Sunday, October 5, 2025

PÖFF 2024 Baltic Competition Showcases 16 Titles

The lineup includes six world premieres and critically acclaimed festival favorites, with Finnish director Klaus Härö’s “Never Alone” opening the section.

Film Reviews

Navid Nikkhah-Azad
Navid Nikkhah-Azad
Navid Nikkhah-Azad is an Iranian film director and cinema journalist. He is a member of the Association of Dutch Film Journalists (KNF), the Dutch branch of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). He is the founder of 1TAKE NEWS and covers news about films and film festivals.

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) has set the full lineup for its Baltic Competition, a section dedicated to films from the festival’s home region. The 28th edition of the event runs Nov. 8-24 in Tallinn, Estonia.

This year’s Baltic Competition will open with Finnish director Klaus Härö’s historical drama “Never Alone.” The program features 16 titles, including six world premieres and two international premieres, spanning narrative features and documentaries.

The lineup also includes several films that have already gained international recognition. Latvia’s Oscar submission “Flow” will screen alongside “Drowning Dry,” winner of Best Director and Best Ensemble Cast at the Locarno Film Festival, and “Lioness,” which took Best Screenwriter honor at Warsaw.

Five documentaries round out the slate. Edvinas Pukšta, the program’s curator, noted the combination of fiction and non-fiction reflects “how Baltic filmmakers are strong in real fiction.”

The best Baltic film will receive a €5,000 grant from Piletilevi, the region’s leading cinema ticket company.

Germany is this year’s country in focus at PÖFF, which opens with the world premiere of David Dietl’s “Long Story Short” at Tallinn’s Alexela Concert Hall.

Full list of Films in the Baltic Competition at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival:

  • “Anna LOL,” 2024, Latvia; director: Ivars Tontegode.
    World premiere.
  • “Black Velvet,” 2024, Latvia; director: Liene Linde.
    Baltic premiere.
  • “Drowning Dry,” 2024, Latvia, Lithuania; director: Laurynas Bareiša.
    Estonian premiere.
  • “Flow,” 2024, Latvia, France, Belgium; director: Gints Zilbalodis.
    Estonian premiere.
  • “I Was Born In A Garage,” 2024, Estonia; director: Arko Okk.
    World premiere.
  • “In The Land That Sings,” 2024, Latvia; director: Māris Martinsons.
    International premiere.
  • “Life & Love,” 2024, Estonia; director: Helen Takkin.
  • “Lioness,” 2024, Estonia, Germany, Latvia; director: Liina-Triškina Vanhatalo.
  • “My Partners,” 2024, Estonia; director: Eeva Kübar.
    World premiere.
  • “Never Alone,” 2024, Finland, Estonia, Austria, Germany, Sweden; director: Klaus Härö.
    World premiere.
  • “Paradise Not Lost,” 2024, Lithuania; director: Linas Mikuta.
    World premiere.
  • “Rebel with a Bow Tie,” 2024, Estonia; director: Jaan Tootsen.
    World premiere
  • “Tasty,” 2024, Lithuania, Estonia; director: Eglė Vertelytė.
    World premiere
  • “The End,” 2024, Latvia; director: Māris Maskalāns.
    International premiere
  • “Southern Chronicles,” 2024, Lithuania, Estonia; director: Ignas Miškinis.
    Baltic premiere
  • “Touched by Eternity,” 2024, Latvia; director: Mārčis Lāčis.
    Baltic premiere

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