Programming the Baltic Film Festival: delineating mainstream and community festivals

Abstract

This paper analyses the development of the inaugural Baltic Film Festival in Sydney. An analysis of the festival and the decisions behind the programming of the films helps to position it within a typology of film festivals. This is done through a discussion of how the Baltic Film Festival connects with the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian diasporas in Sydney, as well as with mainstream Australian audiences. Through this discussion, the author aims to delineate how the Baltic Film Festival is positioned between a mainstream and community event.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Klara is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. Her Ph.D. examines the effects globalisation has had on the contemporary Latvian film industry. More broadly, her research is driven by a passion for understanding how different forms of media are used to construct and discuss identity. Her most recent publication is a chapter on deterritorialisation and metaphysical migration in Latvian film published in European Cinema After the Wall: Screening East-West Mobility. She is also the Director of the Baltic Film Festival in Australia.