International distributors continue to fall for “Ulya.”
The Latvian Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film has closed North America (New Mountain Films), France (Destiny), Italy (Invisible Carpet), Slovakia (ASFK), former Yugoslavia (Five Star Distribution), Estonia (Hea Film), Lithuania (GPI), MENA (Teleview), Finland (Cinema Orion), Poland (1989) and Brazil (Belas Arte).
The black-and-white film, directed by Viesturs Kairišs, will open the 30th edition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. It premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section. Produced by Ego Media (LV), Allfilm (EE), Staroń Film (PL) and Tremora (LT), it’s sold by B-Rated International.
Inspired by the life of legendary basketball player Ulyana Semjonova, born in 1952, “Ulya” is not a typical biopic.
“I don’t think I could ever make a nice, typical biopic. My interest lies in arthouse films. I wasn’t really thinking about sports either. I wanted to tell a Werner Herzog-esque story about a giant girl living in the countryside,” Kairišs told Variety.
Semjonova was known for her size; she stood at seven feet tall. But it also made her a bit of a recluse.
“I’ve been wondering how to get into her head. I wanted it to be very, very subjective. To stick to her point of view, we used what we called ‘crazy cameras’ and slightly out-of-focus shots. Finding the landscape of her inner soul was a very concrete task.”
It was not Kairišs who came up with the idea of making a film about Semjonova. It was the long-held dream of his lead, Kārlis Arnolds Avots.
“When I became the artistic director of the Dailes Theatre, I was looking for actors and he was outstanding. During our first meeting, when I asked him to join our ensemble, he said: ‘You know, I would like to play Ulyana Semjonova.’ Then I forgot all about it,” recalled Kairišs.
“In theatre, it’s not unusual for men to play women. It goes back to Shakespearean times. A few years later, he played in my film ‘January’. At one point, while I was resting, I heard Kārlis talking to our DP, explaining this idea to him again. That’s when I realized: It’s a film!”
Other collaborators still needed convincing, though. “Everyone wanted us to make a standard biopic. I understand it. It could be a good film, but it wouldn’t be my film. We set out to make a film about a girl and we just had to believe in it.”
As proved by a photograph of Semjonova with Kārlis Arnolds Avots, added at the end of the film, she actually gave them her blessing. She passed away in January, 2026.
“She trusted us. It must have been strange to have us come over and say: ‘And a boy will be playing you.’ But it quickly became clear why it made sense,” said Kairišs.
“I actually saw Kārlis yesterday. He’s been filming [the Viking series] ‘Bloodaxe,’ so he has a long beard and he’s really big right now. But he always felt close to her somehow. He knew how it felt to be treated as a ‘giant’.”
Or simply as an outsider. To Kairišs’ surprise, “Ulya” has managed to connect with all kinds of viewers, regardless of their size. “Everyone is struggling with something they want to hide, but it’s probably the best part of who they are,” he said.
“We had incredible reactions everywhere in Latvia. This film is a blockbuster – we’re already the second most-watched film in history. It was the same at Cannes, Rome and Los Angeles. None of my previous films have received this kind of response. Even my daughter said to me: ‘It’s about me, too.’ We touched upon something that’s very modern and very universal.”
Kairišs added: “There’s so much pressure today to look the same and like the same things. We live in times that try to kill all the difference. Everyone struggles with their identity or feels like a ‘freak’. We just have to learn to trust this freak and embrace it as the best thing about us, rather than trying to get rid of it.”
Viesturs Kairišs and actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots
Courtesy of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
