Ulya

Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2026

Original language: Latvian

Subtitles: Romanian, English

Directed by: Viesturs Kairišs

Country: Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania

Year of production: 2026

Length: 102 minutes

Genre: Biopic, Drama

Soviet Union, Latvia, 1964. Ulya, an Old Believer teenage girl nearing two meters tall, grows up on a faraway country farm. Her unusual height troubles her family, who wonder if there’s a place for her in the world. When her class photo reaches basketball coaches, Ulya is whisked to capital Riga to join a famous basketball team. Struggling with her height and identity, she trains hard, but realizes basketball can’t fulfill her dream of a normal life. After fleeing back home, Ulya discovers both village life and basketball see her only for her height. Accepting herself, she faces a choice: hide or aim to be the best basketball player in the world.

Credits

Viesturs Kairišs – Director

Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Livia Ulman, Andris Feldmanis – Script

Casting

Kārlis Arnolds Avots

Chulpan Khamatova

Aleksas Kazanavičius

Kaspars Dumburs

Artūrs Krūzkops

Shamil Khamatov

Alise Dzene

Dārta Cīrule