The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (known as PÖFF) has unveiled the full lineup of its flagship Official Selection, whose 18 features from 23 countries will compete for the coveted €20,000 ($21,600) Grand Prix.
They include 11 world premieres. The jury is helmed by acclaimed German director Christoph Hochhäusler.
Tiina Lokk, the founder and director of the festival, said “the Official Selection Competition has it all! There’s a psycho-thriller that approaches horror, a psychological family drama, and sci-fi genre is represented. The selection is broad, and so is the range of countries. We’re not trying to highlight a certain theme or a particular region, we are free in our choices,” she noted.
Emphasizing the various topics covered, Lokk cites old age, the end of life and euthanasia “perhaps due to the influence of COVID,” domestic violence and war, “not tackled in the traditional form” but rather via psychological dramas.
“Last year there were a lot of politically charged films, but this year the political situation in the world will not be reflected in this way,” she said.
Features with children at the core – usually included in the festival’s Just Film section dedicated to children and youth – are also part of the official selection through stories of bullying at school and children’s rights, among others.
High-profile world premieres include “Out of Control” by French actor-turned-director Anne Le Ny (“Those Who Remain”). In the thriller, Le Ny directs her acting partner in “Intouchables” Omar Sy as well as Vanessa Paradis, José Garcia and Elodie Bouchez. Set in Brittany, the story follows a couple whose marriage is threatened when the husband’s first love comes back to town.
“Pink Lady” is Israel’s top filmmaker Nir Bergman’s new feature after the Cannes selected “Here We Are.” Set in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, the comedy drama starring Nur Fibak, follows a young modern woman’s journey to self-discovery and liberation. Bergman is also known as the co-creator of the Israli hit series “In Treatment.”
From Latvia, “The Exalted” by Juris Kursietis (“Modris”) tells of a renowned German organist Anna who discovers her Latvian husband’s involvement in a corruption scandal, shaking the foundation of their life together. Toplining the international cast are Johanna Wokalek (“The Baader Meinhof Complex”), Katariina Unt (“Lioness”) and Pekka Strang (“Tom of Finland).
Tiina Lokk
Credit: Aron Urb
For the first time in four years, Estonian films made the cut in Official Selection.
The established Jaak Kilmi (“Disco and the Atomic War,” “The Sleeping Beast”) is coming with the ambitious period crime “Shadow” produced by leading outfit Taska Film. The story turns on Juhan Liiv, a struggling poet and an unlikely detective, investigating frightening murder cases in Estonia, the “wild west” of the Russian Empire in the 1890s. The feature opened domestically Oct. 18.
Estonian-Serbian co-production “Deaf Lovers” by Boris Guts is an erotic drama between a Ukrainian woman and Russian guy living in Istanbul, trying to navigate their mutual attraction, chaotic lives and past trauma. The Russian-born Guts, who left his country when war in Ukraine broke out, competed at PÖFF 2022’s Baltic competition with his thriller “Minsk”.
Among standout titles making their international premiere are two Italian features arriving in Tallinn straight from the Rome Film Festival.
“Reading Lolita in Tehran” by leading Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis (“The Syrian Bride,” “Lemon Tree”) toplines star actresses Zar Amir-Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”) and Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson,” “About Elly”). Based on Azar Nafisi’s autobiographical novel, the story turns on a teacher in Iran who secretly gathers a group of female students to read forbidden western classics.
Inspired by true events, “The Boy With Pink Pants” by Margherita Ferri turns on Andrea Spezzacatena, a boy who had just turned 15 when he took his own life. It was the first case in Italy of bullying and cyberbullying that led to the suicide of a minor. The triggering incident was his choice to wear a pair of red pants which turned pink due to a washing mishap.
Also due to screen in Tallinn after Rome, “100 Litres Of Gold” by the multi-awarded Finnish helmer Teemu Nikki (“Euthanizer”, “The Blind Man That Didn’t Want To See Titanic”) is a comedy about two middle-aged sisters and famous sahti-makers from Sysmä, Finland, desperate to find more of the famous liquid for the sister’s wedding.
Nikki’s earlier film “Death is a Problem for The Living,” screened last year at PÖFF’s official selection-out of competition.
The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has a total of six competition programs: the Official Selection, the new Doc@PÖFF, First Features, Baltic Competition, Rebels with a Cause and Critics’ Picks.
The festival runs Nov. 8-24, and its industry platform Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event Nov. 14 to 22.
Full List of Official Selection Titles:
“100 Litres of Gold,” (Teemu Nikki, Finland, IP)
“Buzzheart,” (Dennis Iliadis, Greece, IP)
“Can I Get a Witness,” (Ann Marie Fleming, Canada, IP)
“Deaf Lovers,” (Boris Guts, Estonia, Serbia, WP)
“Girl America,” (Viktor Tauc, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, IP)
“Empire of the Rabbits,” (Seyfettin Tokmak, Turkey, Croatia, Mexico, Lebanon, WP)
“Out of Control,” (Anne Le Ny, France, WP)
“Pink Lady,” (Nir Bergman, Israel, Italy, WP)
“Pyre,” (Vinod Kapri, India, WP)
“Reading Lolita in Tehran,” (Eran Riklis. Italy, IP)
“Seed of the Desert,” (Sebastian Parra, Colombia, WP)
“Shadow,” (Jaak Kilmi, Estonia, IP)
“Silent City Driver,” (Sengedorj Janchivdorj, Mongolia, WP)
“Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,” (Petersen Vargas, Philippines, Singapore, Italy, WP)
“The Boy with Pink Pants,” (Margherita Ferri, Italy, IP)
“The Exalted,” (Juris Kursietis, Latvia, Estonia, Greece, WP)
“The Loop,” (Sang Beom Koo, Korea, WP)
“The Mousetrap,” (Serhii Kastornykh, Ukraine, WP)
