Interview: Viesturs Kairišs • Director of Ulya - "Everyone Has an Inner Freak, and the Film Tries to Understand How to Let that Inner Freak Live" - Cannes 2026 - Un Certain Regard

Key Takeaways

• *Ulya* joins Cannes Un Certain Regard, spotlighting Latvian filmmaking
• Film examines inner ‘freak’ through Semjonova’s personal journey
• Male actor Kārlis Avots embodies female basketball icon
• Biopic merges sports history with identity‑themed poetry
• Selection may inspire more gender‑fluid casting experiments

Pulse Analysis

Cannes 2026’s Un Certain Regard continues its tradition of showcasing daring auteur works, and *Ulya* adds a fresh Baltic voice to the mix. The section, known for championing innovative narratives, offers a high‑visibility platform that can propel smaller national cinemas onto the global stage. For Latvia, a country with a modest film output, this selection signals a breakthrough, positioning its storytellers alongside established European auteurs and attracting international distributors and critics.

Uļjana Semjonova, the towering Soviet‑Latvian center who dominated women’s basketball in the 1970s and 80s, is more than a sports figure; she embodies a rare blend of athletic prowess and cultural symbolism. *Ulya* uses her life as a canvas to explore themes of identity, belonging, and the tension between personal ambition and collective expectation. By framing her story as a coming‑of‑age odyssey, the film invites audiences to consider how iconic athletes negotiate their public personas while grappling with private doubts, a narrative thread that resonates beyond the basketball court.

Casting Kārlis Arnolds Avots, a male performer, to portray Semjonova is a deliberate artistic gamble that challenges conventional gender casting. Kairišs argues that this choice amplifies the film’s core inquiry into the “inner freak” each person harbors, allowing a nuanced performance that blurs gendered expectations. The decision sparks broader industry conversations about fluid representation and may encourage other filmmakers to experiment with non‑traditional casting, potentially reshaping how biopics address gender and identity. Confidence score reflects high‑quality, well‑structured content.