The Tallinn Black Nights Movie Competition (aka PÖFF) has revealed the full lineup for its flagship Official Choice, whose 18 entries from 23 international locations will compete for the coveted €20,000 ($21,600) Grand Prize.
They incorporate 11 world premieres. The jury is headed by acclaimed German director Christoph Hochhäusler.
Tiina Lokk, founder and director of the competition, said “Official Contestants’ Choice has it all! There is a psychological thriller that touches on horror, a domestic psychological drama, and the science fiction style is represented. The choice is wide, as is the variety of countries. We are not trying to focus on a certain topic or specific area, we are free in our decisions,” she noted.
Emphasizing the various subjects covered, Lokk mentions old age, the end of life and euthanasia “perhaps due to the influence of COVID”, domestic violence and conflicts, “not addressed in the traditional way”, but relatively through psychological dramas.
“Last year there were several politically charged films, but this year the political situation in the world will not be reflected in this approach,” she said.
Features with children at their core – normally included in the Just Movie part of the competition dedicated to children and young people – are also part of the official selection through stories of school bullying and young people’s rights, among others.
High-profile world premieres include “Out of Management” by French actress-turned-director Anne Le Ny (“These Who Stay”). In the mystery, Le Ny directs his “Untouchables” partner 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 old flame returns to town.
“Pink Woman” is the new role of Israel’s leading filmmaker Nir Bergman, after Cannes picked “Here We Are.” Set in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, the comedy-drama starring Nur Fibak follows a stylish young woman’s journey toward self-discovery and liberation. Bergman is also known as the co-creator of the Israeli hit collection “In Therapy”.
From Latvia, “The Exalted” by Juris Kursietis (“Modris”) tells the story of a famous German organist Anna who discovers her Latvian husband’s involvement in a corruption scandal, shaking the muse of their collective life. At the top of the international cast are Johanna Wokalek (“The Baader Meinhof Complicated”), Katariina Unt (“Lioness”) and Pekka Strang (“Tom of Finland).
For the first time in four years, Estonian films were reduced in the Official Choice.
The renowned Jaak Kilmi (“Disco and the Atomic Conflict”, “The Sleeping Beast”) is coming with the formidable intermission crime “Shadow” produced by the main Taska Movie team. The story finds Juhan Liiv, a struggling poet and an unlikely detective, investigating the horrific circumstances of homicide in Estonia, the “wild west” of the Russian Empire in the 1890s. The feature opened domestically on October 18.
The Estonian-Serbian co-production “Deaf Lovers” by Boris Guts is an erotic drama between a Ukrainian woman and a Russian man living in Istanbul, trying to navigate mutual attraction, chaotic lives and past traumas. The Russian-born Guts, who left his country when the conflict in Ukraine broke out, competed in the PÖFF 2022 Baltic competition with his thriller “Minsk”.
Among the standout titles making their world premiere are two Italian options that arrive in Tallinn straight from the Rome Film Competition.
“Studying Lolita in Tehran,” from leading Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis (“The Syrian Bride,” “Lemon Tree”), highlights actresses Zar Amir-Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”) and Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson,” “About Elly ”). Based on Azar Nafisi’s autobiographical novel, the story involves an instructor in Iran who secretly brings together a group of students to learn forbidden Western classics.
Inspired by real events, “The Boy in Pink Pants” by Margherita Ferri stars Andrea Spezzacatena, a boy who had just turned 15 when he took his own life. It was the first case of bullying and cyberbullying in Italy that led to the suicide of a minor. The triggering incident was her choice to wear purple pants that had turned pink because of a washing accident.
Furthermore, thanks to the screens in Tallinn after Rome, “100 Liters of Gold”, by the multi-award-winning Finnish pilot Teemu Nikki (“Euthanizer”, “The blind man who didn’t want to see the Titanic”) is a comedy about two characters from the environment. Middle-aged sisters and famous sahti makers from Sysmä, Finland, decided to find more of the famous liquid for their sister’s wedding.
Nikki’s previous film “Dying is a Problem for the House” was shown last year at the official PÖFF contestant selection.
The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Movie Competition has a total of six contestant entries: the Official Choice, the new Doc@PÖFF, First Choices, Baltic Competitors, Trigger Rebels and Critics’ Choices.
The competition takes place from November 8th to 24th, and its business platform Business@Tallinn & Baltic Ocasião, from November 14th to 22nd.
Full list of official chosen titles:
“100 Liters 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)
“Lady America” (Viktor Tauc, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, IP)
“Empire of Rabbits” (Seyfettin Tokmak, Türkiye, Croatia, Mexico, Lebanon, WP)
“Outside management” (Anne Le Ny, France, WP)
“Pink Woman” (Nir Bergman, Israel, Italy, WP)
“Pyre,” (Vinod Kapri, India, WP)
“Studying Lolita in Tehran,” (Eran Riklis. Italy, IP)
“Seed of the Desert” (Sebastian Parra, Colombia, WP)
“Shadow” (Jaak Kilmi, Estonia, IP)
“Silent Metropolis Driver” (Sengedorj Janchivdorj, Mongolia, WP)
“Some nights I feel like going for a walk” (Petersen Vargas, Philippines, Singapore, Italy, WP)
“The Boy in 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)