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Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival (known as PÖFF), the only A-list festival in Northern Europe, has unveiled its official selection and first feature competitions, taking in 21 world premieres and three international
premieres such as “Sh*t Happens” by Sundance selected José María Cabral (“Woodpeckers”), and British actor Ray Panthaki’s feature debut “In Starland.” In the prestigious official selection, the 12 world premieres from 15 countries (including co-producing territories), hail from Ireland, Estonia, Germany, Spain, to Iran, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Kazakhstan.
Theme-wise, the films explore “coming of age, family relationships and pressing social issues through distinctive perspectives. Strong mother figures recur throughout the selection, revealing tensions between love, responsibility, loyalty and independence,” said the festival in a statement.
“Discovery is at the heart of PÖFF’s Official Competition,” pointed out Triin Tramberg, the section’s curator, who takes over the festival’s overall artistic directing duties from the charismatic Tiina Lokk. “This year, we bring together established directors and filmmakers making their second features, creating a space where very different cinematic perspectives can meet,” she added, emphasizing the films’ “diversity in geography, style, subject,” shared strong sense of storytelling and exploration of “familiar things from an unexpected angle”. “For me, that is what makes festival cinema exciting: you come looking for one thing and leave having discovered something you didn’t know you were looking for,” she said.
Among hotly anticipated films are Dominican filmmaker Cabral’s first leap into dark comedy with “Sh*t Happens,” starring Fele Martínez (“Bad Education”); the Irish dramedy “One Sweet Hour” by Tribeca-selected Declan Recks, in which Gary Lydon (“Banshee of Inesherin”) plays an Elvis impersonator reconciling with his estranged brother, played by Brían F. O’Byrne (“Conlave”); and the social drama “A Job Well Done” by Swizerland’s Frédéric Baillif (“The Fam”).
Other strong contenders for the €20,000 ($22,500) Grand Prix include the psychological drama “No Me Without You” by Estonia’s Janno Jügens (“Rain”), and Iranian/Turkish social drama “I Just Want to Talk to My Mum,” starring Reyhaneh Parsa as an actress living in Turkey and desperately trying to track her mother in war-torn Iran.
Heading this year’s official selection jury is two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter Sir Christopher Hampton (“Dangerous Liaisons,” “The Father”), joined by U.S. cinematographer and VFX pro David Stump (“Breaking Bad,” “The Morning Show”), Lebanese producer Myriam Sassine (“Costa Brava”), French producer Julie Billy (“The Lobster,” “The Little Sister”) and Estonian actress Tiina Rauraite (“The Temptation of St Tony,” “Autumn Ball”).
Debuts to Watch
An equally appetizing First Feature competition was assembled by Malaika Bova in her first gig as curator of the section. “We received around 400 submissions from 86 countries, which gave us an incredible global scope to work with,” said the former artistic director of London’s Raindance Film Festival, who ended up with nine world premieres and three international premieres from 19 countries.
“With this competition, we wanted to draw on PÖFF global reach and curate a selection that honored a multifaceted and complex cinematic world, while making sure every single film had an emotional connection with our target audience. Looking back at the list of 12 films, we have managed to bring together wildly original stories, exciting debut directors and standout acting talent,” Bova told Variety.
Potential standouts take in the UK/US drama “In Starland,” directorial debut of veteran actor Ray Panthaki (“Colette,” “Boiling Point”, “Gangs of London”). “Sing Sing” breakout Clarence Maclin his first major role stars as Ernie (50) whose uneventful life in small-town America is turned upside down when he meets a group of online influencers.
In “When She Hears the Bells” (“Les clochettes de Kaboul”), rising helmer Chabname Zariab delivers what Bova calls a “high-tension thriller about a woman (Goldshifteh Farahani from “Paterson,” “Alpha”) risking absolutely everything to protect vulnerable children from abuse”, as Kabul falls to the Taliban. Le Pacte handles sales.
Meanwhile in the Ecuadorian queer drama “Princess” (“Ñusta“) by Christian Rojas tagged a “raw and electric film” by Bova, a young indigenous child in search of identity finds solace and a new home among a group of urban trans women.
The festival which will spotlight the Baltics as part of its 30th anniversary will open Nov. 6 with
the screening of Viesturs Kairišs’s “Ulya,” a co-production between Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania which premiered at the last Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
Full list of film in the Official Competition:
“A Job Well Done” (“Un travail exemplaire,” Switzerland), WP,
Directed by Frédéric Baillif for Alva Film, Freshprod, RTS
“Caballé” (Spain, Belgium, WP),
Directed by Patricia Ortega for Lantica Studios
“Drumskin” (“Cuero,”Argentina, WP)
Directed by Joaquín Cambre for Camerun Films
“I Just Want to Talk to My Mom” (Iran, Türkiye, WP)
Directed by Mohsen Rabiei for griffin Pictuees, KosKos Film
“No Me Without You” (mind ei ole sinuta,” Estonia, WP)
Directed by Janno Jürgens for Filmivabrik
“On Top of the Cliff” (“Sobre el acantilado,” Mexico, Peru, Switzerland, WP)
Directed by Enrica Perez for Sexto Sentido, in co-production with Martfilms, Aaron Film
“One Sweet Hour” (Ireland, WP)
Directed by Declan Recks for Samson Films
“Sh*t Happens” (“Comemierda,” Dominican Republic, WP)
Directed by José María Cabral for Lantica Studios
“Sinless” (A pokol élōvilága,” Hungary, WP)
Directed by Attila Hartung for Lupa Pictures
“The Assignment” (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, WP)
Directed by Patrice Toye for Menuetto, 2Pilots Filmproduction, Willy Waltz Int’l, Stenola Prods
“The Matriarch” (Die Matriarchin,” Germany, WP)
Directed by Alison Kuhn for Schiwago Film, Tidewater Pictures
“Where Is My Son?” (Kazakhstan WP)
Directed by Dias Bertis for Taurus Asia Production
First feature Competition Lineup:
“Black Slaughter” (France, Israel, WP)
Directed by Gigi Betito for Alcatraz Films, Betito Films
“Exotic” (Poland, Int’l P)
Directed by Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska for Mozaika Films
“In Starland” (UK, USA, WP)
Directed by Ray Panthaki for Le Bateau Lavoir, Archface Films, Killer Films
“Happy Ending” (Iran, WP)
Directed by Atena Mahmoudi, produced by Abdolreza Heydari
“Lionheart” (“Løvehjerte,” Denmark, Iceland, Int’l P)
Directed by Nagieb Khaja for Tookbox, ZikZak Filmworks
“Oblivion” (Užmarštis,” Lithuania, WP)
Directed by Danielius Minkevičius for Tremora
“Princess” (Ñusta,” Ecuador, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, WP)
Directed by Christian Rojas for Epopeya, oso Rojo Films, Woo Films, Casa Agua Florida, Hain Cine, Chao Pescao
“Running Wild” (Taiwan, WP)
Directed by Wang Yi-Ling for Film10 Production
“Status: Rejected” (Philippines, Int’ P)
Directed by Vahn Leinard Pascual for Black Cap Pictures, Clever Minds Productions
“The Sweetness of Bitter Things” (North Macedonia, WP)
Directed by Andrey Volkashin for Veda Film Productions
“When She Hears the Bells” (Les clochettes de Kaboul,” France, Germany, Belgium, WP)
Directed by Chabname Zariab for Alta Rocca Films, Starhaus Filmproduktion, Versus (Opus)
“White as Salt” (“Tograğin Tuzu,” Türkiye, WP)
Directed by Murat Eroğlu for Eroğlu Film
