The Finnish Christmas family project co-directed by Hannes Vartiainen and Oktober CEO and producer Joonas Berghäll, will be released by Scanbox in Scandinavia.

On Saturday the jury of the Baltic Event Co-production Market consisting of Tribeca Film Festival’s senior programmer Jarod Neece, TrustNordisk sales manager Frederik Hemmingsen, and Lithuanian producer Marija Razgute, of M-Films said The Elf won them over, as “a story told with a clear vision and a path to its realisation, a film for children and adults alike that explores trauma and childhood through a magical lens. A real gift!”, they claimed.

The live action adventure for kids and their parents was co-written by Vartiainen and Berghäll.

The story sets off at the scene of a car crash. Cut two years later to the main characters-twin sisters Lumi and Ivalo (9) who live in an orphanage in Lapland. Ivalo gets adopted and Lumi is left alone in the world. She escapes and ends up in the underground world of elves, a magical place where all Christmas presents are crafted. As she seeks to be reunited with her sister, she embarks on an exciting adventure through the world of elves.

“At the heart of the film is the feeling of being alone, an outsider,” said Vartiainen in his director’s note. “Lumi is isolated in a completely new environment. She is forced to learn the customs and lifestyle of a new world. Her being the imaginary friend of Ivalo means that this adventure brings Ivalo back to life from the trauma of losing her parents. She learns to live with the past and start a new life in the loving new family. The Elf is a film about the power of imagination,” he stated.

The first children’s film produced by Oktober is being co-produced by Norway’s Rein Film and Belgium’s Umedia, with co-financing from the Finnish Film Foundation, YLE, the Norwegian Film Institute, Filmfond Nord, Film Camp, the City of Kemi, and Belgian tax.

According to Berghäll, 85% of the €3.5m budget is secured, with a sales agent soon to be announced. The live action film in pre-production will start filming in Norway in April 2024.

The seasoned director and producer is currently working on an international impact campaign, meant “to change the lives of over 100,000 children worldwide. This is the most important reason for making this film. The purpose of this film is to make the invisible visible.”

A total of eight awards were handed out on Saturday at the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event awards ceremony which closed five intensive days of networking, presentations and panel discussions.

On the TV side, the Estonian series Behind the Iron Curtain from Oree Films, co-produced by Denmark’s Stikling Film, scooped the top prize for ‘most promising project’ from the third TV Beats Co-Financing Market. The show written by Leana Jalukse (behind Estonia’s Oscar entry Mother) is a music drama which follows three young women from very different backgrounds into the chaotic world of the Soviet music industry.

For the full list of awards from the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event and TV Beats Co-financing Market, check: https://industry.poff.ee/.

Meanwhile the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) announced on Sunday its full list of winners. The €20,000 Grand Prix for best film of the official competition went to Italy’s Misericordia by Emma Dante, for which Simone Zambelli also won best actor.

Another multiple-winner was Spain’s Andreas’ Love for which acclaimed director Manuel Martín Cuenca won an award in his category and shared best script with Lola Mayo.

Meanwhile Anna Hint’s documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood co-produced by Iceland’s Hlín Jóhannesdóttir added the Best Baltic Film award to its already long list of international accolades.

For the full list of awards for the 27th Tallinn Black Night Film Festival check: https://poff.ee/en/