Czech films and co-productions beyond borders of the Czech Republic: What successes did Czech films achieve during the autumn so far? In the near future, what premieres await us at film festivals? Here is the summary of what is important to know.

Czech films at festivals

The hottest news involving the Czech film came from Tallinn. Czech-Slovak Cook F**K Kill, directed by Mira Fornay (also a producer of the film along with Viktor Schwarcz from Cineart TV Prague), will premiere in Rebel with a Cause section at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

This autumn is very busy for The Painted Bird by Václav Marhoul, as the film has already been selected for more than 20 festivals. In Chicago, Vladimír Smutný, the DOP of the film, was honored with Best Cinematography Award. Documentary Forman vs. Forman, directed by Helena Třeštíková and Jakub Hejna, attends 10 festivals these months, and in Frankfurt, it reached the award for best directing. Slovak-Czech Let There Be Light won the main prize at Almaty Film Festival, and A Certain Kind of Silence by first time director Michal Hogenauer won the Audience Award in Milano, while Solo by Artemio Benki won Golden Leaf for Best World Documentary Film at Duhok IFF.

Oscars

In early autumn, Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) selected The Painted Bird as this year's Czech Oscar candidate. Czech-Ukrainian-Slovak drama written, directed and produced by Václav Marhoul, represents the Czech Republic as the official submission for the 92nd Academy Awards in the category Best International Feature Film.

The film premiered in Venice earlier this fall, and was acquired the U.S. rights by IFC Films. Lisa Schwartz, co-president of the distributor, said: “IFC is committed to providing thought-provoking and challenging films, and this is a prime example of maintaining this core mission and continuing our legacy for nearly 20 years now.”

On October 17, Daria Kashcheeva was honored with the student Oscar, and became the third ever Czech author who achieved the prize. With her film Daughter, Kashcheeva dominated Annecy IAFF in early summer, winning two major awards, and also shined at Toronto IFF along with The Painted Bird. Since then, Daughter attended or was confirmed as a part of more than 30 festivals all over the world, including Denver IFF or Helsinki IFF.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CZECH FEATURE FILMS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS IN AUTUMN:

A Certain Kind of Silence
directed by: Michal Hogenauer
produced by: Negativ
Czech Republic, Netherlands, Latvia 2019 / 96 min
Fiction

Raindance IFF (Great Britain) | Absurdities
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Busan IFF (South Korea) | World Cinema
Pingyao IFF (China) | Competition 
Milano Film Festival (Italy) | Competition (Audience Award)
Haifa IFF (Israel) | Golden Anchor – Competition for Debuts
Nuovo Cinema Europa (Italy)
FIFIB Bordeaux (France) | Competition
Seminci – Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain) | Meeting Point
Scanorama FF (Latvia)

By a Sharp Knife
directed by: Teodor Kuhn
produced by: Nutprodukcia
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic 2019 / 89 min
Fiction

Cinematik Piešťany (Slovakia) | In the House
Tirana IFF (Albania) | Competition
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Cottbus Film Festival (Germany) | Competition

Forman vs. Forman
directed by: Helena Třeštíková, Jakub Hejna
produced by: Negativ
Czech Republic, France 2019 / 77 min
Documentary

Haifa International Film Festival (Israel)
Golden Tree IDFF Frankfurt (Germany) | Competition (award for best directing)
DocLisboa (Portugal) | Heart Beat
Chicago International Film Festival (USA) | Documentary Films Competition
Denver International Film Festival (USA) | Film Studies
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Films about the Cinema
Leeds International Film Festival (Great Britain)
Havana Film Festival (Cuba)
The Classics Colombia (Colombia)
UK Jewish Film Festival (Great Britain)

Let There Be Light
directed by: Marko Škop
produced by: Artileria, Negativ
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic 2019 / 93 min
Fiction

Almaty Film Festival (Kazakhstan) | Competition (The Grand Prix)
Batumi International Art Film Festival (Georgia) | International Competition
Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) | World Cinema
Haifa International Film Festival (Israel)
Seminci – Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain) | Meeting Point
Cork Film Festival (Ireland) | International Competition
Cottbus Film Festival (Germany) | U 18 Competition
East by Southeast (Netherlands)

Over the Hills
directed by: Martin Mareček
produced by: Negativ 
CZ 2019 / 78 min
Documentary

Jeden Svet SK (Slovakia) | Competition
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus)| Documentary Films Competition

Solo
directed by: Artemio Benki
produced by: Artcam Films
Czech Republic, France, Argentina, Austria 2019 / 84 min
Documentary

Duhok IFF (Iraq) | World Documentaries (Golden Leaf for Best World Documentary Film)
MFDF Ji.hlava (Czech Republic) | Czech Joy (Best Czech Documentary)
Bergamo Film Meeting (Italy) | Close up

The Painted Bird
directed by: Václav Marhoul
produced by: Silver Screen
Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovak Republic 2019 / 169 min
Fiction

Message to Man IFF (Russia)
Vancouver IFF (Canada)
BFI London IFF (Great Britain) | Love
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Istanbul Filmekimi (Turkey)
Film Festival Cologne (Germany) | Look
Warsaw IFF (Poland) | Special Mention
Chicago IFF (USA) | International Competition (Best Cinematography Award)
Toti Fest (Mexico)
Tokyo IFF (Japan) | World Focus
Denver IFF (USA) | Special Mention
Thessaloniki IFF (Greece) | Main programme
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Competition
Visegrad Cinema Days Kyiv (Ukraine)
Kolkata IFF (India)
Cork Film Festival (Ireland)
Camerimage (Poland)
Cairo IFF (Egypt)

For the first time, Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event showcases five children and youth film projects in a newly launched Just FIlm Works in Progress category. The films in production or post-production looking for sales distributors, sound design, productions or festivals for international premieres will be presented at the Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event Work in Progress sessions on November 26th.

According to Mikk Granström, Head of Just Film, the launch of Just Film Works in Progress focusing on film projects for children and youth is a logical step, as Just Film, a part of Black Nights Film Festival is expanding bit by bit every year. “We are delighted that our audience is more and more keen on youth and children's films - the number of people attending the screenings is growing with each festival.” Granstrtöm also added that filmmakers are showing more interest in Just Film as they like to present their new films at our festival and the number of submissions increases every year. “After calling for proposals for Works in Progress for the children and youth films category we were positively surprised with the interest and amount of submissions we received,” he adds. 

Just Film Works in Progress in Tallinn at the Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event showcases five films: Family (Taiwan), Final Exam (Kosovo), Unknown Treasures(Lithuania), Christmas in the Jungle and Raggie (Estonia). “While looking through the submissions, we focused on the films that might be especially engaging for kids and youth, but also for the whole family,” Granström commented on the selection.

Just FIlm Works in Progress 2019 selected projects 

1. Christmas in the Jungle (Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia)

Director: Jaak Kilmi

Producer: Roberts Vinovskis

Co-producer: Evelin Penttilä, Sinisa Jurcic 

2. Family (Kosovo)

Director: Durim Kryeziu

Producer: Durim Kryeziu

Co-producer: Bardhyl Bejtulahu, Hazir Sh. Haziri

3. Final Exam (Taiwan)

Director: Chen-Ti Kuo

Producer: Gene Yao

Co-producer: Albert Yao

4. Raggie (Estonia, Denmark)

Director: Meelis Arulepp, Karsten Kiilerich

Producer: Kristel Tõldsepp

Co-producer: Anders Mastrup

5. Unknown Treasures (Lithuania)

Director: Agnė Marcinkevičiūtė

Producer: Arūnas Stoškus, Kęstutis Petrulis

JURY of JUST FILM Works in Progress includes members of ECFA (European Children's Film Association):

Margret Albers - President of the European Children’s Film Association

Stella Skiba - New Horizons Association, kids and youth section

Giancarlo Zappoli - Artistic director of Castellinaria Film Festival for Youngsters in Bellinzona CH

AWARDS
JUST FILM Works in Progress

Just Film Works in Progress 2019 award (1000 EUR) 

The award will help the film gain visibility by covering promotion and publicity costs.

The complete lineup of Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event Works in Progress will be revealed on November 4th, 2019 when the 18 Baltic and International titles will be announced.

PHOTO
Mikk Granström at the opening film screening at Just Film festival in 2018

ADDITIONAL INFOMATION
Read more about Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event

PRESS ACCREDITATION
Press accreditation for the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event is in progress. Please apply by clicking on the link below.

APPLY FOR THE PRESS ACCREDITATION

The 9th edition of US in Progress Wrocław will be held from the 6th till the 8th of November as a part of 10th American Film Festival. US in Progress aims to facilitate professional networking among European and Polish film professionals and independent filmmakers from the United States. 

The 2019 US in Progress Wrocław partners provide in-kind awards of post-production service packages of combined value amounting to $50,000 for American Projects. The partners are leading Polish sound and image studios:

• Coloroffon (http://coloroffonfilm.pl/index.php/o-nas/) offers color grading up to the value of $10 000 (Nucoda FilmMaster or DaVinci Resolve) including processes of conforming and export 

• Fixafilm (http://www.fixafilm.pl/en/) offers digital post-production services up to the value of $10 000 (excluding 35 mm processing/scan). The services include conforming, color grading, grain/noise management, finishing, mastering, simple VFX, DCP and other file based masters 

• Orka Studio (http://www.orkafilm.pl/about/) offers digital post-production services up to the value of $10 000 (excluding 35 mm processing/scan) including conforming, color grading, or finishing, mastering, simple SFX, DCP and sound post-production services excluding final mix room rental. Project consultations on each level of post-production. Possibility of building great European network and connections with creative teams 

• Platige Image (https://www.platige.com) offers a $10 000 voucher valid until December 2020 that can be put towards any of the services offered by the company and provides artistic and expert support during the production and post-production process  

• Soundflower Studio (http://www.polishcomposer.com/) offers audio post-production services or soundtrack composed by Maciej Zieliński – each service worth $10 000 
  
  

Other awards include an acquisition offer from Ale kino+ and a free pass to Cannes Producers' Network next year and a round trip ticket up to the cost of $1000 USD for post-production in Poland sponsored by New Horizons Association.

The programme seeks to foster a climate of mutual exchange and networking between American and European producers. Round-table on Transcontinental Co-Production will take place on Friday, 8th of November and will be moderated by Dana Pohl (Polish Producers Alliance). American film professionals invited to participate are as follows: 

• Andrew Hevia is a Cuban American filmmaker from Miami. He co-produced the Academy Award winning film Moonlight for director Barry Jenkins and  his feature documentary Leave the Bus through the Broken Window, that world premiered at SXSW. 

• Jay Van Hoy is a co-founder of Parts & Labor. The directors whose films were produced by Parts & Labor include David Lowery, Robert Eggers or Mike Mills. Latest production is Robert Eggers’ second feature, The Lighthouse. 

• Zach Nutman is the Director of Development at Animal Kingdom, the New York-based production company behind It Follows, Paterson, Short Term 12. Prior to that, Zach worked on the acquisitions team at Neon, the indie-studio behind I, Tonya. 

• Monique Walton  is a producer behind the short film SKUNK (written & directed by Annie Silverstein) which won first prize at 2014 Cannes - Cinéfondation. Monique has also produced Bull (directed by Annie Silverstein), which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard.

• Stephanie Wilcox is an LA-based producer and the head of production & development for Rumble Films. Most recently she produced Małgorzata Szumowska’s The Other Lamb. Other film credits to date include Nightcrawler, Whiplash and Drive, among others.

• Adam Kersh is a publicist in the indie film sphere, has experience in launching films at Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, TIFF and Venice. He has worked with Sean Baker (The Florida Project), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) or Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture). Co-founder of Brigade Marketing.

The day will be complimented by presentations of Polish projescts, production incentives, co-production possibilities and one-on-one meetings. Thanks to all the partners supporting Polish-American cooperation in the film industry.

To learn more or contact US in Progress team please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or check www.usinprogress.com

EnergaCAMERIMAGE, the international film festival of the art of cinematography, will celebrate three-time Academy Award® winning cinematographer Robert Richardson and two-time Academy Award® winner Quentin Tarantino by presenting them with the festival’s Cinematographer-Director Duo Award at a gala closing-night ceremony onNovember 16. The collaborators will visit Toruń for the event, which will include a screening of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, the fifth film in their renowned collaboration.

Robert Richardson and Quentin Tarantino

With his vibrant imagination and dedication to richly layered storytelling Quentin Tarantino has established himself as one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation. His nine films – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1and Vol. 2, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – have been nominated for a total of 24 Oscars®, winning five, including two for Tarantino’s screenplays for Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained. He was honored with the Palme d’Or for Pulp Fiction.

Always passionate for his ever-evolving craft, Robert Richardson made his name with ambitious, emotionally harrowing films set in the conflict-ridden El Salvador in Salvador, the war-torn Vietnam in Platoon, and the concrete and electronic jungle of Wall Street. During the next three decades, with such films as JFK, Heaven & Earth, Casino, The Aviator, Shutter Island, Hugo, and many others Richardson became a true master of light, shadow, and frame, changing the way we watch films. 

Commenting on the announcement, Marek Żydowicz, EnergaCAMERIMAGE Festival's Director, said, “In their epic- two-part Kill Bill; their twisted reimagination of World War II in Inglourious Basterds, their deconstruction of American myths in Django Unchained, their 70mm Western The Hateful Eight, and now, their heartbreaking and often uplifting recreation of a Los Angeles on the verge of change in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Richardson and Tarantino have created detailed, visually evocative stories that serve as reminders of why many of us fell in love with cinema. We are thrilled to welcome them to Toruń with this award.”

On Friday, 25 October, the shooting of the live-action feature Eva by the director TijanaZinajić began in Ljubljana. The script for this romantic comedy was written by IzaStrehar.

Zinajić’s directorial debut focuses on Eva, an academy-trained painter. About to turn 27, she realises that she has not yet achieved anything at all in her entire life.As she has not had her period for more than half a year because of her bad habits, she decides to stop drinking, smoking, and experimenting with various substances.Her favourite way of finding advice and assistance is a web browser.As the other aspects of Eva’s life are not exactly stellar, kicking her habits proves difficult as well.She has a creative block, her romantic affair with her painting mentor starts to annoy her, while her best friend Nina moves to Berlin in search of an environment more favourably inclined towards young artists.Eva works in a bookstore that sells self-help manuals, but her pay is always late, so she can hardly keep up with the rent.Without realising it at all, she and her roommate Blaž are in love with each other.

Before the shooting, the director told us: “The film Eva focuses on the period of life currently experienced by those born in 1991.It speaks of the social pressures and expectations,compelling every generation to grow up in a precisely defined manner.In every generation, some of us have matured differently.The script was written by a 25-year-old, yet I am no stranger to these issues, even though I belong to another generation.The screenwriter and I, as a director, represent different generations, but it is precisely this distance that can establish the universality of the topic.”

Starring Liza Marijina as Eva, Tosja Flaker Berce as Blaž, AnušaKodelja as Nina, and Jure Henigman as Jakob.Also featuring Lea Cok, Vesna Pernarčič, Nina Valič, Davor Janjić, Primož Pirnat, Nika Rozman, Miranda Trnjanin, Lovro Zafred, Jernej Kogovšek, Ana Urbanc, Sebastijan Horvat, Matej Puc, Desa Muck, Jožica Avbelj, and Špela Rozin.Director of photography: MilošSrdić; production designer: Neža Zinajić; costumes designer: Matic Hrovat; and makeup designer: Lija Ivančič.

The film, to be completed in the summer of 2020, is produced by Vlado Bulajić and Lija Pogačnik from the December production company from Ljubljana and co-produced by RTV Slovenija and Aatalanta.The project has been financially supported by the Slovenian Film Centre and Viba Film.

After secondary school, the director TijanaZinajić studied French and philosophy at the Faculty of Arts but graduated in theatre direction from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (the AGRFT) in Ljubljana.She works as a theatre director, actor, and assistant film director.She has received two Žlahtnarežija (Refined Direction) Awards for comedies, while the theatre performances she has directed have received several Slovenian and international awards.

After finishing secondary school and graduating in dramaturgy and performing arts from the AGRFT, the screenwriter IzaStreharalso attained her master’s degree in film and television screenwriting.She has already received four Grossman Awards for short film scripts and a Žlahtnokomedijskopero (Refined Comediographer) Award.She works as a script editor, dramatist, and screenwriter.She developed the project Eva at the “Scenarnica” scriptwriting workshop.

This year’s visitors of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck will be able to see six Lithuanian films of various genres with a uniting topic: a desire for freedom, told through youthful pranks and historical experiences. 

Two Lithuanian films were selected for this year’s Nordic Film Days competition. Director Karolis Kaupinis’ feature film debut, “Nova Lituania”, will compete with 17 other European films in the main Feature film competition. The story about the efforts of Lithuanian geography professor to create a reserve state overseas has already received many international awards. Dir. Kaupinis and an actor Vaidotas Martinaitis will present the film in Lübeck. 

Ramunė Rakauskaitė’s film “Back to the Dreamland” (lit. Kelionės namo) will be screened at the Documentary competition. The director will also attend the screening and will join a discussion about the connection between Lithuanian emigrants and their homeland.

This year, the festival focuses on films for children and youth. Tomas Vengris’ debut “Motherland” (lit. Gimtinė) and Inara Kolmane’s “Bile” (Lithuanian prod. Kęstutis Petrulis, Arūnas Stoškus) will be screened among other 35 films. “Bile”is a co-production between Latvia, Lithuania and Czech Republic.

Jorė Janavičiūtė’s 18-minute drama “On Time” (lit. Laiku) will be screened at the Short films program.

Also, Raimundas Banionis’ “Children from the Hotel America” (Vaikai iš „Amerikos“ viešbučuio, 1990)will visit Lübeck and will be screened at Retrospectives program from the film agents.  

Lithuanian films are competing for 8 awards, including the Baltic Prize for the Best Feature Film. Dovilė Butnoriūtė, the Head of the Film Promotion Department of the Lithuanian Film Center, is among this year’s judges. 

Lithuanian participation in the festival is sponsored by the Lithuanian Film Center.

Tallinn Black Nights aka PÖFF unveils the 15 films that are representing the three Baltic states at the 23rd edition of the festival. The programme consists of nine features, five documentaries and one animation.

Running for the second time, the Baltic Competition programme is a selection of the year’s finest films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as selected by the festival’s non-Baltic programming team members. The competition’s mission is to highlight and introduce Baltic cinema for the International industry and film critics, promote it for the festival’s audience and to build ties between the region’s filmmakers. The programme will be overseen by a jury comprised of international film professionals who will be announced in November.

Festival director Tiina Lokk commented: ’The idea of the Baltic Competition is an old one that we were once forced to drop since the cinematic output of the three countries dropped rapidly during a financially difficult period in the 90’s and a big part of the ’00s. When re-establishing the Baltic Competition last year in the context of the centenary celebration when all three countries had financed bigger productions, we were actually quite scared that maybe it will be a one time deal and the output and quality will drop again. We are extremely glad to admit that not only did our fears not realise, but actually all our hopes were surpassed – this is a wonderfully diverse programme with so many great films that have either seen considerable international success already or will hopefully do so after their premieres at PÖFF!“

Estonia

Estonian-Latvian co-produced Immortal reveals a contemporary Russian social mechanism that produces obedient state patriots and feels not unlike the methods used in the political systems of the last century. Ksenia Okhapkina’s film has won the documentary Grand Prix at Karlovy Vary IFF and several other festivals around the world and was submitted for the Academy Awards in the Documentary category.

Manfred Vainokivi presents his latest documentary biography In Bed With A Writer, a portrait of the controversial Estonian writer Peeter Sauter, right after his divorce. We follow Sauter in Estonia’s art and underground scene as he contemplates marriage, women, sex and ageing.

Vladimir Loginov’s second documentary Prazdnik chronicles an event that has been organised for nearly twenty years now in a small Estonian town: a Ukrainian-themed fair, during which a beauty pageant is held. While observing a community made up of a mostly ethnic minority in Estonia, the film also explores whether beauty can be an object of competition, and how we should understand the phenomenon of beauty contests in the modern-day.

Having travelled the globe with his debut In the Crosswind, Martti Helde returns with Scandinavian Silence, a feature film that tells, using an unusual narrative device, the tale of a man reunited with his sister after having spent years in jail. The film has screened at Karlovy Vary IFF and Busan IFF.

Becoming the biggest box office hit in the country’s history, the adaptation of the literary classic Truth and Justice is the first feature film of Tanel Toom, who won the Student Academy Award with his short film The Confession. The story follows the decade-spanning feud of two neighbours during the second half of the 19th century.

A comedic depiction of the global and local startup culture, Unicorn is the second feature of Rain Rannu, who himself is active as a startup investor and entrepreneur. The film is just finishing its successful run at the Estonian box office.

Latvia

A culmination of one artist’s creative journey that lasted 3,5 years, Away is a fantasy animation directed, animated and composed by Gints Zilbalodis. The film has screened at numerous festivals around the world, including Annecy, Tokyo, Fantasia and Sitges.

Chronicling the tumultuous times in Post-Soviet Latvia, Jānis Ābele’s feature film Jelgava 94 shines a light on the period where teenagers were obsessed with heavy metal.

Juris Kursietis’ second feature Oleg premiered at the Quinzaine des Realiseteurs section of the Cannes film festival. It’s rough, gripping tale of Latvian migrant workers searching for a better life in Belgium, not always on the right side of the law.

Having screened numerous times in the PÖFF programme, twice in the Official Selection, director Laila Pakalnina presents the documentary feature Spoon that follows the ’life-cycle’ and the geographical path of a plastic spoon in the globalized economical system.

Lithuania

Aistė Žegulytė presents Animus Animalis, an observational documentary about a taxidermist, a deer farmer and a museum employee who guide us around a bizarre world in which the line between reality and artificiality becomes imperceptible. The film has screened at numerous festivals across the world, including Leipzig and Brussels IFF, where it won the European Competition Grand Prix.

Director Ignas Jonynas’ second film Invisible presents the story of a former dancer Jonas pretending to be blind to enter a TV dance competition, as an intimate and emotional relationship builds between him and his dancing partner. He is soon reconnected with someone from the past with whom he shares a dark secret. The film premiered at the San Sebastian film festival.

Following the International premiere at Busan IFF, Tomas Vengris’ debut Motherlandrevisits the year 1992 in a Lithuania, right after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as a single mother and her 12-year-old return to Lithuania after a long stay in the US, to claim the property that was taken from the woman’s parents when they were sent to labour camps decades ago.

Karolis Kaupinis’ historic drama Nova Lithuania is set in 1938, the year when the young Lithuanian state celebrates twenty years of independence, while the situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense. Geographer Feliksas Gruodis comes up with a novel solution proposing to create a “backup Lithuania” overseas, where the country’s inhabitants could move in case of danger and starts looking for support from the political elite.

A legend of Lithuanian cinema, Algimantas Puipa presents the film Other Side of Silence, a tale inspired by the book Bumblebee Honey by Swedish writer Torgny Lindgren, talking about two brothers living in the same village, on the same lake, by the same forest, but their mutual hatred is so strong because of a once shared love interest, that they cannot die out of fear of losing to each other.

The 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival runs from the 15th of November until the 1st of December.

Films

Immortal (Surematu), 2019, Estonia-Latvia, director: Ksenija Ohhapkina | Estonian premiere
In Bed With A Writer (Kirjanikuga voodis), 2019, Estonia, director: Manfred Vainokivi | Estonian premiere
Prazdnik (Праздник), 2019, Estonia-Belorussia, director: Vladimir Loginov | Estonian premiere
Scandinavia (Skandinaavia vaikus), 2019, Estonia-France-Belgium, director: Martti Helde 
Truth and Justice (Tõde ja õigus), 2019, director: Tanel Toom 
Unicorn (Ükssarvik), 2019, Estonia, director: Rain Rannu 

Away (Projām), 2019, Latvia, director: Gints Zilbalodis | Estonian premiere
Jelgava 94, 2019, Latvia, director: Jānis Ābele | International premiere
Oleg (Oļegs), 2019, Latvia-Belgium-Lithuania-France, director: Juris Kursietis | Estonian premiere  
Spoon (Karote), 2019, Latvia-Lithuania-Norway, director: Laila Pakalnina | Estonian premiere

Animus Animalis (Istorija apie žmones, žvėris ir daiktus), 2019, Lithuania, director: Aistė Žegulytė | Estonian premiere
Invisible (Nematoma), 2019, Lithuania-Latvia-Ukraine-Spain, director: Ignas Jonynas | Estonian premiere
Motherland (Gimtine), 2019 Lithuania-Latvia-Germany-Greece, director: Tomas Vengris | Estonian premiere
Nova Lituania, 2019, Lithuania, director: Karolis Kaupinis | Estonian premiere
Other Side of Silence (Kita Tylos Pusė), 2019, Lithuania, director: Algimantas Puipa | Estonian premiere

The film stills and presskits of the programme can be found HERE. 

Festival TEASER.

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25 October / What's cooking?

• 18 projects attending Baltic Event Co-Production Market 
• Script Pool Tallinn reveals projects for TV drama series
• Save the date for European Film Forum Tallinn 2019
• Music Meets Films focuses on the creativity of composers
• Take part in Virtual Reality workshop
• Apply for accreditation on 28 October the latest!
• Is this the future of photography?

18 PROJECTS PARTICIPATING AT 
BALTIC EVENT CO-PRODUCTION MARKET

Just in a few weeks, 18 projects will be presented at the Baltic Event Co-Production Market 2019 during the Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event. The market’s 18^th edition welcomes both promising debutants as well as industry heavyweights, with stories ranging from raw personal traumas to mind-bending thrillers. This year's event proudly showcases the greatest talents from Central and Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia as well from the focus countries Ireland and Argentina in addition to the projects from Baltic countries.

SEE THE FULL LIST OF THE PROJECTS

 SCRIPT POOL TALLINN REVEALS PROJECTS FOR TV DRAMA SERIES

This year for the first time the international script competition Script Pool Tallinn also presents projects for TV and drama series in addition to scripts for feature films.

At the Script Pool Tallinn event, six teams consisting of scriptwriters and producers will be at the open pitch on the 26th of November before the international  jury and other decision-makers from the industry including Kamila Zlatušková, Independent TV producer from the Czech Republic, Dominic Schreiber, Global Drama Executive, at leading independent drama producer and distributor, Reel One Entertainment and Benjamin Harris, a writer and producer with over 15 years experience in the industry.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTS

SAVE THE DATE: EUROPEAN FILM FORUM TALLINN 2019

Save the date -  27 November - for the European Film Forum Tallinn 2019: Industry (R)Evolution: Debating Tech, Distribution, and Future Talent for European Cinema!

The European Film Forum, as a debate and discussion platform on the future evolution of European cinema, will return to Nordic Hotel Forum with executive-level discussions, case studies, and showcases on the most pressing topics for the European film, television, and content industry focusing on topics including: 

• How does Artificial Intelligence impact Storytelling and Cinema in Europe and beyond?

• What are the Streaming Wars and what it takes for Independent Cinema to stay relevant?

• Why you should you engage with European film tech startup (r)evolution?

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME 

FILM MUSIC - WHERE DOES THE CREATIVITY COME FROM?

Music Meets Film, a part of Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event taking place for the 8th time, has announced its programme and focuses on film music composers’ source of creativity this year. The exhaustive programme brings together award-winning British composer Richard Harvey, forensic musicologist Peter Oxendale as well as renown composers Michael J McEvoy, Tom Player and Mihkel Zilmer.

Music Meets Film, curated by Estonian Music Producer and Music Editor Michael Pärt, welcomes together composers and directors; from music and sound creatives through to producers, agents and the wider music – and film industry. The programme runs from the 25th until the 27th of November, 2019.

CHECK OUT THE PROGRAMME AND THE MENTORS

WORKSHOP: HOW TO INCORPORATE VIRTUAL REALITY TO AUDIO-VISUAL PROJECTS?

Are you interested in VR and want to know how to use the technology in your audio-visual projects?

Join the “Demystifying Virtual Reality” workshop taking place in collaboration with Film New Europe and Proto Invention Factory on 28-29 November in Tallinn. It is a hands-on workshop for filmmakers and enthusiasts, who are interested in what the future brings to the audiovisual medium. During the two intense days, participants will learn how to apply their creativity and take audience involvement to a completely different level through Virtual Reality.  

The two-day workshop is lead by Rein Zobel (Maru VR), Angel Urbina Vitoria (Iralta VR), Nimrod Shanit and Mitya Sorkin.

NB! Please register for the workshop by 30 October the latest!

LEARN MORE OR REGISTER TO THE WORKSHOP

3 DAYS LEFT FOR ACCREDITATION!

There is only 20 days before the kick-off of Black Night Film Festival and just one month to go before Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event! This is your last chance to make the necessary arrangements. To attend the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event, you are welcome to apply for accreditation. Depending on your plans, you can choose the most suitable solution for you:

• Festival + Industry accreditation (valid during November 15 – December 01 2019) or
• Industry accreditation (valid during 25-29 November)

The last day to apply for accreditation is 28 October, so you'd better hurry!

FIND OUT MORE ON ACCREDITATION

FOTOINMOTION — 
THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY WILL BE MOVING

Black Nights Film Festival is proud to partner with FotoInMotion, a new tool that will automatically turn still images into immersive short-form videos. But what would be the future tools for digital content creation? FotoInMotion partners will shed some light upon the trends!  

READ MORE ON FOTOINMOTION