Due to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania’s celebration of their 100 years of Independence, a larger than usual number of films celebrating the three countries’ history have been selected at the 17th Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (November 26-30, 2018), together with contemporary stories, both personal and universal.

Among the 11 Baltic Event Works in Progress competing for the €3,000 Best Work in Progress are a majority of Estonian films, such as the historical drama Truth and Justice by Academy award-nominated Tanel Toom, based on Anton Hansen Tammsaare’s literary classic.

Head of Industry Marge Liiske says Finland had a particularly strong year, which means she had to turn down a few projects and restrict her selection to three upcoming Finnish feature films and one minority co-production:

  • Aurora by Miia Tervo produced by Dionysos Films 
  • Dogs Don’t Wear Pants by J-P Valkeapää, produced by Helsinki-filmi 
  • Maria’s Paradise by Zaida Bergroth by Komeetta 
  • Goodbye Soviet Union by Lauri Randla, produced by Estonia’s Exitfilm and Finland’s Bufo. 

Among the 8 international Works in Progress vying for the €10,000 Post Production Award is the Norwegian film Sisters by actress turned director Silje Salomonsen and her partner, director Arild Østin Ommundsen (Now It’s Dark) produced by Chezville.

The 17th co-production market has 16 projects from 23 countries including the Finnish films Light Light Light by Inari Niemi (Lucy Loves Drama) and The Oasis of Now by Hamy Ramezan (Aamu Film Company), both pitched at the last Finnish Film Affair, as well as Iceland’s Quake by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (Ursus Parvus). All films are vying for the €20,000 Eurimages Co-production Development Award and the Screen International Best Pitch Award.

Iceland’s Quake is also among 5 projects in the Script Pool Tallinn selection.

Baltic Event’s fourth major section POWR Baltic Stories Exchange has teamed up with Finland’s Focus initiative aimed at female filmmakers and funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Ten projects will be pitched on November 29 including:

  • Finland’s Room 511 by Sevgi Emel, 
  • Å by Aino Lappalainen, 
  • Suicide Mission by Hanna Partanen, 
  • If I Would Talk to You by Kirsi Marie Liimatainen, 
  • Hot Pans by Lotta Kaisa-Riistakoski, 
  • Provider by Susanna Ake, 
  • Sweden’s Karin Boy by Asa Sandzen
  • Lady from the Sea by Morten Traavik (Latvia/Sweden). 

The rich programme of debates and presentations includes a panel on Thursday November 29 on ‘How to improve the theatrical distribution of Baltic and Nordic films in the region‘ to be moderated by Harri Ahokas (Finnish Film Foundation). Speakers include Tiina Lokk (Black Nights Film Festival); Petri Peltonen (Finnish Film Foundation), Petri Kemppinen (Nordisk Film & TV Fond), Siim Rohtla (Forum Cinemas Estonia / NCG ), Peter Fornstam (Svenska Bio) and Vibeke Skistad (Euforia Film).

For the first time, Baltic Event will focus on TV drama with the new session ‘TV Beats’ on November 23rd . “Premium drama is only starting to emerge in Estonia and our first ever high-end drama series Pank (The Bank) by rising content creator Itamambuca Filmproduction was just sold to MHz Networks for North America,” noted Liiske. “Our new drama session will explain the market conditions, challenges, and top players such as Finland’s streaming service Elisa Viihde will participate.”

Other sessions are dedicated to tax incentives in Lithuania and Poland, Oscar, Golden Globe and US festivals strategy, social media marketing, co-producing with China among others.

The Black Nights Stars event (November 26-28) held for the second time to promote talents from the Baltic Sea region has selected five rising actors: Emma Marrott (Denmark), Liis Lass (Estonia), Pääru Oja (Estonia), Agnese Cīrule (Latvia) and Satu Tuuli Karhu (Finland).

The industry event will close on November 30 with the European Film Forum Tallinn 2018 held under the theme Creativity,Technology, Finance: Sustaining European Diversity post-2020.

For the full programme, check: www.be.poff.ee