The Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the program for its eleventh edition, to be held Nov 15-Dec 9 in Tallinn, Estonia.

This year's event features 205 films from more than 60 countries. Among the 11 titles in the Estonian Feature Film Competition are 186 Kilometers, from Andres Maimik and Autumn Ball star Rain Tolk; Georg, Peeter Sims biopic about legendary Estonian singer Georg Otis; and Estonia's foreign-language Oscar submission The Class.

The EurAsia competition features 17 films, including Estonian Venice Horizons winner Autumn Ball, Czech director Jan Sverak's Empties, and Hungarian director Csaba Bollok's Iska's Journey.

This year's festival also includes a special selection by Screen International critics. Among the nine titles in the Screen International Critics Choice selection is Palme D'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks, And 2 Days. Aside from its storied achievements and potential for more laurels during awards season, the Romanian film is an apt choice for inclusion since it was at the inaugural Baltic Event in 2005 that director Cristian Mungiu first met his co-production partners for the film. Other titles in the Screen International Critic's Choice are foreign-language Oscar submissions XXY (Argentina) and The Pope's Toilet (Uruguay), as well as My Brother Is An Only Child (Italy), Eye In The Sky (Hong Kong), Getting Home (China-Hong Kong), Les Chansons d'amour (France), Simple Things (Russia), and Water Lilies (France).

'These films represent some of the personal favourites of Screen's critics which they have seen around the world this year,' said Screen International editor Michael Gubbins. 'They are a reminder of the extraordinary range of brilliant film-making across the planet right now.'

At the festival's invitation, Gubbins will lead a discussion on Baltic film on Dec 5 as part of the Baltic Event co-production market. 'We chose Screen because they have their fingers on the pulse of what is going on in the industry,' says Black Nights festival director Tiina Lokk. 'I see a lot of future in the arrangement, because at the end of the year we have an opportunity to discuss the most important subjects of the year.'

Gubbins said Screen was proud to be associated with an event that has combined a strong local appeal in a part of the world that is producing great films with a commitment to international excellence.

The Baltic region is gaining stature both for local productions, such as Venice Horizons winner Autumn Ball and foreign-language Oscar submission The Class, but also as a low-cost film hub. Lithuania has hosted two A-list films in the past 12 months -- Brad Anderson's mystery thriller Transsiberian, starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley, and Ed Zwick's war drama Defiance, starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber. New facilities are planned in response to the growing interest from foreign producers.