The Third Annual New York Baltic Film Festival (NYBFF) presented by Scandinavia House returns in 2020 with a virtual version taking place in three sessions: October 15-18, October 29-November 1, and November 12-15. This year, the festival will expand beyond New York to offer a selection of the most exciting and relevant Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films to audiences across the U.S., to view in the comfort of their own homes.

2020 NYBFF invites viewers to look at the world through Baltic eyes and experience the full spectrum of human emotions – and, ultimately, feel inspired to hope, dream and seize the opportunity for positive change.

THIRD SESSION LINEUP:

LOOKING INWARD & FORWARD: BALTIC SHOWCASE - November 12-15

Truth and Justice (Tõde ja õigus, dir: Tanel Toom, Estonia, 2019)

Oleg (Oļegs, dir: Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Belgium/Lithuania/France, 2019)

The Lawyer (Advokatas, dir: Romas Zabarauskas, Lithuania, 2020)

Festival films will be available to ticket holders all over the U.S., with one ticket giving the holder access to all films in a package. Each session is limited to 300 tickets in an effort to preserve the intimate and communal NYBFF experience. The sessions will take place over four days (Thursday-Sunday), and all films from the session will be available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. Festival sessions will be accompanied by live and interactive virtual filmmaker Q&As and discussion panels.

Festival and Session Passes now on sale - don’t miss out ! Visit www.balticfilmfestival.com today.

Sign up for updates on the NYBFF website and follow NYBFF on Instagram and Facebook for announcements.

Website : https://www.balticfilmfestival.com

Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/NYBalticFF

Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/NYBalticFF

As Latvia celebrates its National Day on November 18, the #1 Box Office success in Latvia in the past 30 years and one of the most expensive productions in Latvian cinema’s history, Blizzard of Souls / Dvēseļu putenis, will premiere in an exclusive streaming event from November 11-29, 2020 for U.S. audiences.

Enjoyed by over 250,000 cinema attendees in Latvia since its release last November, this impressive adaption of the classical novel by Aleksandrs Grins tells the story of sixteen-year-old Arturs who enlists to fight in First World War with dreams of becoming a hero, but after surviving the brutalities of trench warfare and the loss of his family, he wonders if his efforts in battle were futile and if hope is only to be found in rebuilding a family and a home as Latvia itself is born from the atrocities of war. A powerful, visually stunning portrait of lost innocence that has drawn stylistic comparisons to Sam Mendes’ “1917”, an unforgettable, affecting Latvian perspective on ‘the war to end all wars.’

The film is in Latvian and with English (CC) subtitles. Available for rental from November 11 on www.blizzardofsouls.vhx.tv . You can watch for 7 days as many times as you wish after commencing the rental. Accessible to viewers across the U.S.

Blizzard of Souls is directed by Dzintars Dreibergs and in its production were involved filmmakers from around the world, including Emmy Award winning American-born Latvian music composer Lolita Ritmanis and Latvian-born scriptwriter and associate professor at NYU, Boris Frumin.

This exclusive screening event has been organized by the Consulate of Latvia in New York as part of the NY Latvian Organization’s celebration for the 102nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on November 18.

When: available for viewing Nov 11-29, 2020

Where: www.blizzardofsouls.vhx.tv

Tickets: $9.99 - watch within 7 days after purchase, as a many times as you wish

Accessible exclusively to viewers in the United States.

The New York Baltic Film Festival returns November 7-10, 2019 with another terrific line-up of films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at Scandinavia House.

The program includes 21 films - 12 full length films and 9 shorts - featuring 5 North American Premieres, 7 New York Premieres and 1 U.S. Premiere.

The festival’s Head of Programs Jūle Rozīte remarks:

“This year's program highlights the best from the Baltic States showing what a difference 30 years can make. The past is reworked into through-provoking narratives, and new directors find ever-new ways of looking at personal and societal identity weaving a colorful picture of what the Baltic States are today. Join us November 7-10 to experience these wonderful films and meet with their filmmakers at Scandinavia House.”

Visit the festival home page for the full screening schedule and purchase tickets today.

www.balticfilmfestival.com

The mobile passport station from the Consular Section of the Embassy of Latvia in Washington will be visiting New York on February 22-24, 2019.

This is your opportunity to renew your Latvian passport or apply for a new one if you have recently been granted Latvian citizenship.

All appointments to attend the mobile passport station must be submitted to the Embassy no later than by February 10, 2019. Do not email your appointment request to us - send them only to the Embassy.

Information on how to apply for your appointment and which documents are required can be found here on the Embassy's website.

When applying for your appointment time, you need to submit the following documents:

a) completed application form: click here.

b) copy of your current Latvian passport;

c) if you are applying for passport for the first time, a copy of your birth certificate;

d) proof of legal residency in the U.S.A. (US passport copy, valid US visa or residency document, Green Card etc.);

e) for children under 15 years of age, a letter from their parent giving permission for a passport to be issued to them.

Email or fax your appointment to the Consular Section of the Embassy:

Email: consulate.usa@mfa.gov.lv

Fax: +1-202-328-2860

The mobile passport station will be located at:

When: February 22-24, 2019

Where: Latvian Mission to the UN, 333 East 50th Street, New York NY 10022

No walk-ins permitted. You will be issued an appointment time when you apply to the Consular Section of the Embassy of Latvia in Washington.