24/11/2025 - The Best First Feature Award has gone to Hercules Falling while the Audience Award was also bestowed upon The Good Daughter at the 29th edition of the Estonian festival

Júlia de Paz Solvas’ The Good Daughter [+see also:
film review
film profile] has emerged as the main winner of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, held in the Estonian capital from 8-22 November. For the first time in the event’s history, one and the same film has secured both the Grand Prix for Best Film, valued at €20,000 and provided by the city of Tallinn, and the Audience Award.

The jury, comprising Teona Strugar Mitevska, Roberto Schaefer, Debra McGuire, Ingo Fliess and Nomuunzul Turmunkh, commented: “The Good Daughter is a strong and emotional drama about a teenage girl dealing with family conflict. It handles difficult themes with care, making the story feel real. The lead performance is honest and sensitive, helping the audience understand her feelings.” Furthermore, Kiara Arancibia was named Best Actress for her role in the movie, as she “expresses fear, loyalty, confusion and strength without overacting, which gives the film much of its emotional power”.

The Best Director Award, valued at €5,000, went to Ali Vatansever for LifeLike [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], with the jury stating: “Powerfully and poignantly, with great sensitivity, the director paints an emotional picture of the inner life of the main character by masterfully navigating between reality and the virtual world.” The film was also awarded Best Original Score for Erdem Helvacıoğlu, who “creates a subtle but powerful sonic world that draws us into the emotional journey of father and son, and gently holds us there”.

The Best Cinematography Award went to Yutaka Yamazaki for Japan’s The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat by Yukihiro Morigaki. Best Script was bestowed upon Ståle Stein Berg for No Comment [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Petter Næss, which “stands out for its clever, sharp and highly engaging take on political chaos”. Aladdin Detlefsen and Kanji Tsuda shared the Best Actor gong for their performances in The Frog and the Water by Thomas Stuber. Meanwhile, Best Production Design was awarded to Chris Richmond and David Hand for Think of England [+see also:
film review
interview: Richard Hawkins
film profile] by Richard Hawkins.

In the First Feature Competition, Christian Bonke’s Hercules Falling [+see also:
film review
film profile] won the Best Film Award; according to the jury (Nina Paskowitz, Giancarlo Nasi and Ilango Ram), it sees “a soldier fighting an emotional war within himself to reconnect with his family – a battle more painful than the one he left behind”. The film also received the FIPRESCI Award. The Best Director accolade went to Samuel Abrahams for Lady [+see also:
film review
film profile], as “it’s fearless, it’s playful, and it pushes the genre with absolute confidence”. Special prizes recognised Jan Van Der Weken’s editing work on Sunday Ninth by Kat Steppe and the production design of Hille Norden on Easy Girl [+see also:
film review
film profile], who also directed the picture.

The Critics’ Picks jury presented their Best Film Award to China Sea by Jurgis Matulevičius, a “harsh, uncompromising and, at the same time, deeply poetic and human journey”. Matías Szulanski won Best Director for the “relentless and pounding experience” of A Summer Tale. Special Mentions were given to legendary actor Ali Nasirian  for his performance in Oh, What Happy Days! [+see also:
film review
film profile]  by Homayoun Ghanizadeh and to Eeva Mägi for her film Mo Papa [+see also:
film review
film profile].

In the Rebels with a Cause strand, The Baronesses [+see also:
film review
film profile], directed by Nabil Ben Yadir and Mokhtaria Badaoui, took home Best Film for “witnessing the evolution of an older woman on a journey from obedient to rebellious, using art to reclaim her sense of identity”. Adrian Sitaru earned himself Best Director for Blindsight [+see also:
film review
film profile], “a surreal exploration of memories that drifts between reality and fantasy”.

The Baltic Film Competition crowned The Visitor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vytautas Katkus
interview: Vytautas Katkus
film profile] by Vytautas Katkus as Best Baltic Film, calling it a work that looks decisively towards the future. Gabrielė Urbonaitė won Best Director for Renovation [+see also:
film review
interview: Gabrielė Urbonaitė
film profile], and the Award for Best Baltic Producer for a Co-production went to Jean-Laurent Csinidis, Denis Vaslin and Marija Razgutė for Becoming [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Zhannat Alshanova.

In Doc at PÖFF, the international jury awarded Best Film to Days of Wonder by Karin Pennanen, praising its sensitive multi-layered form. The Best Cinematography Award went to Max Golomidov for Edge of the Night and the Jury Special Prize to Electing Ms Santa by Raisa Răzmeriță. In the Baltic Documentary Competition, Holy Destructors by Aistė Žegulytė won Best Film, while My Family and Other Clowns by Heilika Pikkov and Liina Särkinen bagged the Jury Special Prize.

Here is the list of award winners at the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival:

Official Selection Competition

Grand Prix for Best Film
The Good Daughter [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Júlia de Paz Solvas (Spain)

Best Director
Ali Vatansever – LifeLike [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Turkey/Greece/Romania)

Best Cinematography
Yutaka Yamazaki – The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat (Japan)

Best Script
Ståle Stein Berg – No Comment [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Norway)

Best Actress
Kiara Arancibia – The Good Daughter

Best Actor
Aladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda – The Frog and the Water (Germany)

Best Original Score
Erdem Helvacıoğlu – LifeLike

Best Production Design
Chris Richmond, David Hand – Think of England [+see also:
film review
interview: Richard Hawkins
film profile] (UK)

First Feature Competition

Best Film
Hercules Falling [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Christian Bonke (Denmark/Germany)

Best Director
Samuel Abrahams – Lady [+see also:
film review
film profile] (UK)

Special Prize for Best Editing
Jan Van Der Weken – Sunday Ninth (Belgium/Netherlands)

Special Prize for Best Production Design
Hille Norden – Easy Girl [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Germany)

Critics’ Picks

Best Film
China Sea – Jurgis Matulevičius (Lithuania/Taiwan/Poland/Czech Republic)

Best Director
Matías Szulanski – A Summer Tale (Argentina)

Special Mentions
Ali Nasirian – Oh, What Happy Days! [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Iran/USA/France/Canada)
Eeva Mägi – Mo Papa [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Estonia)

Rebels with a Cause

Best Film
The Baronesses [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Nabil Ben Yadir, Mokhtaria Badaoui (Belgium/Luxembourg/France)

Best Director
Adrian Sitaru – Blindsight [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Romania/Turkey)

Best Short Film
Pay Day – Päivi Hirsiaho (Finland)

Baltic Film Competition

Best Baltic Film
The Visitor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vytautas Katkus
interview: Vytautas Katkus
film profile] – Vytautas Katkus (Lithuania/Norway/Sweden)

Best Baltic Director
Gabrielė Urbonaitė – Renovation [+see also:
film review
interview: Gabrielė Urbonaitė
film profile] (Lithuania/Latvia/Belgium)

Best Baltic Producer for a Co-production
Jean-Laurent Csinidis, Denis Vaslin, Marija Razgutė – Becoming [+see also:
film review
film profile] (France/Kazakhstan/Netherlands/Lithuania/Sweden)

Doc at PÖFF International Competition

Best Film
Days of Wonder – Karin Pennanen (Finland/Denmark/Norway)

Best Cinematography
Max Golomidov – Edge of the Night (Estonia)

Jury Special Prize
Electing Ms Santa – Raisa Răzmeriță (Moldova/Romania)

Doc at PÖFF Baltic Competition

Best Film
Holy Destructors – Aistė Žegulytė (Lithuania/France/Latvia)

Jury Special Prize
My Family and Other Clowns – Heilika Pikkov, Liina Särkinen (Estonia)

Other awards

NETPAC Award
The Muralist – Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia)

FIPRESCI Award
Hercules Falling – Christian Bonke

Audience Award
The Good Daughter – Júlia de Paz Solvas

Lifetime Achievement Awards
Juozas Budraitis
Janno Põldma

Honorary Award
Jessica Hausner

Bruno O’Ya Young Actor Scholarship
Ursel Tilk