Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2024 announces full programme and the line-ups of seven juries that will be evaluating the six competition programmes of the festival. The awards will be announced at the festival’s Award Ceremony, which takes place on the 23th of November. 

The 28th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival kicks off on the 8th of November and, together with its sub-festivals, will present a total of 249 feature films and 323 short films from 81 countries. In addition to the six previously announced competition programmes, the festival will also present a number of non-competition programmes featuring dozens of freshest award-winning films. Highlights of the sidebars include the Midnight Shivers genre section, restored unknown classics in the Old Gold: the classics come to life programme, and the Best of Fest section. 
 

SEE THE FULL LIST OF PROGRAMMES HERE
SEE THE FULL LIST OF AWARDS HERE

PÖFF JURIES 2024
 

Official Selection Competition
Christoph Hochhäusler (Germany)
Head of the Jury, director
Christoph Hochhäusler, born in Munich in 1972, is a German director and screenwriter. His seven feature films have premiered in official selection in Cannes (I Am Guilty, 2005, The City Below, 2010), Berlin (This Very Moment, 2003, One Minute of Darkness, 2011, Till the End of the Night, 2023), Locarno (La Morta Viendra, 2024, PÖFF) and Rome (The Lies of the Victors, 2014) and have won numerous awards. 

Bianca Balbuena (Philippines)
Producer
Bianca is a Filipino producer, educator and co-founder of Epicmedia which has produced over 30 features, most notably Venice Film Festival Lion of the Future Engkwentro, Berlinale Winners A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery and Cu Li Never Cries, Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard title Viet and Nam, Sundance Film Festival Midnight title In My Mother’s Skin, acquired by Amazon Studios, and Fan Girl which competed at PÖFF 2020. 

Marija Razgutė (Lithuania)
Producer
She has produced internationally acclaimed works such as Marija Kavtaradze’s Slow (Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival, Lithuanian contender for Oscars in 2023, The Award for Best Baltic Producer for Co-production, PÖFF 2023) and Summer Survivors (the Toronto Film Festival, 2018). In 2008, she established M-Films, which is one of the most active film production companies in the Baltics.

Jawad Rhalib (Belgium)
Director
Jawad Rhalib is known for his social and committed cinema. His realistic style centers on observation and uncompromising denunciation of the flaws of and the political, economic and religious ravages on our societies. Among his works are and documentaries and feature films such as 7, Rue de la Folie, Rebellious girl, Amal (PÖFF 2023), El Ejido, the Law of Profit, The Damned of the Sea, When Arabs Danced and Fadma, Even Ants Have Wings.

The strand, dedicated exclusively for the full-length film debutants, includes 7 world premieres and 4 international premieres. All of the authors will be present in Tallinn. 

"Even before we received our A-class status in 2014, we've made it a priority to support new talents, especially those making their debut. This is our niche in the global festival stage", said Tiina Lokk, the Festival Director. She elaborated: "We've made our concept for emerging filmmakers very international, welcoming filmmakers from all over the world. But we can't forget our own region, the Baltic States – it's important to discover small film gems and emerging talents from this region."


The curator of the First Feature Competition, Triin Tramberg, commented on this year's programme: "It is important to note that at one point we had almost 250 debut films on our table looking for a world premiere. In total, we watched debuts from 66 countries." She also shared her thoughts on this year's programme: "The common thread in this year's selection are intriguing stories supported by brilliant cinematography, acting and artwork. Some of the films in this year's selection stand out for their excellent acting and visual language. There is definitely something for everyone, as the programme is crafted with the audience in mind."

FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION 2024

A Yard OF Jackals | World premiere
Diego Figueroa's A Yard Of Jackals had a a successful work-in-progress
journey through prestigious international festivals such as SANFIC19, IAFFM, and MAFIZ. The story takes place in the winter of 1978, under Chile's military regime in Santiago. Raúl Peralta, a lonely and disabled architectural model maker, lives a quiet life with only his ailing mother and a pet canary for company. A quiet man’s peaceful life is shattered when dark, mysterious neighbors move in next door. Trapped between madness and duty, he spirals into a world of horror and violence that will leave deep, lasting scars.


Ciao Bambino | International premiere
Edgar Pistone's latest short film, The Flies (2020), had its world premiere at the Sic@Sic International Critics Week within the 77th Venice Film Festival, where it won the Best Director award. His feture debut is a tale of passions and unsolvable conflicts that haunt Attilio, a young man from a working-class neighbourhood in Naples, tasked with protecting a beautiful prostitute. In their world, this is a recipe for forbidden, devastating love – the only kind possible in a criminal underworld where even father-son relationships are subverted, and a 19-year-old boy carries the impossible burden of growing up. 


Corina | International premiere
Corina is 20, lives with her mother and only leaves the house to get to her job at a publishing company. She is about to step out of her comfort zone and embrace a new world with new friends and confidence. The film's simple, funny tone lets us see Corina's world change from scary to exciting. She can finally take charge of her life and even help her colleagues. The ugly duckling tale takes a delicate and witty twist in this remarkably clever and uplifting debut feature by director Urzula Barba.
 

Lotus | World premiere
Rebellious Latvian director Signe Birkova has created an avant-garde film combining different techniques. Her surreal debut includes interpretations of real people and material from historical archives from 1900-1950. The soundtrack fea

THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN 

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

FOR 3,000 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

TAFFF’s High School Program will Include a Special Live Q&A Session with Filmmakers Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, Actor Patrick Mille, and Composer Jérôme Rebotier 

The American French Film Festival (TAFFF) will continue its tradition of hosting students from across Southern California for a very special film premiere and discussion. The High School Screenings Program - now in its 17th year - will take place over a five-day period, beginning October 28 at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles. The program, which is sponsored by ELMA (European Languages & Movies in America) will have 3,000 students from 60 schools participating, including students traveling  from Park City, Utah for the occasion. 

This year’s High School Screenings Program feature selection will be The Count of Monte Cristo (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo), a 2024 period adventure/drama based on the 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas. The film is written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière and stars Pierre Niney in the lead role of Edmond Dantès. The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was released theatrically in France in June by Pathé. The film will be released in the US on December 20 by Samuel Goldwyn Films, also a partner of the High School Screenings program this year. 

The five screenings of The Count of Monte Cristo will be followed by question and answer sessions with directors Delaporte and de La Patellière, actor Patrick Mille, and composer Jérôme Rebotier. The film experience also comes with a curriculum developed by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) for all the students.

“This is the most expensive and one of the highest-grossing French productions of 2024 and whether students have read the classic novel or not, they will no doubt be swept up in the adventure and drama of Edmond Dantès and his alter ego. The Count of Monte Cristo was adapted and directed for the big screen at an epic scale by Delaporte and de La Patellière. The film's exploration of justice and the transformative power of education aligns with the values at the heart of the Festival’s mission: allowing high school students from all backgrounds to come watch a French film followed by an exchange with the filmmakers afterwards: an all-too rare occurrence in the worldwide capital of cinema. Once again, the program is free to attend thanks to our educational partner ELMA,” said Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, The American French Film Festival.

“One of the founding principles of the High School Screenings Program was not only to expose students to foreign cinema early in their young lives, but to open up their minds to ideas, people, and cultures outside their limited experiences. Many of the participants – over 35,000 in the last 16 years - are students of French but this program is so much more th

It’s year two for the Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s Centrepiece programme – the place where we find films from the film festival circuit as old as this year’s Sundance and as fresh as the future film premieres to be found in Locarno and Venice.

June is Pride Month, as people all over the world come together to celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices. It’s a time to celebrate how far we’ve come as well as fight against the discrimination and injustice that still persists around the world. Cinema is a way to spotlight fresh perspectives, tackle complex subject matters and open audiences’ hearts and minds. Today, we are bringing you a roundup of exciting UK-based queer film events to add to your calendar.

Queer 80s | Barbican, London | 5-26 June

Time travel through the movie screen back to the 1980s, a decade when LGBTQIA+ representation and creativity thrived in the build-up to enormous geopolitical and social change. Historic events shaped the 1980s as borders were starting to shift and archaic laws against homosexuality began to be revoked. Queer filmmakers seized the camera to tell new stories in different ways. More interesting, provocative and unapologetic depictions of LGBTQIA+ people made it to the big screen. In the background, the world was on the edge of transformation.

FilmPride: The Brighton & Hove Pride Film Festival | Preston Park, Bristol | 3-4 August

FilmPride is part of Fabuloso in the Park – Brighton & Hove Pride’s official fundraiser for the Brighton Rainbow Fund. During Pride weekend, this film festival will take place in Preston Park, the beating heart of every year’s event. This is the place to spend the weekend watching some of the best contemporary indie queer films, made by, and about, members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year’s edition will include a packed programme of international short films, documentaries and animations on a range of topics. There’ll be something for everyone!

Queer Film Club | The Love Tank, London | 12 June

The Queer Film Club is specially curated for queer migrants and queer people of colour and hosted by Krzysztof Dubicki, a Polish LGBTQIA+ film expert. Discover powerful, independent, films from across the globe, each thoughtfully selected to celebrate diverse voices and stories. With his background in film and screen media studies, along with his role as an assistant to the London Independent Film Festival, Krzysztof is always up to date with the newest film premieres, ensuring an enriching and engaging experience for all who are in attendance.

Queer Vision Film Festival | Watershed, Bristol | 28 June – 12 July

Queer Vision is now in its 12th year of celebrating LGBTIA+ cinema! It’s a festival founded upon the power of representation – having LGBTQIA+ people behind and in front of the camera – and film as a tool for social change. Events are held year round, but the main festival takes place during Bristol Pride. This year’s programme aims to increase the visibility and accessibility of queer media, with projects from Ila Mehrotra, Pedro Almodóvar and Amy Pennington. Join queer film lovers in a safe space, make new friends and chat about your newest movie obsession.