The lineup includes three world premieres: Martin Kuba's Ukraine-set noir Three Weeks Under The Sea, Laura Hyppönen's Lex Julia, about a woman who recognises her friend's partner as the man who raped her 15 years earlier, and the Greece-Latvia science-fiction film The Flaw from Theophilos Papastylianos, starring David Dawson.

Latvia's heist caper Kingpins by Kristiāns Riekstiņš will have its international premiere.

According to Screen Daily and Hollywood Reporter, five films in the competition are directed by filmmakers from outside the Baltic countries, with Baltic talent and expertise playing significant roles in production.

Curator Edvinas Pukšta says the selection demonstrates "the strength of Baltic co-productions and the growing contribution of our filmmakers to international cinema," with Baltic producers, actors and cinematographers increasingly involved in ambitious international projects.

Film New Europe adds that the programme ranges from accessible entertainment to challenging works, spanning political drama, comedies, film noir, a punk-rock drama and science fiction with Asian influences.

The 12 titles, corroborated across Screen Daily, Hollywood Reporter and Eye For Film, are: Three Weeks Under the Sea (Czechia-Slovakia-Poland-Lithuania, dir. Martin Kuba); Amathia (Serbia-Estonia, dir.

Dean Radovanović); Dice-Ching-O-Mat (Lithuania-Latvia-Estonia, dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas); Dirt In Your Face (Estonia-Latvia, dir.

Jaak Kilmi); How to Divorce During the War (Lithuania-Luxembourg-Ireland-Czechia, dir. Andrius Blaževičius); Kingpins (Latvia); Lex Julia (Finland-Poland-Estonia-Sweden, dir.

Laura Hyppönen); Supporting Role (Georgia-Estonia-Türkiye-Switzerland-USA, dir. Ana Urushadze); The Bog (Latvia-Germany-Estonia, dir.

Reinis Kalviņš); The Child (Latvia-Lithuania, dir. Linda Olte); The Flaw (Greece-Latvia); and Vesna (France-Lithuania-Estonia, dir.

Rostislav Kirpičenko).

The Baltic Film Competition jury is led by producer Mariette Rissenbeek and includes Paul Gallagher, head of programme for Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Film Festival, and Istanbul-based filmmaker Ali Vatansever, whose LifeLike won Best Director in Tallinn's Official Competition in 2025.

The jury will award the best Baltic feature film prize, a €5,000 grant from Piletilevi. The competition, first introduced in 2008 and re-established in 2018, forms a central part of Focus: Baltics, which spotlights Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2026, according to Film New Europe.

Baltic cinema reaches well past the regional strand this year.

Film New Europe reports the Critics' Picks Competition presents ten world premieres, including Estonia's Eeva Mägi with Mo Amor, while the Rebels with a Cause section offers nine world premieres, among them Sounds of the Desert, a Lithuanian-Norwegian co-production from Emilija Škarnulytė.

DMovies highlights The Bog, a detective thriller drawing on a distinctive landscape; The Child, Linda Olte's study of the complexities of having a child; and this year's Lithuanian Oscar submission, How to Divorce During the War.

Pukšta also notes "strong and visible support to Ukraine in this year's Baltic films."

The festival runs November 6-22 in Tallinn, Estonia, and remains Northern Europe's only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival, according to Film New Europe.

DMovies says its critic Romey Norton will review the Baltic Competition as it unfolds, watching for the films, performances and creative choices that deserve a wider audience.

Baltic productions and co-productions will also feature across the wider festival programme, alongside the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event platform, whose co-production market has presented its 2026 project selection — a signal that Baltic co-producing momentum extends well beyond the competition slate.