Click here to read the full article.
Tribeca-winning helmer Darko Lungulov, behind Serbia’s Oscar candidate “Here and There,” and Lithuania’s Ernestas Jankauskas (“Troll Farm,” “I Am Fine, Thanks,” “Sasha Was Here”) are among a handful of seasoned filmmakers
set to pitch their works in progress at Tallinn’s Baltic Event industry showcase Nov. 19, next to a swathe of exciting new voices. Those take in Bafta-nominated Welsh helmer Josh Trigg, Naomi Kawase’s protégé, coming to Tallinn with the Japanese language “Leopard Spots,” and Basque newcomer Marina Palacio with “And Thus It Will Go On” produced by Gariza Films (“Sisters,” “20,000 Species of Bees”). Meanwhile Lithuanian talent to watch and American Film Institute graduate Saulius Baradinskas, Golden Lion candidate in Venice for his short “Techno Mama,” will pitch his feature debut “Concrete Music,” a crime drama and musical set in 1990s post-Soviet Lithuania. Split across the Baltic Event Works in Progress, International Works in Progress and Just Film Works in Progress for kids and youth, this year’s rich works in progress lineup takes in 16 projects in production or post-production, selected from more than 100 submissions from all around the world. “The final selection is a great blend of different genres from psychological dramas to dark comedies and satiric self-reflections,” said works in progress co-managers Kärt Väinola and Helen Räim, who received a slew of entries from Southeast, Central Europe, Latin America and Spain. One Basque project “And So It Will Go On,” made it into the International Works in Progress, a nice addition said the co-honchos as the Basque region is spotlighted at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival. Turning on overarching themes, Väinola and Räim said “the theme of family and especially the bond between parent and child runs through the whole selection, as a source of both fear and freedom.”
They also pointed at mortality and loss, “treated with rare lightness in several films,” notably in the dark comedies “A Midnight Pilgrimage,” “Marry Then Die,” “Burlaks” and “The Elderly Store,” or in the drama with fantasy elements “The Reef.” “Time and memory also appear as important central subjects in “And So It Will Go On,” and “Luci Looped in Limbo,” they observed.
For the first time, all 16 works in progress will be pitched the same day — Thursday Nov. 19 — in the morning and early afternoon to leave the filmmakers more time to discuss, mingle and create new partnerships before the Baltic Event closing ceremony Nov. 20.
Full rundown of the works in progress:
International Works in Progress
“And Thus It Will Go On” (“Y así seguirán las cosas,” Marina Palacio, Spain)
Directorial debut of rising talent Palacio, produced by high-profile Basque outfit Gariza Films (“20,000 Species of Bees,” “Sisters”). Won “most promising project” at Tallinn-Baltic Event Script Pool 2022.
Hybrid pic shot over several years in which a child, Germán, lives isolate in a village, surrounded by adults and elderly people. Once reunited with his old friends in the endless fields, play becomes his way of discovering and understanding life. “Marina’s cinematic vision and storytelling skills, makes this movie a coming of age full of magic, truly hypnotic,” says exec producer Ana Angulo Umaran.
“Leopard Spots” (Josh Trigg, Japan, U.K.)
Sophomore pic from Welsh helmer Trigg, after his breakthrough film, the Bafta-nominated “Satu-Year of the Rabbit.” Produced by On Par Productions, Kingyo Films, Geronimo Boy Film. Following “Satu-Year of the Rabbit”’s top accolade at the Nara Int’l Film Festival, prominent Japanese helmer Naomi Kawase and Nara founder invited Trigg to direct “Leopard Spots” in Japan. Shot in 16mm in a small factory town in Nara, the pic “combines British social-realist sensibility with contemplative Japanese cinema,” says Toby Cameron who produces with Aiko Flores Yoshioka, Ruth Yoshie Linton. The story turns on single mother Lilly who grapples to keep her daughter close in a bitter-sweet tale of failed redemption.
“Luci Looped in Limbo” (Théo Gottlieb, France)
Feature debut of rising talent Gottlieb, starring Luzja Richter (“Phantom Thread,” “Vikings: Valhalla”) Bella Kim (“Winter in Sokcho”) and seasoned actor Pascal Grégory (“One Fine Morning,” “La vie en rose”).
Produced by Yoel Servadio for Hiersoir Films, in co-production with 84 Films.
Luci, a physicist obsessed with changing the past, must learn to accept the present.
This is a pic “rooted in a deeply personal story that explores universal themes of love, loss, and acceptance, with the ambition of resonating with a broad international audience,” says Servadio. “Bringing together a French and Korean cast in a multilingual narrative, it blends science fiction with an intimate love story unfolding across a lifetime. Rather than using time travel and sci-fi as a spectacle, the film explores our desire to hold on to what inevitably changes, combining a high-concept premise with emotional depth and a distinctive multicultural identity.”
“Požari” (“Fires,” Nina Tratnik, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia)
Debut feature. As wildfires close in on Podgorica, Ana (18) has to take care of her dying grandmother, secretly recording her parents on her phone, and uncovering the desires and long-buried tensions tearing her family apart. Produced by Code Blue production with Era Film, Cinnamon-CinneRent, Radio & Television Montenegro.
“Without You” (“Uden Dig,” Nil Holst-Jensen, Denmark)
Psychological thriller from the director of the TV series “Where Were You.” Produced by Daniel Mühlendorph for Hyæne Film. Sine feels trapped by motherhood due to her demanding daughter, Ida. When Ida suddenly disappears, Sine’s world is shattered, yet her lost freedom, old friends, and acting career unexpectedly return. Everything she ever wanted comes within reach, as long as Ida doesn’t return.
“The Elderly Store,” (Karylar dukonu,” Amanbek Azhymat, Kyrgyzstan)
Sophomore feature by Azhymat whose debut “Backstage Madness” screened at PÖFF in 2025. Absurd and darkly humorous drama, offering an unconventional take on aging, loneliness and human dignity. “At the center of the film is a paradoxical world in which an elderly person must prove his usefulness in order to earn the right to continue living,” says associate producer Elvira Mamytova.
Baltic Event Works in Progress
“A Midnight Pilgrimage” (“Öised rännakud,” Katrin Ruus, Estonia)
Poetic tragicomedy from newcomer Ruus, written by Estonia’s prominent filmmaker Peeter Urbla, recipient of a PÖFF Lifetime Achievement in 2022. Urbla and Sander Lebreht produce for Exitfilm. When tragedy strikes, a carefree journalist must step up to anchor his family and rebuild his world. Toplining the cast are Indrek Sammul and Kristina Preimann. “Katrin Ruus looks at a man’s grief with patience and tenderness, and lets the audience stay with him long enough to understand him. At a time when everyone is asking where men fit in, this film doesn’t lecture. It listens,” says Lebrecht.
“Marry Then Die” (“Apprecēties un mirt”, Elza Gauja, Latvia)
Gauja who won best film at the Latvian Film Awards 2024 for “Postcard from Rome,” comes back with a dark romantic tragedy built around an unusual pact. Zigis, a charming drifter, will help Anya, a suicidal widow, to end her life, but only if they marry first! Produced by one of Latvia’s most established outfits VFS Films. “Elza Gauja’s distinctive directorial style-warm, playful and deeply attentive to human contradictions-allows difficult subjects to coexist naturally with humour and tenderness,” says Līva Vernere who produces with Uldis Cekulis. Pitched at the 2024 B.E. Co-Production Market.
“Concrete Music” (“Betono muzika,” Saulius Baradinskas, Lithuania, Italy)
Feature debut from one of Lithuania’s most exciting new voices, American Film Institute graduate Baradinskas, who’s short “Techno Mama” bowed in Venice. Crime drama and musical set in 1990s post-Soviet Lithuania starring Domantas Starkauskas. Musically gifted teenager Rokas, runs away from his mafia family to use music as a way to take revenge on his father, responsible for his mother’s death. Italy’s Andrea Gori (Lumen Films) co-produces; the music is composed by Andrea Boccadoro.
“Burlaks,” (“Burlaki,” Gatis Ungurs, Latvia, Georgia)
Mythological modern comedy by debut helmer Ungurs about flawed hero Miervalds, a sawmill worker who, disgusted by his boring life, embarks on a journey to a mythical mountain village where he becomes a wager between God and the Devil.
Kristele Pudane -Cannes Latvian Producer on the Move 2025- produces with Dace Siatkovska for Sunday Rebel Films, in co-production with Georgia’s Half Alien Films.
“Paraiso, Outer Space,” (Carlos E. Lesmes, Estonia)
Experimental and personal film by Colombia-born Estonia-based Lesmes whose doc “A Loss of Something Ever Felt,” premiered at Hot Docs 2020. “A walk in the Bardo illuminated by city lights, a sea of connections that look like people,” reads the logline.
Produced by the helmer and Lili Pilt for Tin Can and Hare Films.
Just Film Works in Progress
“Uncle Egg,” (“Onkel Egg,” Torfinn Iversen, Norway, Germany)
Sophomore pic by Norwegian writer/director Iversen, Crystal Bear nominated in 2017 with “Oskar’s America.”“Game of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju stars as the titular character, the eccentric Uncle Egg, who travels to Germany with his nephew Hauk (12) from Northern Norway, to help him find his biological father. Martin Müller The search turns into quite a challenge as 25,000 men in Germany carry the same name. Produced by Fjordic film.
“The Queen of England Stole My Parents” (“Anglijos karalienė pagrobė mano tėvus,” Ernestas Jankauskas, Lithuania)
From one of Lithuania’s leading production and serving outlets Dansu Film, co-producer of Netflix’s “Clark” and producer of Lithuania’s first high-quality TV show “Troll Farm” helmed by Jankauskas. Feature spinoff of the helmer’s short film of the same name, which bagged best short at the Lithuanian Film Awards 2014. Deeply personal film about adoption co-penned by producer Gaibja Siurbyte -Jankauskas’ partner. Smiltė (10), an adopted girl embarks on a journey to save her biological parents from the Queen of England.
“The film follows a girl in foster care through a magical, often absurd adventure. It’s funny, but it doesn’t look away from what she’s going through,” says Viktorija Rimkutė who produces with Siurbyte. The script is co-penned by Aleksandra Chmielewska.
“The Reef” (“Strandgut,” Phillip Donnellon, Germany, Estonia, Finland)
From the director of the Palme d’or short film nominated “Bird in the Wire.”
Adapted by Michael Kinirons from the novel ”Karikko” by Seita Vuorela. Produced by Eyrie Entertainment, in co-production with Stellar Film Tack Films, and Gretchenfilm, in association with Split Second Films Limited. Little Dream Pictures handles German distribution, Yle Finnish TV rights and Epsilon Film world sales.
Producer Daniel Ehrenber says the pic uniquely “brings together two things that don’t often go hand in hand in films for young audiences: the excitement of a gripping adventure and an honest exploration of grief and loss. Inspired by the imaginative tradition of stories like “Peter Pan” and “The Brothers Lionheart,” it takes young audiences on a journey that is thrilling, mysterious and full of wonder, while gradually revealing a deeply emotional story at its heart.”
“1970,” (Darko Lungulov, Serbia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia)
From the acclaimed director of “Here and There” (Best N.Y. Narrative at Tribeca), Karlovy Vary-selected “Monument to Michael Jackson.”
Set in 1970 Yugoslavia, it follows Draško (13), who, abandoned by his parents, runs away with Erzika (16). Drifting from place to place, swept into anti–Vietnam War protests during Nixon’s visit, free love, wild rock concerts, and decadent parties, his journey home becomes an awakening to heartbreak, loss, and freedom. “Although set more than 50 years ago, it is very much a story about today as it takes us back to a time when young people believed in the possibility of changing the world,” said the helmer, who was inspired by his own childhood memories. “Set against the backdrop of Yugoslavia’s counterculture movement, this intimate coming-of-age story speaks to a new generation struggling to find its voice and its place in a world that often seems to offer little hope.” Produced by Lungulov and Snezana van Houwelingen for This and That Productions with Papa Films (Serbia), Mirage Film (Hungary), Samsa Film (Luxembourg), PomPom Film (Croatia).
“All Girls,” (Всички момичета,” Boyana Avdjieva, Bulgaria)
Social drama from actor-turn director Avdjieva who stars in it. Produced by On Pointe Productions. Avdjieva describes her pic as a “raw, distinctly female portrayal of adolescent friendship, the intensity of girlhood and the heartbreak of bonds that fall apart, set against the social realities of 2000s post-socialist Bulgaria as the country steps into the EU.”
“Inspired by the events of the 2001 “Indigo” club tragedy in Sofia and similar recent cases in Europe, this independently made Bulgarian debut brings together exclusively young talent to tell a story of a generation’s fragile hope for a better future and the cost of continuing to believe in it,” she adds.
