Baltic producers hail short films as engines of co-production
- CANNES 2026: Speakers at the Baltic Pavilion argued that stronger collaboration networks and a thriving short-film ecosystem are helping Baltic cinema gain unprecedented visibility abroad
At a Cannes Marché du Film panel hosted by Baltic Shorts, industry professionals from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania reflected on the international rise of Baltic cinema, arguing that the region’s growing visibility stems not only from stronger films, but also from increasingly sophisticated co-production networks and talent development initiatives.
Held on 17 May at the Baltic Pavilion, the discussion – titled “Why the Baltics? Co-producing and Connecting with Baltic Talent” – gathered producers, festival representatives and short-film advocates to examine why international partners are paying closer attention to the region’s filmmakers, particularly in the short-film domain.
Moderating the conversation, Lauma Kaudzite, head of the Riga International Film Festival’s short-film programme and managing director of the Short Film Conference, noted that Baltic cinema is enjoying a “golden age”, fuelled by internationally resonant storytelling and a new generation of filmmakers finding their voice. She stressed that, beyond the films themselves, the Baltics are also developing “new models of collaboration” and a growing openness to cross-border work.
Estonia's 2026 Producer on the Move, Marianne Ostrat, founder of Alexandra Film (see the interview), argued that her country occupies a unique cultural and professional position between Northern and Eastern Europe. She described Estonian crews as highly adaptable and praised the country’s production culture, saying she often returned to the same collaborators because working with them felt “like driving a Bentley”. While acknowledging that strong creative talent can emerge anywhere, she stressed the importance of identifying the right collaborators and building long-term partnerships.
Lithuanian producer Greta Akcijonaitė, partner at Magic Film, highlighted the importance of institutional backing and film schools in strengthening the region’s short-film output. According to her, Baltic shorts increasingly stand out internationally thanks to their technical quality and strong cinematographic traditions.
Latvian producer Alise Ģelze, founder of White Picture, suggested that younger filmmakers had finally begun embracing a more distinct Baltic identity after years of looking either westward or away from their Soviet past. She argued that the emergence of this clearer cultural identity could now be felt across the region’s debuts and short films, making Baltic cinema increasingly recognisable internationally.
Next, Rimantė Daugėlaitė, head of Lithuanian Shorts and the Baltic Pitching Forum, pointed to recent festival breakthroughs as a turning point for Lithuanian and Baltic cinema more broadly. She cited the selection of Vytautas Katkus’s Community Gardens at Cannes in 2019 and Laurynas Bareiša’s Dummy in Berlinale Shorts in 2020 as moments when Baltic filmmakers began gaining stronger international recognition. In her view, the region has finally “found [its] voice for this original cinematography [and] storytelling”.
From the perspective of an international festival programmer, Julie Rousson, of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, confirmed that Baltic submissions had evolved significantly in recent years. She described the films as visually bold, and rooted in local traditions and history, while simultaneously looking towards the future, particularly in animation. Rousson added that international professionals could clearly “feel something is happening at the moment” in the region.
The conversation repeatedly returned to the importance of co-production. Ģelze argued that, because Baltic industries remain relatively small, producers are effectively “forced to co-produce”, though she rejected the idea that co-productions are a burden. Instead, she described them as creatively enriching experiences that push directors and producers alike to strengthen projects through external perspectives and partnerships. “It’s almost stupid not to co-produce films,” she remarked.
Several speakers highlighted short films as a crucial testing ground for future collaborations and feature debuts. Akcijonaitė described Baltic short-film ecosystems as particularly healthy because filmmakers can progress from development and pitching forums to festivals and eventually feature projects within a connected support structure.
The panel also showcased concrete examples of Baltic successes. Ostrat discussed her collaboration with Lithuanian company Art Shot on Anu-Laura Tuttelberg’s porcelain stop-motion trilogy, the second instalment of which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2024 and went on to screen at more than 100 festivals while also becoming Oscar-qualified. Meanwhile, Akcijonaitė celebrated the selection of a Lithuanian short – Class Photo, helmed by Arnas Balčiūnas and staged by Morta Verbickaitė – by the Critics’ Week as another milestone for Baltic cinema.
Funding challenges nevertheless remain uneven across the region. Ostrat lamented the lack of minority co-production support for live-action shorts in Estonia, calling for the creation of a dedicated Baltic short-film co-production fund. Lithuania, by contrast, was presented as comparatively flexible, with minority co-production schemes and accessible tax incentives supporting both local and international productions.
The discussion concluded with a focus on future initiatives, including the Baltic Emerging Producers Training Programme, set to launch this autumn within the context of the Baltic Pitching Forum. Daugėlaitė said the initiative aimed to encourage emerging producers to build international collaborations earlier in their careers and strengthen the region’s increasingly interconnected ecosystem.
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