Baltic Film Festival 2014

The Baltic Film Festival makes its way to Sydney audiences at Dendy in Newtown, exhibiting impressive drama’s, documentaries, animations, comedies, and shorts from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

It begins with the Sundance Film Festival-nominated documentary The 
Other Dream Team, directed by Lithuanian-American
director Marius Markevicius. Featured on opening night, this production displays the Lithuanian
national basketball team and their journey captured through the lens from 1992, as they
struggle to get their bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

The festival concludes with Motherland, another documentary – this time from award-winning director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog). It is a film that explores Stenders’s Latvian-Australian heritage.

Many social and political issues are touched upon in this great selection of creative expression. There are a total of seven films over this unique four-day event, which also includes Q&A’s from Australian and international directors, as well as folk
dancers, Baltic music, and traditional cuisine. The Baltic Film Festival is a rare find, giving these countries some well-deserved exposure, and a following in Australia. (RBM)

Oct 15-18, Dendy Newtown, 261-263 King St, Newtown, $20-50, thebalticfilmfestival.com

BY ROCIO BELINDA MENDEZ