Every year, Baltic Sea Docs brings together documentary professionals from the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and beyond – over 20 countries. As in previous years, the project selection features a strong presence from the Baltic states, Ukraine, Finland, Poland, among others.

Forum manager and member of the project selection committee, Zane Balčus reflects on this year’s selection:

“The theme of borders is strongly present in the submitted projects this year, both through engagement with current geopolitical developments and within historical contexts. This reflects the fragile and unstable state in which we are living today.

While personal stories in which the filmmaker is also the main protagonist or an active narrator are not a new trend, this approach was also particularly noticeable this year. It offers insight both into the realities faced by families today and into earlier historical periods that have affected the filmmakers and their loved ones.”

Questions of war, memory and borders emerge in projects such as Oleksiy Radynski's Ravine and Tower and Ivars Zviedris' The Crust of Europe, while Cords of Bliss by Kyrgyz filmmaker Janyl Jusupjan offers an intimate family story centred on her relationship with her brother, a renowned traditional musician living with hearing loss. The selection also embraces a range of cinematic approaches, from Vladimir Loginov's P, a visually rich journey through the creation of a piano, to Lunatics, in which Finnish filmmaker Saila Kivelä explores women's health through the lens of science and space exploration.

The full list of selected projects for this year's edition of Baltic Sea Docs is available below and on the forum's website.

Baltic Sea Docs pitching sessions will take place on 10–11 September. In preparation for the pitches, the selected project teams will join a workshop led by international industry experts – the experienced documentary film consultant Tue Steen Müller and documentary developer Mikael Opstrup (Denmark). The tutor team will also include filmmakers Alexander Nanau (Romania/Germany) and Emma Davie (UK), as well as film editor Phil Jandaly (Sweden).

The forum will be attended by film experts – film sales agents, representatives of international television broadcasters, festivals, and producers from across Europe and other parts of the world. Among them will be representatives of Japan’s NHK, Germany’s SWR, Ireland’s TG4, as well as film sales companies Rise and Shine (Germany), filmdelights (Austria), Mediawan (France), and others.

For the first time in Baltic Sea Docs, ARTE will present an award to support the development of one of the projects. Following the first ARTE European Talent Development Award handed out in DocsBarcelona earlier in May, ARTE will continue scouting for stories and talents in regional hubs, and Baltic Sea Docs is the most prominent one of the Baltic area. Selected from the main pitch, the winning team will receive a €10,000 development grant in exchange for a first-look deal on the project.

The forum also continues its long-standing collaboration with the post-production service provider BBPostHouse. The company will select one project to receive post-production services valued at EUR 3,000. Additional partner awards will be announced closer to the start of the forum.

Baltic Sea Docs was established on the Danish island of Bornholm in 1997 as a satellite event of the Balticum Film & TV Festival, which had been taking place since 1990 with the aim of promoting documentary cinema from the Baltic States. For many of today’s Baltic producers and directors, the forum has played an important role in gaining international recognition. Special events will be held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the forum – on 9 September, a series of discussions will reflect on the development of the documentary film sector in the Baltic Sea region and in the wider European context, while also looking ahead to future opportunities and exploring ways of reaching more diverse and younger audiences through different formats. Additionally, in cooperation with the association Avantis, the forum will host a photography showcase by Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Bondarchuk and the opening of an exhibition dedicated to his work.

Alongside the industry forum, a public screening programme of recent creative documentaries will take place in Riga and several regional towns between 8–13 September.

Baltic Sea Docs is organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia and supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

  

Baltic Sea Docs 2026 | Selected Projects:

14,5 km Away From Our Dreams | Armenia, France

director Lilit Mkhitaryan, producers Lilit Mkhitaryan, Ruzanna Ghazaryan, production company Hayadoc, co-production company Les Films d’Ici

Borderline | Estonia, Finland

director Ville Seppänen, Johan Huimerind, producer Johan Huimerind, production company DOKFILM

 

Concrete Grassland | Georgia, France

director Shorena Tevzadze, producers Elene Margvelashvili (Parachute Film), Shorena Tevzadze (DiaFilm), co-producer Adriana Ferrares (Ceresa Film)

Cords of Bliss | Kyrgyzstan

director, producer Janyl Jusupjan, production company Chagaldak Production

 

The Crust of Europe | Latvia

director Ivars Zviedris, producer Liene Ulmane, production company Documentarian

 

Encounters/Departures | Lithuania, Poland

director Vita Maria Drygas, producer Teresa Rožanovska, production company Ketvirta Versija, co-producer Vita Żelakeviciute (Drygas Film Production)

Evening School | Ukraine

director Philip Dotsenko, producer Nadia Parfan, production company Phalanstery Films

Going Underground | Latvia, Estonia, Finland

director Armands Začs, producers Dārta Vijgrieze, Gints Grūbe, production company Mistrus Media, co-production companies Allfilm, Making Movies

House in a Bottle | Poland

director Anna Morawiec, producer Agata Jujeczka, production company Vision House Productions

Keepers of the City | Ukraine, Czechia

director, producer Ella Shtyka, production company Indie Media Polis, co-production company Safe Place production

Lunatics | Finland

director Saila Kivelä, producer Ida Karoskoski, production company Wacky Tie Films

Mariana's Lament | Finland

directors Antti Haase, Mariana Reyes, producer Kaarle Aho, production company Making Movies

Master of Ceremonies | Poland

director Katarzyna Piórek, producer Stanisław Zaborowski, production company Silver Frame

 

Meet Me at the Graveyard | Latvia

director Elza Gauja, producer Uģis Riekstiņš, production company Picture House

My Other, Perfect Me | Czechia, Lithuania, Slovakia

director Veronika Lišková, producer Martina Netíková, production company Cinémotif Films, co-production company Moonmakers

My Shadows Grow Faster Than Me | Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia

director Roman Bondarchuk, scriptwriters Darya Averchenko, Giedrė Beinoriūtė, producer Jurga Gluskinienė, production company Monoklis, co-producers Darya Averchenko (SOUTH FILMS), Uldis Cekulis (VFS Films)

Nadia Comaneci and the Secret Police | Italy, Latvia

director Simone Manetti, producer Raffaele Brunetti, production company B&B Film, co-producer Uldis Cekulis (VFS Films)

P | Estonia

director Vladimir Loginov, producer Janika Möls, production company Korraks film, co-production company Anthill films

Ravine and Tower | Ukraine, Lithuania

director Oleksiy Radynski, producer Lyuba Knorozok, production company Kinotron Group, co-production company Studija Kinema

See What I Say | Lithuania, Italy, Ukraine

director Arturas Jevdokimovas, producer Ringailė Leščinskienė, production company Zero Copy Reel, co-producers Giusi Santoro (POPCULT), Ivanna Khitsinska (WAYA Production)

The Shepherd’s Son | Azerbaijan

director Nurlan Hasanli, producer Turkan Huseyn, production company Ultra Production

 

Trains Towards The Night: On the Use of Images | Poland

director Patricia Venti, producer Karolina Rum, production company Alpha Productions

Two of Us | Lithuania

director Jūratė Samulionytė, producers Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė, Danielė Kunčinaitė, production company Just a Moment

COMING SOON | films in post-production stage from previous BSD editions      

Beautiful Stupid Thing | Estonia, Colombia

director Carlos E. Lesmes, producers Merili Laur, Carlos E. Lesmes, production company Tin Can, co-production company Altiplano

I See No Death | Ukraine, Latvia

director Yevhen Titarenko, producer Natalia Khazan, production company Braha Production Company, co-producer Guntis Trekteris (Ego Media)

Wise Guys | Latvia

director Ieva Ozoliņa, producer Madara Melberga, production company FA Filma