Ulya, directed by Viestrus Kailis, which will make its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, has been handled by Paris-based sales agency B-Rated International.
The film is set in 1964 Latvia. Uriya is a nearly six-foot-tall teenage girl who grows up on a farm in the countryside. Her unusual height makes her family wonder if there is a place for her in this world.
The class photo reached the basketball coach, and Urya was taken to Riga to join the famous basketball team. Concerned about her height and identity, she trains hard but realizes that basketball won’t fulfill her dreams of living a normal life. After running away from home, Urya realizes that both village life and basketball are only for his height. Having accepted who she is, she is faced with the choice of hiding or striving to become the world’s best basketball player.
Gantis Trekteris, producer at Ego Media, said: “‘Uriya’ is unconventional in every way: casting, visual language, narrative structure. It proves once again that bold and ambitious goals are not easy to achieve, but in such cases it’s doubly satisfying when we succeed.”
“Uriya’s story had to be told. Inside each of us lives an unrecognized giant who fears a world too cruel and incomprehensible. But when we trust our inner giant, fear turns into hope,” Kailis said.
The writers are Livia Ullman, Andris Feldmanis, Karlis Arnolds Avotz, and the DOP is Wojtek Stalon. The producer is Guntis Trekteris of Latvia’s Ego Media, and co-producers are Pille Runk of Estonia’s All Film, Magorzata Staron of Poland’s Staron Film, and Ieva Norviliene of Lithuania’s Tremora.
Funders are Estonian Film Institute, Polish Film Institute, Lithuanian Film Center and Estonian Cultural Fund.
Arnaud Chevalier and Tanguy Renaud of B-Rated International said, “We immediately recognized the strength and powerful vision of this film. The film is a deeply moving story told through its pristine and striking black-and-white cinematography.”
“We are confident that this film will resonate strongly with audiences, especially in today’s difficult political climate. We need more films like ‘Ulya.'” This film struck us as one of those truly intelligent, tasteful and complete cinematic propositions that speaks to all of us indiscriminately. ”
