# Latvian Oscar Submission ‘Ulya’ Sells Wide Ahead of Opening Tallinn: ‘This Film Is a Blockbuster’ (EXCLUSIVE)

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/latvian-oscar-submission-ulya-sells-wide-ahead-of-opening-tallinn-this-film-is-a-blockbuster-exclusive/
- Published: 2026-10-28T12:07:49+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T12:28:28+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/latvia-oscar-submission-ulya-viesturs-kairiss-tallinn-sales-1236930575/
- Topics: Americas, Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Europe, Film, World

## Key points

- *Ulya* has sold to 11 international territories.
- It will open Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
- The director says it is Latvia’s second most-watched film.

## Summary

Latvia’s Oscar submission, *Ulya*, has secured distribution deals across 11 territories and will open the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Its international sales and strong audience response matter for a film that takes an unconventional approach to the life of basketball player Ulyana Semjonova.

Directed by Viesturs Kairišs, the black-and-white film premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. It casts actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots as Semjonova, who stood seven feet tall and died in January 2026; the director says the film is now the second most-watched in Latvian history. Kairišs describes it as a subjective story about identity and feeling like an outsider, rather than a conventional sports biopic.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.