20/10/2022 - A total of 11 projects will be showcased at the Estonian festival's industry event, most of them by acclaimed directors such as Veiko Õunpuu and Marysia Nikitiuk

Running from 23-24 November during the 26^th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, this year’s Baltic Event Co-Production Market will showcase 11 projects, most of them by award-winning filmmakers, on topics ranging from personal tragedies and social issues to past and present military conflicts. 

As explained by Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event head Marge Liiske, her team feels that, in times of turmoil and uncertainty, it is crucial to provide a platform for some of the most painful issues prevalent in the news feeds today, as well as offer a moment of relief with a couple of quirky comedies.

The Baltic countries are represented by three film projects and Estonia, Baltic Event’s home country, is welcoming the highly anticipated Serafima & Bogdan, adapted from an award-winning novel, directed by Veiko Õunpuu (The Last Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Veiko Õunpuu
film profile]) and written by Olle Mirme. Impressions is the sophomore coming-of-age project from Latvian writer-director Alise Zariņa (Nearby), while Lithuania’s project Oblivion, written and directed by Danielius Minkevičius, deals with revisiting childhood abuse.

Three features represent the Nordic countries. One project dealing with the topic of gender is the surrealistic allegory Levitating Skin, written and directed by Jonas Kærup Hjort (The Penultimate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Kærup Hjort
film profile]), planned as a co-production between Denmark, Estonia, and Finland. From Finland comes the comedy The Kidnapping of a President, directed by Samuli Valkama (Unexpected Journey [+see also:
trailer
film profile]); while Blue Girl, helmed by Iranian filmmaker Mahmoud Ghaffari (The Apple Day), deals with the very timely issue of violence against women in the country.

Two projects hail from Ukraine: Cherry Blossoms, by award-winning writer-director Marysia Nikitiuk (When The Trees Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marysia Nikitiuk
film profile]); and the sports drama Blindsight, written and directed by Ruslan Batytskyi. The rest of the selection includes the Polish coming-of-age film Certainly the End of Something, directed by Michał Marczak (All These Sleepless Nights [+see also:
trailer
film profile]); the tragic tale A Flower Is Not A Flower by Cristian Pascariu, about Romania’s orphans; and the comedy Hilchick by Adam Sanderson, from 2022 Focus Country Israel.

This year, the Best Project Award, valued at €10,000 — €5,000 cash and €5,000 service by YAMDU — will be handed out by a jury which comprises Katarina Tomkova, producer, kaleidoscope (Slovakia); Margrit Stärk, feature films producer at ZDF Studios (Germany); and Sibila Diaz-Plaja, development manager at MUBI (UK).

Here is the full list of participating projects at the 2022 Baltic Event Co-Production Market:

A Flower Is Not A Flower - Cristian Pascariu (Romania/Czech Republic)
Producer: Adriana Răcășan

Blindsight - Ruslan Batytskyi (Ukraine)
Producers: Olha Beskhmelnitsyna, Natalia Libet

Blue Girl - Mahmoud Ghaffari (Iran/Luxembourg)
Producers: Elaheh Nobakht, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu

Certainly the End of Something - Michał Marczak (Poland)
Producer: Anna Różalska

Cherry Blossoms - Marysia Nikitiuk (Ukraine)
Producer: Igor Savychenko

Hilchick - Adam Sanderson (Israel)
Writers: Ofri Proshkolnik, Yuval Berger, Noa Lazar
Producer: David Mandil

Impressions - Alise Zariņa (Latvia)
Producer: Alise Rogule

The Kidnapping of a President - Samuli Valkama (Finland)
Writer: John Lundsten, Samuli Valkama
Producer: John Lundsten

Levitating Skin - Jonas Kærup Hjort (Denmark/Estonia/Finland)
Producers: Rikke Tambo Andersen, Riina Sildos, Pilvi Waltzer

Oblivion - Danielius Minkevičius (Lithuania)
Producer: Ieva Norviliene

Serafima & Bogdan - Veiko Õunpuu (Estonia)
Writer: Olle Mirme
Producer: Andreas Kask