Ulya, a striking black-and-white picture directed by Viesturs Kairišs, has been selected as Latvia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The film will lead the opening night of the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, after its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Produced by Ego Media (LV), Allfilm (EE), Staroń Film (PL) and Tremora (LT), the title is being handled globally by B-Rated International.
Bold artistic choices transform a sports legend into an arthouse portrait
The story draws on the life of Ulyana Semjonova, the towering Latvian basketball star born in 1952 who stood an astonishing seven feet tall. Rather than a conventional biopic, Kairišs aimed for a Werner Herzog-style meditation on isolation and size.
“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,”
he explained, emphasizing the director’s desire to map the interior landscape of a ‘giant girl’ living in the countryside.
From theatre ambition to screen breakthrough: casting a male lead as Semjonova
The spark for the project originated with lead actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots. While serving as artistic director of the Dailes Theatre, Avots expressed a long-standing wish to embody Semjonova. Kairišs recalled,
“When I asked him to join our ensemble, he said: ‘You know, I would like to play Ulyana Semjonova.’”
The idea resurfaced during the shooting of Kairišs’s earlier film January, when Avots discussed the concept with the director of photography. Convincing the rest of the crew proved harder; many pushed for a traditional biographical format, but the team ultimately embraced the vision of a film about a girl, not a conventional sports story.
Worldwide distribution network and early audience reaction
Even before its festival debut, Ulya secured a sweeping slate of territorial deals: New Mountain Films for North America, Destiny for France, Invisible Carpet for Italy, ASFK for Slovakia, Five Star Distribution for the former Yugoslav region, Hea Film for Estonia, GPI for Lithuania, Teleview for the MENA market, Cinema Orion for Finland, 1989 for Poland, and Belas Arte for Brazil. The director noted a “blockbuster” response, describing the picture as the second most-watched film in Latvian history and reporting comparable enthusiasm in Cannes, Rome and Los Angeles. Even his daughter felt the impact, telling him, “It’s about me, too.”
Universal themes behind the towering figure
Beyond the specific biography, Kairišs believes the film speaks to broader questions of identity and belonging. “Everyone struggles with something they want to hide, but it’s probably the best part of who they are,” he said. In today’s culture of conformity, the narrative of a literal “giant” who feels like an outsider resonates with audiences of all sizes. The director stresses that embracing one’s perceived “freak” side can become a source of strength rather than shame.
Ulyana Semjonova, who granted the filmmakers her blessing, passed away in, a fact underscored by a final photograph of her with Avots added at the film’s conclusion. The combination of daring visual language, a non-standard storytelling approach, and an aggressive sales strategy positions Ulya as a landmark moment for Latvian cinema on the global stage.
