Linda Olte

Writer / Director

Latvia

Linda Olte is a Latvian filmmaker, writer, and editor known for her human-focused and socially aware storytelling. She has worked for many years at Latvian National Television, making documentaries, series, and programs, while also collaborating with different film studios as a director and editor. Her documentary My Father the Banker (2015) won the National Film Award for Best Editing. Her debut feature film Sisters (2022) premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival, where it won Best Film in the First or Second Feature Competition and the International FIPRESCI Jury Award. Sisters has been shown at many international festivals and received multiple awards. In 2023, Linda won the Latvian National Film Award for Best Director. She is currently working on her new film The Child—a story about a couple struggling with infertility.

Project

Breathless 2

Latvia, 1995. In a conservative Baptist church, where young people are urged to remain pure until marriage, Anna (17) and Krista (17) share friendship, faith, and music. They teach Sunday school together, sing in services, and share their dreams. But when Krista’s boyfriend, Arthur, also from their church, begins to pursue Anna, she crosses a line she never imagined she would. As their relationship develops, Anna feels isolated by silent judgment of the congregation and struggles with the feeling that she has betrayed not only her closest friend but also God. Meanwhile, Krista drifts into dangerous nights, estranged from her family and herself. When Krista is arrested and found to be pregnant, Anna reaches out, and slowly the distance between them begins to close. Months later, Anna is with her during a difficult birth — a gentle moment that marks a new beginning.