The projects taking part in Works in Progress will be presented on 23-24 November 2021 at Coca Cola Plaza cinema hall, the presentations can be followed on the industry.poff.ee website.
Baltic Event Works in Progress, taking place for the 19th time, will present eight projects. According to Maria Ulfsak, the Programme Manager of Baltic Event Works in Progress, the selection gives an interesting overview of the region's current state of cinema. "We have veteran directors and debuts, comedies and historic dramas on difficult topics, so there are a lot of very different projects from different genres this year. But we are very proud of the fact that five out of eight films in the Baltic Event Works in Progress are directed by talented female directors," says Ulfsak.
The Baltic Event Works in Progress includes three projects from Estonia this year - Triin Ruumet's Dark Paradise, Rain Rannu's Child Machine and Mart Kivastik's Stairway to Heaven. From Finland, there is Light Light Light - a new drama by Inari Niemi. Also, Latvia is represented with three projects this year - Sisters (a co-production with Italy) by Linda Olte, the historic drama Soviet Milk by Ināra Kolmane and a debut film by Elza Gauja - a road-movie Keep Smiling, Mom!. From Lithuania, the showcase includes Parade, a new dramedy by Titas Laucius that is produced by Klementina Remeikaite who's previous film Pilgrims just won Orizzonti prize in Venice.
The 7th international Works in Progress includes six projects by award-winning directors. Georgia is represented with a co-production drama with Turkey and France, Beautiful Helen, directed by George Ovashvili. Bethlehem Light, a co-production by Czech Republic and United Kingdom, is directed by the Academy Award nominee Jan Sverak, whose works have turned into box office hits in his home territory. From Russia there is a drama Intensive Care, directed and written by Pyotr Todorovskiy, grandson of Pyotr Todorovsky, the grand old man of Russian film. Lithuania and the United States are presented with a co-production drama Solidarity, directed by Dustin Brown. Germany is represented by an absurd drama We Might as Well Be Dead, directed by Natalia Sinelnikova. Another debut comes from Spain, drama Cork, a feature film debut by young writer-director Mikel Gurrea and produced by Lastor Media. The company’s record includes 10 000 km and Libertad which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2021. The film, currently in post-production, has been awarded at the San Sebastian Film Festival and developed at Ikusmira Berriak, Sources2 and the Jerusalem Film Lab.
The jury of Baltic Event and international Works in Progress consisted of Charles Bin, partner and sales manager at Brussels based international sales company Best Friends Forever, Torsten Frehse CEO and buyer for Neue Visionen an independent films distributor from Germany and founder of Pluto Film, a world sales and festival distribution company and Alena Shumakova, programmer for Cannes Directors' Fortnight.
Works in Progress sponsor Asymmetric Studios will award the Asymmetric Studios Best Visual Effects Award to the best project in either Baltic Event or International Works in Progress showcase, as chosen by the jury. It will consist of a 5000 EUR cash prize, as well as up to 10,000 EUR of in-kind services from this leading international visual effects and 3D animation studio.
Just Film Works in Progress focuses on children and youth film projects, with five projects competing for the award this year. Latvia is represented with BOOM! Directed by Marta Selecka and Andra Dorss. From Russia, the showcase includes Devka-Baba by Aglaya Nabatnikova and a co-production with Kazakhstan Summer Ends Soon directed by Yana Skopina. Italy is represented with the film Paula, directed by Florencia Wehbe. Argentina, Spain, France and Guatemala are represented with a co-production Felipe directed and written by Federico Schmukler.
The jury of Just Film Works in Progress will include Gloria Morano, Head of the Young Audiences Programme at the Luxembourg City Film Festival (Luxembourg), Joe Ursell, Curation Manager at Into Film (intofilm.org), the UK's national film education charity (UK) and Alasdair Satchel, a film and theatre maker, film educationalist (Scotland).
The award-winner of Just Film Works in Progress receives a 1 000 EUR monetary prize to help the film gain visibility by covering promotion and publicity costs. Youth and Children’s Film Festival Just Film is the biggest sub-festival of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Titles taking part of Works in Progress Baltic Event showcase:
1. Child Machine
Country: Estonia
Genre: science fiction
Director: Rain Rannu
Producer: Tõnu Hiielaid, Rain Rannu
Production company: Tallifornia
2. Dark Paradise
Countries: Estonia, France
Genre: drama
Director: Triin Ruumet
Producer: Elina Litvinova
Co-producer: Jeremy Forni
Production companies: Three Brothers, Chevaldextrois
3. Keep Smiling, Mom!
Country: LatviaGenre: road-movie, dramedy
Director: Elza Gauja
Producer: Andris Gauja, Elza Gauja, Marta Bite
Production companies: Riverbed
4. Light Light Light
Country: Finland
Genre: drama
Director: Inari Niemi
Producer: Oskari HuttuProduction company: Lucy Loves Drama Oy
5.Parade
Country: Lithuania
Genre: dramedy
Director: Titas Laucius
Producer: Klementina Remeikaite
Production company: afterschool production
6. Sisters
Countries: Latvia, Italy
Genre: drama, family
Director: Linda Olte
Producer: Matiss Kaza, Una Celma, Dace Siatkovska
Co-producers: Thomas Menghin, Wilfried Gufler, Debora Nischler
Production companies: Fenixfilm (LV), Albolina Film (ITA)
7. Soviet Milk
Country: Latvia
Genre: drama
Director: Ināra Kolmane
Producer: Jānis Juhņēvičs, Marta Romanova-Jēkabsone
Production companies: Film Studio DEVIŅI
8. Stairway to Heaven
Country: Estonia
Genre: drama
Director: Mart Kivastik
Producer: Marju Lepp, Manfred Vainokivi
Production company: Filmivabrik
International Works in Progress selection:
1. Beautiful Helen
Countries: Georgia, Turkey, France
Director: George Ovashvili
Producer: George Ovashvili
Co-producers: Mesut Ulutaş, Guillaume de Seille
Production company: Wagonnet Films
2. Bethlehem Light
Countries: Czech Republic, United Kingdom
Director: Jan Sverak
Producer: Jan Sverak
Co-producer: Eric Abraham
Production companies: Biograf Jan Sverak, Portobello Productions, Czech Television
3. Intensive Care
Country: Russia
Director: Pyotr Todorovskiy
Producers: Valeriy Fedorovich, Evgeniy Nikishov
Production company: 1-2-3 Production
4. Solidarity
Countries: United States, Lithuania
Director: Dustin Brown
Producers: Dustin Brown, Daniel Dreifuss
Co-producers: Daniel Leighton, Kaiulani Bush, Mantas Valantiejus
Production companies: Dustin Todd Films, Midnight Lantern Productions
6. Cork
Country: Spain
Director: Mikel Gurrea
Producers: Laura Rubirola, Sergi Moreno, Tono Folguera, Clàudia Maluenda, Xabi Berzosa
Production companies: Lastor Media, Malmo Pictures, Irusoin
6. We Might as Well Be Dead
Country: Germany
Director: Natalia Sinelnikova
Producer: Julia Wagner
Co-producer: Magdalena Wolff
Production companies: HEARTWAKE Films, Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
Just Film Works in Progress titles:
1. Boom!
Countries: Latvia, Estonia
Director: Marta Selecka / Andra Dorss
Screenwriter: Lote Eglite
Producer: Ugis Riekstins / Elina Zazerska
Production companies: Picture house
2. Devka-Baba
Country: Russia
Director: Aglaya Nabatnikova
Screenwriter: Andrey Rubanov
Producer: Victoria Lupik
Production companies: Anniko Films
3. Felipe
Countries: Argentina, Spain, France and Guatemala
Director: Federico Schmukler
Screenwriter: Federico Schmukler
Producer: Julieta Sánchez Sananez- Brujas Producciones
Production companies: Potenza Producciones-Carlo D’ursi Fortunato. La casa de producción- Jayro Bustamante and Gustavo Matheu Paredes. Les film du volcán- Georges Renand.
4. Paula
Countries: Argentina, Italy
Director: Florencia Wehbe
Screenwriter: Florencia Wehbe, Daniela De Francesco
Producer: Fernanda Rocca, Claudio Esposito
Production companies: Bombilla Cine (Argentina), The Piranesi Experience (Italy)
5. Summer Ends Soon
Countries: Russia, Kazakhstan
Director: Yana Skopina
Screenwriter: Yana Skopina, Rodion Golovan
Producer: Ardak Kassymbek, Yerkezhan Maksut, Tamara Bogdanova
Production companies: KINOKULT, UVENT Production
Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event is the one-week summit for film and audiovisual industry professionals held during PÖFF, on November 19-26, 2021. This year’s summit, celebrating its 20th anniversary, takes place in Tallinn but is also mostly accessible online via industry.poff.ee. Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event will take a closer look at the United Kingdom film industry together with the British Film Institute (BFI) including British projects participating in industry programmes and a delegation of producers looking for networking opportunities, as well as presentations, masterclasses and panel discussions featuring British speakers. A side programme of UK films will also screen as part of the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
