Baltic Event sets sail with 69 film & TV projects - Spirit of Resilience and Cooperation

Set against the backdrop of war in Ukraine, the industry event held parallel to the Black Nights Film Festival has carved a special space for Ukrainian projects and professionals in a sign of solidarity, and the conflict’s repercussion on the global industry will be highlighted across the event's numerous panels and conferences. As underscored by Marge Liiske, long-standing head of Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event (I@T&BE), “it’s been a rocky year and the more a reason to stick together.”

“Our programme will indeed pay more attention to Ukrainian projects and industry as a whole, and we will also tackle artists in exile - from Russia, Belarus, how they cope with their new life away from their homeland.“

For the first time, industry delegates will be invited to travel ‘to the edge of the EU and NATO’, in North-East Estonia, to discover some of the beautiful landscapes and historical monuments in the Ida-Viru region bordering Russia. “We want to show our guests that we’re not on the frontline, and that we have a wealth of locations and talents also in North-Eastern Estonia.”

The region which offers a 40% cash rebate, and the Viru Film Fund have been particularly active in supporting local productions and training of below-the-line professionals since January 2022, according to Liiske.

Training via the Black Nights Discovery Campus strand, is one of the four pillars of Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event together with ‘film market’, ‘series market’ and ‘conference & talks’.

This year’s Nordic acting talents taking part in the Black Nights Stars programme include Denmark’s Albert Arthur Amiryan (Face to Face) and Finland’s Aamu Milonoff (Girl Picture, Deadwind).

Finland has as usual a prominent presence at I@T&BE, as natural partner to Estonia, with four projects selected for the film and series markets.

It’s Alive Films will be pitching both the dark comedy Death is a Problem for the Living (previously known as The Player) at the Baltic Event Works in Progress and the family film Snot & Splash at the Just Film Works in Progress, dedicated to kids content. Both films directed by the multi-awarded Teemu Nikki (The Blind Man Who Did Not See Titanic) are in post-production and still available for sales.

The Finnish feature The Kidnapping of a President by Samuli Valkama (Threesome, The Man Who Died) is among 11 projects from top directors to be showcased at the Baltic Event Co-production Market (November 23-24). According to the director, it’s an absurd and comedic story based on real events about how in October 1930, a group of Finnish top military officers went drinking and decided to kidnap the first-and already retired-President of Finland, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg. A plan which went south right from the outset. The project is produced by John Lundsten and Melli Maikkula for Tack Films.

In the TV Beats Co-financing Market for high-end series projects, the only Nordic entry among eight titles is Finland’s Sam Wylde: Bodyguard, competing for the €3,000 Most Promising Project Award, sponsored by Elisa Estonia.

The six-part thriller created by Matti Laine (2020 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize nominated for The Paradise), follows London-based bodyguard Sam Wylde who wants to find out who killed her husband. The murderer turns out to be her current client - the wealthy Omar Serikov who wants to defect from Russia under the protection of the West - security services. The series based on the ‘Sam Wylde’ series of books, written by RJ Bailey, is produced by Mikko Tenhunen for Mjölk Movies.

Elsewhere, Finland’s top production company Bufo is involved as minority co-producer of the Estonian feature 8 Views of Lake Biwa by Marko Raat, platformed at the Baltic Event Works in Progress, and the Danish film Levitating Skin, selected for the Co-Production Market. The absurd comedy exploring gender issues, is directed by The Penultimate’s Jonas Kærup Hjort. Denmark’s Tambo Film is producing with Bufo and Estonia’s Amrion.

“Danes don’t come often to Tallinn, so I’m particularly happy to have Levitating Skin on our programme,” said Liiske who wishes to build more relationships between the Baltic and Nordic regions.

Other Nordic projects showcased include the Swedish psycho horror The Braid, selected for the European Genre Forum strand in Tallinn. The film set in a deep forest of Dalarna, is directed by Nordic Talents winner Angelika Abramovich. The €2.7m project is produced by Sweden’s Cinenic Film in co-production with Norway’s Hummelfilm.

An impressive range of top global players will discuss urgent industry topics and concrete case studies at the TV Beats Forum (November 21-22), moderated by Dutch industry professional Marike Muselaers (Lumiere Group) and Johanna Karppinen, while the Industry innovation Forum will be returning in Tallinn November 22 for its Europe in Focus.

The policy-making session co-financed by the European Commission will explore European film funds in a transforming stage, the development of a virtual production ecosystem in Europe, collaborations with Ukraine, immersive and Web3 technologies, and green production.

“Discussions on such topics are very important, but what is also key is the types of leadership in place to implement change,” Liiske told nordicfilmandtvnews.com. “In difficult times, only leaders with foresight can make reforms.”

How to reassess our own business, leadership and ways of thinking to create a more resilient and sustainably industry will be discussed at the ‘invite-only’ session The Near Future retreat: (Re) Starting the Conversation, put together by I@TBE with Helene Granqvist and Valeria Richter of New Nordic Narratives.

For further details, check: www.industry.poff.ee