Ulya (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Ulya follows a giant girl from a secluded Russian Old Believer community who is drawn into professional sports. Based on the life of basketball player Ulyana Semyonova, the Latvian drama explores her struggle to adapt, compete and assert her remarkable willpower in a demanding new world.

Ulya is a 2026 drama inspired by the life of famous basketball player Ulyana Semyonova. Its story begins in an isolated rural community, where a girl of extraordinary height lives far from the modern world.

When she is taken into professional sports, her physical abilities become a public spectacle as well as a source of opportunity. The film follows her effort to adapt to that unfamiliar environment and establish herself through exceptional determination and athletic talent.

Ulya movie details

Story without spoilers

The film centers on a giant girl living in a wild rural setting within a Russian Old Believer milieu. Her secluded life changes when the modern world reaches the community and she is taken away to enter professional sports.

There, she encounters a system built around public entertainment and the testing of human physical and mental limits. Rather than remaining defined only by her unusual size, she demonstrates strong willpower and natural athletic ability, finding a way to adjust to the new circumstances. Ulya is presented as the story of Ulyana Semyonova, whose rise is shaped by both exploitation and remarkable sporting potential.

What to expect

Ulya is identified as a drama rooted in biography and sport. The premise combines a secluded rural setting with the pressures of professional competition, focusing on a young woman whose extraordinary physical stature attracts attention while her determination enables her to move through an unfamiliar world.

The supplied story also gives the film a critical edge: professional sport is compared with older forms of public spectacle in which people’s mental and physical limits become entertainment. Viewers can therefore expect a character-centered account of adaptation, ambition and athletic achievement without relying on a conventional sports-only setting.

Cast and creative team

Karlis Arnolds Avots plays Ulya, the central character based on basketball player Ulyana Semyonova. The cast also includes Chulpan Khamatova as Natālija, Aleksas Kazanavičius as Larions, Artūrs Krūzkops as Kārlis Karbergs, Kaspars Dumburs as Pauls Karpovičs, Shamil Khamatov as Pāvels, Alise Dzene as Maija, Madara Viļčuka as Ilze and Dārta Cīrule.

Viestur Kairish directs the film. The writing is credited to Karlis Arnolds Avots, Livia Ulman and Andris Feldmanis.

• Karlis Arnolds Avots as Ulya
• Chulpan Khamatova as Natālija
• Aleksas Kazanavičius as Larions
• Artūrs Krūzkops as Kārlis Karbergs
• Kaspars Dumburs as Pauls Karpovičs
• Shamil Khamatov as Pāvels
• Alise Dzene as Maija
• Madara Viļčuka as Ilze
• Dārta Cīrule

Release and production context

Ulya is listed as a 2026 release with a release date of September 15, 2026. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes and is classified as a drama. The film is associated with Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania, with Latvian listed as its spoken language.

Production companies are Ego Media, Allfilm, Staron Film and Tremora. The film is listed as released in its supplied metadata.

Production companies: Ego Media, Allfilm, Staron Film, Tremora

Ulya official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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Ulya presents the life of Ulyana Semyonova through the story of a girl whose unusual stature and athletic ability take her from an isolated community into the demanding world of professional sport. Its central conflict lies in how she responds to being observed, used and challenged while building a place for herself through determination.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb