Tallinn International Film Festival Kicks Off

MOSCOW -- The 15thedition of the Black Nights international film festival is to kick off in Tallinn on Nov. 18.

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“As always we have an absolutely full program,” Tiina Lokk, the festival director, said in a statement. “From the biggest names to those beginning to make names for themselves, the 15th anniversary of PÖFF is definitely one of our best programmes yet.”

The festival is to feature several competition programs: the official competition Eurasia, Tridens Baltic Film Competition, Heave(i)en Estonian Film Award and the Competition for North American Indies.

Among the highlights of the official competition Eurasia are Róza (Rose) by Polish director Wojciech Smarzowski, Elena by Russia’s Andrei Zvyagintsev, Mourning by Iranian director Morteza Farshbaf and the French/German/Ukrainian/Polish co-production La terre outragée (Land of Oblivion), directed by Michale Boganim.

The competition programs will also to feature the international premieres of the Uzbek film Kechikkan hayot (Late Life) by Ayub Shaxobiddinov and Doppelgänger Paul by Canada’s Kris Elgstrand and Dylan Akio Smith.

The Competition for North American Indies is to showcase movies with good potential for European distribution, including Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, 50/50 by Jonathan Levine and Win Win by Thomas McCarthy.

The Panorama section focuses on films that have already been screened at international festivals, including Buta by Azeri director Ilgar Najaf, the Czech/Slovak film Cigán (Gypsy), directed by Martin Šulík, and Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope) by Nanni Moretti.

The non-competition documentary program Docs@PÖFF is to feature, among others, A Bitter Taste of Freedom, co-produced by the USA, Sweden and Russia and directed by Marina Goldovskaya, Mama Africa by Finland’s Mika Kaurismäki and Jiro Dreams Of Sushi by American director David Gelb.

Á annan veg (Either Way) by Icelandic director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson will be screened at the opening night, and the festival’s closing night film will be Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life.

The awards will be handed out a ceremony on Nov. 30.

The Baltic Event film and co-production market and the Black Market Industry Screenings are to be held on Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.