked by a series of high-profile events and the potential for a new bilateral co-production agreement. The growing attention, industry insiders say, reflects a broader European appetite for distinctive and emerging cinematic voices.
The CinéBaltique festival in Paris, showcasing films from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, recently concluded, including a tribute to Estonian filmmaker Leida Laius. Simultaneously, the Centre Pompidou hosted a nearly three-month program dedicated to Baltic documentary films, offering French audiences access to works that have often remained outside the mainstream spotlight.
“Times are changing. The industry is changing. The needs in Europe are changing,” said Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Foundation. “Industries that were previously considered small or peripheral are gaining attention because audiences are actively looking for something unusual, unknown and very different. The Baltic countries have very distinct cinematic languages and because of recent investments in our industries, we are moving into the center of attention. Not in spite of our size, but because of it.”
A key development was the inaugural France Baltic Film Meetings, a co-production workshop held by France’s National Film Board (CNC) on February 5 and 6. The event facilitated discussions between French producers and teams behind nine selected feature projects, including Latvia’s “Flow,” which garnered international acclaim and an Academy Award. Other projects presented included Latvia’s “Hungry Street” by Velta Emīlija Platupe, “Wagner and Satan” directed by Lauris and Raitis Abele, and “She-Devil” by Dāvis Sīmanis.
Gints Grūbe, a producer involved in “Flow,” highlighted the existing collaboration between France and the Baltic states. “Our collaboration with France has been marked by close work on screenwriting, while joint film productions have resulted in outstanding cinematic works. In recent years, this partnership has gained new momentum through the development of series within the framework of the Series Mania initiatives and the co-production of ‘Flow’,” he stated. He too noted that Latvia is preparing to sign a bilateral co-production agreement with France, a move he described as “a symbolic and strategic step toward deeper and broader collaboration.”
Lithuania presented Birutė Kapustinskaitė’s “Beginners,” “Breadcrumbs in the Snow” by Skirmanta Jakaitė, and “Call Me Salvador” by Titas Laucius and Klementina Remeikaitė. Remeikaitė expressed her impression with the French producers’ eagerness to learn about Lithuanian and Baltic projects, stating, “In recent years, the Baltic States have proven that winning major awards at A-list festivals, and even an Oscar for ‘Flow’, is a reality, not a dream. I want to believe What we have is just the beginning.”
From Estonia, Anna Hints’ “Black Hairy Beast,” a body horror musical, drew significant attention. Hints, whose documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” previously gained international recognition, observed a “growing curiosity toward Baltic cinema as a region.” She added, “From my personal experience, ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ opened many people’s eyes to the fact that something very specific, deeply local and culturally rooted can also be profoundly universal.”
Other Estonian projects showcased included Elisabeth Kužovnik’s “The Bicycle Thief” and Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo’s “First Love.” Sepp noted that young talent in Estonia is predominantly female-led and expressed her long-held desire for direct engagement between Estonian and French producers.
According to Sepp, the increased interest coincides with shifts in the European geopolitical landscape. “As the geopolitical situation in Europe changes, interest in the Baltics has clearly grown. After all, we share the same European identity, understanding of society and goals,” she said, referencing CNC president Gaëtan Bruel’s statement that co-productions with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania would “enrich the range of quality cinema on offer.”
Estonia is also investing in its film infrastructure, with two soundstages slated for completion this summer and three more planned by 2028. The country intends to increase its cash rebate for international productions to 40%, further incentivizing collaboration. “We believe in partnerships, not opportunism,” Sepp emphasized. “When democracy is under pressure, size no longer matters. Small or big, we need to stick together to survive. In the Baltics, we know very well what resistance and survival signify.”