Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival: First Features, Docs Competition

One of Northern Europe’s leading festivals, the A-listed Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (also known as PÖFF) unspooling Nov. 8-24 in the Estonian capital, has unveiled its first features and inaugural documentary competition programs, each boasting an enticingly curated slate of 11 titles.

Among the seven world premieres selected for the First Feature strand are Germany’s “No Dogs Allowed” by student Academy Award nominated Steve Bache tackling the taboo subject of paedophilia in teen years; “Two of Me”, the humorous meta story of twin brothers dreaming to make it big in movies, helmed by Estonian twins “the Eskobros”; and “A Yard of Jackals”, Chilean thriller set during Pinochet’s dictatorship toplining Néstor Cantillana and Blanca Lewin from HBO’s “Fugitives” (“Prófugo”). 

Programmer Triin Tramberg said the First Feature selection committee watched 250 films from 66 countries, picking those with the biggest sales and distribution potential. 

“We don’t have industry people at the premieres like many other festivals, so we need to fill the seats with people who will actually want to discover new films in a theatre,” she stated, mentioning the tough competition from at least five festival movies screening simultaneously, and for Estonians slim disposable income for moviegoing due to the rocketing inflation and cost of living. “We prioritised stand-out movies and quality over quantity,” she said, while highlighting three female directorial debuts and the wide age gap, with filmmakers from 24 to 52 showcasing “a diverse range of experiences”.

Tiina Look, PÖFF festival manager reiterated the festival’s key mandate which is to support new filmmakers – especially those debuting in the global industry and films from low-production countries, “including small film gems” from the Baltic region.

Discussing the inaugural documentary competition strand, Lokk said it is meant to cater to “the long-standing demand on the international scene” for such a dedicated festival segment.

Among the six doc world premieres are Germany’s “With My Open Lungs”, a personal essay from Russian-born Yana Sad against war in Ukraine and in favour of love, “Murmuring Hearts”, the raw portrait of addiction by Vytautas Puidokas (“El Padre Medico”), and “Freight” by Switzerland-based U.S. born Max Carlo Kohal, about a teenage crew aboard a container ship.

“Our programming principle is to bring audiences cinematic, powerful documentaries that touch their emotions….We want both entertaining documentaries, as well as something for cinephiles, particularly those who appreciate the craft and technique in filmmaking,” said program curator Marianna Kaat.

Other competition programs to be announced ahead of PÖFF include the Official Selection, the Baltic Film, Critics’ Picks and Rebels with a Cause.

Here is a rundown of the first competing titles.

First Feature competition slate

“Ciao Bambino,” (Luciano Pistone, Italy, IP)

In the heart of Naples’s working-class district, Attilio, 19, is torn between loyalty to his father and his love for a young prostitute. Shot in black and white as his award-winning short “Le Mosche” (best director at Venice’s Critics Week), Luciano Pistone’s debut will come to Tallinn straight from the Rome Film Festival. Bronx Film (“Gomorra”) produces with Anemone Film and Mosaicon Film. Minerva Pictures handles sales.

“Corinna,” (Urzula Barba, Mexico, IP)

Coming-of age in which the 20-year-old Corinna (Naian González Norvind) dares to venture outside her comfort zone when she takes a job at a publishing house. Urzula Barba’s uplifting debut is produced by leading Mexican Mandarina Cine, with Cobra Films, Espectro Mx Film, and CM Films. The pic world premiered in Guadalajara.

“The House with No Address,” (Hatice Aşkın, Turkey, Greece, WP)

Set in a world where anyone found guilty of a major crime is erased from society, we follow the young prosecutor Alper (Boran Kuzum from the first Turkish Netflix original series “The Protector”), caught in a moral dilemma when his own mother gets convicted. Hatice Aşkın writers, directs and produces, next to Emre Oskay (Sky Films), Engin Altan Duzyatan, in co-production with Greece’s View Master Films.

“Lotus,” (Signe Birkova, Latvia, Lithuania, WP)

“Babylon Berlin”’s Severija Janušauskaitė stars as Alice von Trotta, an underdog silent film director, who strives to write an amazing screenplay and fights against government censorship. Billed as a “dreamlike musical carousel,” Signe Birkova’s avant-garde work uses an array of techniques to pay tribute to film masters such as Méliès and Hitchcock. Roberts Vinovskis and Dominiks Jarmakovičs produce for Studio Locomotive, with Lithuania’s leading Studio Uljana Kim.

“Mongrels,” (Jerome Yoo, Canada, IP)

The story told in three chapters is a “heartfelt and mysterious tale of Korean immigrants, centred on survival and spiced up with catching dogs,” runs the logline. “It’s a surreal tapestry that is woven together with inspiration from folk tales, fragments of personal memories and some dark curiosities,” said the Seoul-born helmer who first showcased his debut at the Vancouver Film Festival. Game Theory Films will handle the domestic release.

“No Dogs Allowed,” (Steve Bache, Germany, WP)

Oscar-Student nominee Steve Bache has teamed up with screenwriter Stephan Kämpf for this thought-provoking and authentic look at paedophilia in teenage years. Newcomer Carlo Krammling headlines the cast, next to Robin Sondermann and Katharina Marie Schubert. Schiwago Film (“A Coffee in Berlin”) is producing.

“Smaragda – I Got Thick and I Can’t Jump,” (Emilios Avraam, Cyprus, WP)

Coming-of age of a middle-aged woman, Smaragda (Niovi Charalambous) who becomes a children’s entertainer at a tourist resort and embraces social media, facing both fame and backlash. Tonia Mishiali produces for Bark Like a Cat Films.

“Sun Never Again,” (David Jovanović, Serbia, WP)

Vid, a father grappling with the threat of a corporate iron ore mine near his home, finds hope and resilience through his son’s imagination, which infuses poetry and optimism into their grim reality. David Jovanović who produced the Slamdance awarded “Where the Road Leads” by Nina Ognjanović, makes his directorial debut for his outfit Pointless Films, from a script co-written with Đorđe Kosić.

“Two of Me,” (Raul Esko, Romet Esko, Estonia, WP)

Estonian video artists Raul and Romet Esko – aka the EskoBros – tell us all about their twin status with humor in this coming-of age tale of twin filmmakers who set out to make the world’s best film about twins. “It is a documentary cocktail of personal memories, youthful courage, naivety and authentic emotions,” said Rain Rannu who produces with Tõnu Hiielaid for Tallifornia.

“The Weeping Walk,” (Dimitri Verhulst, Belgium, IP)

Christine’s death and the choice to bury her in Wettelen lead to the unravelling of unexpected family secrets on the journey to her final resting place”, reads the logline. “The core of the film is grief and the fact that the lack of truth gets in the way of life itself,” said producer Eurydice Gysel about Belgian author turned screenwriter-director Dimitri Verhulst’s debut. The black comedy-come-road movie, produced by Czar Film & TV, will be released domestically by DFW and Kinepolis in October.  

“A Yard of Jackals,” (Diego Figueroa, Chile, WP)

Toplining actors Nestór Cantillana and Blanca Lewin of Pablo Larraín’s HBO series’ “Fugitives,” the psycho thriller is set in the winter of 1978. The daily routine of model-maker Raúl Peralta is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of mysterious new neighbours. “Through the character of Raúl, an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, we explore the moral decay left behind by the [Pinochet] dictatorship, and how that violence infiltrates not just the centres of power, but also the everyday lives of citizens,” said Alejandro Ugarte of Infractor Films, picked by Variety as one of 10 Chilean producers to track in 2020. MPM Premium handles sales.

Documentary Competition

“Black Gold” (Takashi Sugimoto, Portugal, WP)
The Lisbon-based Japanese helmer delivers an aesthetically striking portrait of rural India, establishing a link between a mother’s combing of her daughters’ hair with faith, sacrifice and trade.

“Full Support,” (Michal Cohen, Israel, IP)

The helmer reveals all about women and their love and hate with their boobs, through a Jaffa bra shop’s fitting room. The pic backed by Israeli pubcaster Kan11 scooped best debut at this year’s DocAviv.

“Freight,” (Max Carlo Kohal, Switzerland, WP)

Houston-born Basel-based Max Carlo Kohal has filmed over four years the odyssey of a teenage crew aboard a container ship, as they travel across Europe and learn the ropes of navigation and adulthood. The Dynamic Frame production won the Basler Filmpreis – Special for upcoming director.

“Ice Age,” (Alexandra Sell, Germany, IP)

The BR/Arte commissioned documentary filmed over three years tracks six senior figure skaters from around the world as they prepare for the World Hobby Figure Skating Championships at Oberstdorf, Bavaria. This is Sell’s second film about ice-skating after “The Beginner” for which she was crowned best director at the Fort Lauderdale Fest in 2017. Her debut doc “Durchfahrtsland” (“Remote Area”), which world premiered at the Berlinale Forum, won a Prix Europa.

“Ms. President,” (Marek Šulík, Slovakia, IP)

Thanks to unique access to Slovakia’s first female president Zuzana Čaputová, Marek Šulík draws a fascinating portrait of the politician’s balancing act between her public and private life, while raising questions about the future of democracy in Europe. Rise & Shine handles sales.

“Murmuring Hearts,” (Vytautas Puidokas, Lithuania, France, WP)

In his sophomore feature doc after “El Padre Medico,” which launched at the Camden International Film Festival in the U.S., Vytautas Puidokas delivers a raw and portrayal of addiction and redemption. Vilinius-based Ruta Jekentaitė produces for Baltic Productions with France’s Grande Ourse Films and Norway’s Smau Media.

“Never Too Late,” (Yang Lizhu, China, WP)

In her debut pic, Yang Lizhu films her own grand-parents, living in small town Huaihua in rural Hunan, China. Why on earth did her 80 year-old grandma decide to divorce her husband after 60 years of marriage?

“Torn,” (Kullar Viimne, Estonia, WP)

In his sophomore doc, the helmer tracks one man’s dream and extreme challenge to build with his own hands a 10-metre- high observation tower, in a remote corner of Estonia.

“Trains,” (Maciej J. Drygas, Poland, Lithuania, IP)

In his archive-driven feature, top Polish helmer director Maciej J. Drygas (an EFA winner for “Hear My Cry”) draws a haunting journey of humanity’s cycles of war and fleeting peace in the 20^th century. The Drygas Film production was co-produced by Lithuania’s Era Film.

“The Watchman,” (Lou de Pontavice, Victoire Bonin, France, Belgium, IP)

In their doc feature debut, the filmmakers capture a Chinese family’s dilemma as their only son, a student at the prestigious Beijing Academy of Music wants to move to Estonia to pursue his music career. The pic sold by Cats&Docs world premiered last June at La Rochelle Cinéma Fest in France.

“With My Open Lungs,” (Yana Sad, Germany, WP)

Set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we follow Russian-born filmmaker Yana Sad as she embarks on a life-transforming journey. While rebelling against Putin’s war, she navigates family conflicts with her husband as she falls for Yaroslava, a woman battling lung cancer. The helmer who left Russia in 2022 for Germany used her own coin to fund her heart-felt personal essay. Outplay Films handles sales.