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The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival prides itself on having its finger on the pulse of contemporary auteur cinema, and in providing the first reveal in terms of both emerging filmmaking talent and filmmaking trends from the Baltic region.

Cast an eye across the program for this year's 28th edition of the A-listed event -- also known as PÖFF and running Nov. 8-24 -- and you'll find that festival head Tiina Lokk and her team have again played to those strengths with a lineup that presents six competitions, as well as the industry platform Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, which runs Nov. 14-22.

Lokk points to distinctive themes across the films chosen for PÖFF this year as a sign of the times, with the global pandemic's effects still fresh in memories and the global film industry in general still recovering in terms of production numbers.

"The real COVID influence has been that there are more films about relationships, especially family relationships," says Lokk. "There are more films dealing with the problems of death, love, loneliness. Of course, relationships are always in the middle of or behind literature and cinema, but this year feels like a special year because this year feels different."

While PÖFF will be showcasing its share of festival circuit faves, including Cannes hits Anora and All We Imagine as Light, the festival rightfully positions itself also as the champion of the lesser lights -- auteurs who are given a chance to share the spotlight. There is a buzz from insiders about two locally produced films this year: the Jaak Kilmi-directed thriller The Shadow (in the Official Competition), framed around the character of local poet and independence movement hero Juhan Liiv, and the Jaan Tootsen-directed documentary Rebel With a Bow Tie (Baltic Film Competition), an intimate portrait of the quirky Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the country's former leader.

"Our festival never has been, let's say, dedicated to glamour or to the big blockbusters," says Lokk. "We are trying to help new filmmakers, and of course filmmakers from Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania. For instance, if we do have to make the choice between big names and their artistically average film and an unknown or less-known filmmaker's film, we definitely usually will pick the unknown, but talented."

Documentaries have been another distinct trend emerging from the Baltics, and PÖFF has decided to formally push the genre to the fore, with the inaugural staging of the Doc@PÖFF competition, which is being headed by acclaimed local documentary maker Marianna Kaat, whose look at domestic politics in pre-Ukrainian War Russia, The Last Relic, was in PÖFF's Baltic Film competition last year.

"[Documentaries] have always been part of us, but we have never formalized it," says Lokk. "A documentary is the easiest and quickest way to bring the problems to the screen. With these documentaries, you can catch up immediately with what's going on around you. This is interesting, especially in our times, and for audiences today. There is some kind of explosion in documentaries in the Baltics and in the world."

This year's PÖFF comes at a time of great change for the Estonian film industry itself. The development of the Ida Hub film production center in northeastern Ida-Virumaa County promises to literally alter the landscape for filmmakers on the ground in this country of just 1.4 million people -- as well as for those Estonia whom hopes to lure into the country to make their movies -- as much as it hopes to help shift the focus of the local economy.

The project is being put together by the Ida-Viru Investment Agency, charged with developing regional production infrastructure through film studios; the SA Ida-Viru Entrepreneurship Center and the regional Viru Film Fund, which are developing an incubation program that will give locals a chance to work in the film industry; and tech incubator Tehnopol, which -- in keeping with Estonia's push to brand itself as a global tech and startup hub -- is working on an incubation program focused on "innovation in the international technology and startup sectors."

The complex is set for a September 2026 opening and comes after Estonia was encouraged, via the European Union, to shift away from its traditions in mining and into more environmentally friendly industries.

"In the Baltic States, and even in Nordic countries, we don't yet have that kind of modern infrastructure for filmmaking," explains Teet Kuusmik, the director of the Ida-Viru Investment Agency. "And the background is that we want to change our region economically. It's one project that will help, and it's like a regional development project that's not only a creative industry project."

Lokk sees her festival as playing the role of connector between the local community and the film industry, and PÖFF's sidebar industry platforms are this year also further promoting opportunities for the local and regional industries through the production of TV and streaming content. PÖFF has also developed its own platform, Creative Gate, which provides direct contacts with "services, industry professionals and talents" for international filmmakers and production companies. The festival has already established a training program for people who might have worked in film but want to explore further opportunities, mainly among technical teams.

"Our film industry is small, and we are not making that many films. But we are making a lot of co-productions -- it is the way to survive," says Lokk. "A lack of money has become like censorship right now, as it stops us from dreaming bigger, but things are still developing and we hope this situation will change, when the studio will be ready."

The development sees Estonia, in a way, looking back in terms of looking toward its future. The country traces its cinematic roots to pre-Soviet times, and Lokk says the festival is on a mission to share this film legacy with contemporary audiences, in particular, young local filmmakers who might not be fully aware of the past.

"Each Baltic country has its own cinematic handwriting and distinctive features for over 100 years -- before the Soviet occupation, during the Soviet era and today," says Lokk. "The specifics of Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian cinema were very distinguished during the Soviet era. Each country did films in its native language, and had its own directors, studios, famous actors and film language. We feel a responsibility to present this overlooked history to a wider audience."

Lokk is going into the festival buoyed by the buzz that still lingers from last year, when a comparison was made that she says really hit home.

"The biggest compliment last year was when the festival PÖFF, together with our Industry sections, were compared to Toronto. We have been a bit like a little Toronto in Europe," she says. "I think that shows we are doing a good job. We are fulfilling the needs of the industry and of the audience."