The largest international co-production market in North-Eastern Europe is launching new creative gates, a script competition and presenting the largest ever co-production market selection for its 16th edition.

Marge Liiske, Head of Industry@ Tallinn and Baltic Event said: “We’re trying to offer something for all our guests, not only producers, sales agents, distributors, but also screenwriters, music composers and actors to enhance what Estonia and the Baltic region have to offer on a business and creative standpoint. Estonia’s 30% filming cash rebate introduced in 2016 is starting to make its imprint on the local industry and the scheme’s budget has increased from €500,000 in 2016 to €2 million for 2018, which makes us very attractive for foreign shoots, including from Scandinavia.”

For its 16th edition, Baltic Event has selected 45 projects from the Baltics, Scandinavia, the new EU territories, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, including 16 features competing for the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award.

Among those are four Nordic projects:

  • If the Light Takes Us (DK) by Icelandic debut director Anna Maria Helgasdóttir, produced by Per Damgaard Hansen of Masterplan Pictures (Winter Brothers),
  • The Great Bear by Jan Forsström (FI), produced by Kaarle Aho and Kai Norberg of Making Movies, freshly awarded the 2017 Nordic Council Film Prize for Little Wing, 
  • Hope Ever After (FI) by Emilia Petterberg, produced by Ari Matikainen of Kinocompany, 
  • Ibrahim’s Journey (SE) by Shaker Tahrer, produced by Peter Kropenin of HOB AB.

The new section ‘First Stop Estonia’ is showcasing two local films by established directors – Beyond the Forest by Andrus Tuisk and The Iconpainter by Andres Puustusmaa, produced by upcoming Estonian producers, eager to widen their international network, respectively Marju Lepp of Filmivabrik and Esko Rips of Nafta Films.

Ten projects will be pitched as works in progress including Klaus Härö’s One Last Deal (previously known as Dark Christ) produced by Making Movies with support from Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and the anticipated Estonian/Irish/Belgian/UK animated film Captain Morten and the Spider Queen by Kaspar Jancis, voiced by Ciaran Hinds and Brendan Gleeson. 

The Creative Gate is launching a new Screen Star Tallinn talent showcase with seven promising actors from the Baltics, Finland and Germany, to be unveiled next week. “We are bringing casting agents and organising workshops and a masterclass on top of red carpet events to promote them,” said Liiske.

Meanwhile film composers will have their own celebration on December 1st, with a full day of film music talks and showcases curated by Michael Pärt, as part of ‘Music Meets Film’.

Screenwriters are also empowered with the new €5,000 Script Pool Tallinn development competition and mentoring programme, sponsored by Telepool Germany. Seven teams of screenwriters and producers will pitch their projects on November 30th, including Finland’s Pekka Lehto and Mika Purola with The Box, and Iceland’s Marteinn Thorsson with Yosoy.

Another seven screenwriters will be invited to pitch their projects on November 29 as part the POWR Baltic Stories Exchange Forum including Finland’s Heidi Lindén (The Night Train is Coming), Teresa Mecklin (The Pretending Game), Norway’s Hilde Heier (The Opera Singer) and Sweden’s Osmond Karim (The Macabre Mysteries of Viktor Kasparsson). The workshop mentor is Valeria Richter and pitch coach is Helene Granqvist.

Asked if Baltic Event would consider opening up in the future to TV drama, Liiske said: “It’s still early days in Estonia as the sector is under-developed and under-financed and we lack studio facilities, but eventually we will have to do this as TV drama is the new film.”

The future of audiovisual content in the digital age will be the topic of a large EU Conference on November 27-28 to coincide with Estonian Presidency of the EU Council, and prominent speakers expected include Jeremy Darroch, CEO of Sky Group, Matthjis Wouter Knol, Director of the European Film Market, Barak Berkowitz, CEOO of MIT Media and Efe Cakarel, CEO of MUBI.

For further information, check: www.industrytallinn.com