Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, also known as PÖFF, is marking a milestone this year as the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary.This The anniversary and the first of the festival’s founder Tiina Lokk, under the direction of artistic director Triin Tramberg, moves towards a strategic role within PÖFF.
Tramberg’s stint at the festival as a film curator and industry facilitator began more than 15 years ago. In its statement, PÖFF stated that from program assistant to program coordinator, it “played a central role in shaping the international profile of the festival” and touched upon its successes in the festival’s First Feature Film Competition, the Discovery Campus training program, which attracts more than 70 professionals every year, and the PÖFF Goes to Cannes event.
As the founder and director of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event’s Screenplay Pool program, Tramberg has nurtured major award-winning films such as 2023 Berlinale winner “20,000 Species of Bees” and Cannes Un Certain Regard 2025 winner “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.”
Unpacking Diversity His vision for the only FIAPF-accredited competitive film festival in Northern Europe – FIAPF’s “A” Festivals – Tramberg says his aim is for “PÖFF to continue to be strong, especially amidst the challenging times and global political turmoil we live in. PÖFF is bold, unpredictable but accessible. We just want audiences to keep coming to the cinemas, and I hope new audiences will join in as well.”
Speaking just days before the festival kicks off on November 6, Tramberg is on the rise. “We have one of the strongest programs ever,” he says of the Jubilee lineup. For example: The artistic director and his team of around 20 programmers selected 230 feature films, including 71 world premieres, from nearly 2,000 submissions for PÖFF’s main festival and its sub-festival for children and young people, Just Film. With the PÖFF Shorts sub-festival, 489 films from 87 countries will be screened between 9-22 November.
Among those attracting viewers’ attention are the 13 Oscar nominees for international feature films, including France’s “Minotaur,” Spain’s “La Bola Negra,” which was screened in the Best Festivals category, Lithuania’s “How to Divorce During War,” which competed in the Baltic film competition, and Latvia’s PÖFF’s “Ulya,” which is scheduled to open Nov. 6.
The two Baltic films are being screened as part of a broader Baltic cinema showcase that includes nearly 40 features, shorts, classics and small gems from new directors like Janno Jürgens’ sophomore effort from Estonia “No Me Without You,” the only Baltic film competing for the €20,000 ($22,400) Grand Prix.
Tramberg says of Viesturs Kairišs’ “Ulya”: “Tiina and I saw the film separately at Un Certain Regard in Cannes, then we met and said, this is our opening! We knew we would have a Baltic-Focused slot at PÖFF. This is clearly a great film with A-list festival potential, a co-production between Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania, showing what we can do in the Baltics and beyond.” It was a choice.”
“It is particularly meaningful to give Baltic cinema a central place in this anniversary programme,” Tramberg adds, enthusiastically labeling the Baltics as “the next Scandinavia”. “We work well together, we complement each other. These collaborations help Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films become better and reach a wider international audience.”
‘Ulya’
Spanish, Latin American Momentum
Besides the Baltic countries, Spain’s Basque region also receives special attention at both the festival and its industry sidebar Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event. High-profile productions to watch include Patricia Ortega’s “Caballé,” about opera diva Montserrat Caballé, which will have its world premiere in official competition, and Daniel Romero’s psycho thriller “The Daughters” in Midnight Shivers. This is PÖFF’s second focus on the Spanish region, after last year’s Catalan Agenda.
Tramberg praises PÖFF’s Spanish-language film programmer, Javier García Puerto, curator of the Rebels with a Cause competition. Javier García Puerto is increasingly strengthening his ties with top Spanish and Latin American actors and talent as he enjoys a global renaissance in Spanish-language films.
Reflecting on what he calls the “global overdrive of film production”, Tramberg says the majority of PÖFF film entries this year have come from Europe, followed by Latin America, which offers one of the strongest and most diverse crops, including smaller countries. For example, Uruguay managed to qualify for the Critics’ Choice competition with its intriguing drama film “When I Existed”, a Catalan co-production. While Ecuador is competing in the best first film category with Christian Rojas’s “Princess”, the Dominican Republic is represented in the official election with the movie “Shit Happens”.
“We have been an A-list festival for over 10 years, so filmmakers and producers know that Tallinn is a very good starting point. They know that their work will be seen here not only by our audiences, but also by international industry professionals and programmers,” notes Tramberg.
A-List Guests
As a matter of fact, more than 2,000 guests from more than 50 countries are expected in the capital of Estonia. Among the world-class talent, Tramberg is particularly excited to welcome US actor-director Tim Black Nelson. “I grew up watching his movies, and when we decided to cast him, I loved the movie ‘The Life and Death of Wilson Shedd,’ without even knowing he was directing it. I thought, ‘Why don’t I try inviting him?’ I felt. “We are also very happy that he will be coming to support our Midnight Shivers selection, “The Leader,” in which he stars.”
‘The Life and Death of Wilson Shedd’
Other top talent confirmed include U.S. actor Griffin Dunne for the screening of Max Korman’s “Joy Will Prevail,” starring famed Estonian-born architect Louis Kahn, and British star actor Ray Panthaki for his directorial debut “In Starland,” which will have its world premiere in Debut Feature competition.
“Then we have the regulars,” Tramberg adds, citing in the international documentary section Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who will be in Tallinn for the world premiere of the Danish hybrid film “Daddy’s Home,” and Iranian-born Goldshifteh Farahani, star of the official competition entry “When She Hears the Bells.”
Tramberg also highlights names beyond the screen: U.S. cinematographer/visual effects expert David Stump (“The Morning Show,” “Breaking Bad,” “Batman Forever”) and Oscar-winning British screenwriter Sir Christopher Hampton (“Dangerous Liaisons,” “The Father”), both judges of the official competition.
Inquiring about possible common themes in the festival’s extensive slate, Tramberg thinks family stories—especially those about motherhood—are perhaps the most striking overarching themes. “Perhaps this is not surprising,” he says. “Mothers have a tremendous impact on the people we become and, ultimately, the society we create, so it makes sense for filmmakers to explore family, parenting, and these relationships as a way of looking at the world around us,” she adds.
Speaking of the influence of mothers, how did she cope with the challenge of taking PÖFF away from her own mother, the esteemed Tiina Lokk? He was recently honored by the Estonian Cultural Foundation for ‘putting Estonia on the world map of film festivals’?
“Yes I am a nepo baby and of course that puts extra pressure on me,” Tramberg replies. “That said, it feels right to take over the festival at this time in my life,” adds the 31-year-old actor. “I have great respect and admiration for what Tiina has achieved; she is a great visionary. But I don’t compare myself to her, and I have my own shoes to fill, my own path to follow and create,” he says.
“By the way,” he continues, “I’m going to use this particular 30.This It was my anniversary to pay tribute to my mother’s work, so I wouldn’t change a thing this year. Tiina started with 24 feature films; Now we have 230 films; We had around 20 international guests, now we have over 2,000 guests. That says it all,” Tramberg notes.