13/10/2023 - This year’s programme includes 13 world and 7 international premieres, with new pictures from the likes of Călin Peter Netzer, Vanesa Filho, Emma Dante and Manuel Martín Cuenca

The 27th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF, 3-19 November) has revealed the complete line-up of its Official Selection Competition. This year, the selection comprises 13 world and seven international premieres of movies by established filmmakers that the festival’s programming team wishes to highlight for the audience, film critics and the international film industry alike.

Festival director and head of programme Tiina Lokk shared her excitement over the selection: “This year's diverse programme has remarkably high artistic value with sharp social perspective. Each film tackles contemporary and relevant issues with a stimulating, fresh angle. At the same time, our Official Selection aims to connect high-quality narrative films with auteur cinema. Hence, new artistic approaches and cinema languages have always caught our attention. Everything that's currently in the air will end up on the screens of the Tallinn Black Nights cinemas.”

The European titles enjoying their world premieres include Familiar [+see also:
film review
interview: Călin Peter Netzer
film profile] by Călin Peter Netzer (Child’s Pose), which centres on a filmmaker's decision to craft a narrative about his family's emigration to Germany in the 1980s. Additionally, Forever Hold Your Peace [+see also:
film review
interview: Ivan Marinović
film profile], directed by Ivan Marinović (The Black Pin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Marinovic
film profile]), unveils the tale of Dragana, a bride-to-be who abruptly calls off her wedding merely two days before the scheduled event.

On another cinematic frontier, Gust Van den Berghe's (Lucifer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) The Magnet Man [+see also:
film review
interview: Gust Van den Berghe
film profile] explores the life of Lucien, an individual with a peculiar ability (he attracts all things made of iron to his body), and is set in rural Belgium at the dawn of the 20th century. Ivan Tymchenko's sophomore feature, Oxygen Station [+see also:
film review
interview: Ivan Tymchenko
film profile], is a richly layered poetic drama inspired by the life of Mustafa Jemilev, a Soviet dissident, human rights advocate and leader of the Crimean Tatar nation. Meanwhile, in White Flag [+see also:
film review
interview: Batbayar Chogsom
film profile] by Batbayar Chogsom, two young women embark on a journey to establish a nomadic life on the steppe, haunted by a troubling spectre from their past, despite their close bond.

A handful of European titles are having their international premieres at Tallinn Black Nights. Amal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jawad Rhalib
film profile] by Jawad Rhalib (Fadma: Even Ants Have Wings [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) is a social drama that delves into the life of a teacher in a Brussels school who bravely encourages her students to foster a love for literature and freedom of expression, even if it means putting her own safety at risk. Likewise, in Andrea's Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Manuel Martín Cuenca
film profile], Manuel Martín Cuenca (The Daughter [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) explores the narrative of a 15-year-old girl yearning to rekindle the affection of her father, who vanished from her life and her mother’s when he separated from the latter. Consent [+see also:
film review
film profile] is the cinematic adaptation by Vanessa Filho (Angel Face [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) of Vanessa Springora’s best-selling book of the same name, offering an intimate glimpse into how the author found herself under the influence of a renowned writer.

In a distinct cinematic offering, The Man From Rome [+see also:
film review
interview: Jaap van Heusden and Rogier…
film profile] by Jaap van Heusden (In Blue [+see also:
trailer
interview: Yannick Jozefzoon
film profile]) traces the journey of Filippo, a sceptical Catholic priest whose world is rocked when he becomes captivated by a mute young woman. Meanwhile, Misericordia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emma Dante
film profile] by Emma Dante (The Macaluso Sisters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) unfolds in a barren, seaside wasteland where three prostitutes survive in a village of outcasts, wrestling with the harsh realities of poverty, ignorance and violence. Furthermore, Jos Stelling (The Girl and Death [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) presents Natasha's Dance [+see also:
film review
film profile], a visual narrative that explores the lives of the introverted Danny and Natasha, a former ballerina who has endured life's hardships. Finally, with Teresa [+see also:
film review
film profile], Paula Ortiz (The Bride [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paula Ortiz
film profile]) offers an adaptation of the stage play La Lengua en Pedazos by Juan Mayorga, which draws inspiration from the remarkable figure of Saint Teresa of Jesus, also known as Teresa of Ávila (see the news).

Here is the full list of titles:

Official Selection – Competition

Amal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jawad Rhalib
film profile] - Jawad Rhalib (Belgium/France)
Andrea's Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Manuel Martín Cuenca
film profile] - Manuel Martín Cuenca (Spain)
Bad Actor - Jorge Cuchi (Mexico)
Ben-Joe - Akira Iwamatsu (Japan)
Consent [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Vanessa Filho (France/Belgium)
Familiar [+see also:
film review
interview: Călin Peter Netzer
film profile] - Călin Peter Netzer (Romania/France/Taiwan)
Forever Hold Your Peace [+see also:
film review
interview: Ivan Marinović
film profile] - Ivan Marinović (Montenegro/Serbia/Czech Republic/Croatia/North Macedonia/Slovenia)
The G - Karl R Hearne (Canada)
Invisible Windows - Dr Bijukumar Demodaran (India)
The Man From Rome [+see also:
film review
interview: Jaap van Heusden and Rogier…
film profile] - Jaap van Heusden (Netherlands/Germany)
The Magnet Man [+see also:
film review
interview: Gust Van den Berghe
film profile] - Gust Van den Berghe (Belgium/Luxembourg/France/Netherlands)
Misericordia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emma Dante
film profile] - Emma Dante (Italy)
Natasha's Dance [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Jos Stelling (Netherlands)
October Metafiction - Kyu-jun Cho (South Korea)
Once Again (for the very first time) - Boaz Yakin (USA)
Oxygen Station [+see also:
film review
interview: Ivan Tymchenko
film profile] - Ivan Tymchenko (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Sweden/Slovakia)
Patient #1 [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Rezo Gigineishvili (Georgia/Russia)
Ten Months - Idan Hubel (Israel)
Teresa [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Paula Ortiz (Spain)
White Flag [+see also:
film review
interview: Batbayar Chogsom
film profile] - Batbayar Chogsom (Mongolia/Switzerland/Japan)