On The Water

Source: POFF

‘On The Water’

Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (November 13-29) has unveiled the full lineup of its main competition strand as it prepares to go ahead as a mix of physical and online events.

The festival’s official selection comprises 12 world premieres, 12 international and two European premieres. Eight of these films were previously announced, including István Szabó’s Final Report.

Scroll down for full list of titles

Titles set to receive their world premiere include rural drama Armugan from Spanish director Jo Sol, who won a best new director award at San Sebastian in 2005 with The Taxi Thief.

Also selected to debut in Tallinn is On The Water, from veteran Estonian director Peeter Simm, whose latest coming-of-age drama marks the first time an Estonian majority production has screened in competition at Black Nights since 2017.

Mika Kaurismäki’s Finnish drama Gracious Night, which The Yellow Affair recently boarded for world sales, will also world premiere at Black Nights.

Further world premieres include The Road To Eden, from Kyrgystan directing duo Dastan Zhapar Uulu and Bakyt Mukul, and Colombian drama Thread Of Return, directed by Erwin Goggel.

Set to receive its international premiere is rural drama A Distant Place, from South Korean director Park Kun-young. Executive producers include Jang Woo-jin, who won the best director award at Black Nights in 2018 with Winter’s Night.

The titles will compete for the Grand Prix for best film, which includes a grant of €10,000 shared by the director and producer, among other prizes for director (€5,000), script, actor, actress, cinematographer (€1,000) and music.

Black Nights previously announced that its 24th edition would go ahead with a stripped-back programme but is committed to hosting physical screenings.

The official selection has expanded from the 21 titles in competition last year and Black Nights festival director Tiina Look said: “These are strange times and we hope that by screening a bigger selection than usual, we will at least provide the filmmakers a platform to exhibit their creations.”

Tallinn’s industry platform has been moved entirely online and is due to run from November 23-27.

Black Nights Official Selection 2020

A Distant Place (S Kor)
Dir. Park Kun-young

Armugan (Sp) WP
Dir. Jo Sol

Baby (Sp)
Dir. Juanma Bajo Ulloa

Beasts (Fr)
Dir. Naël Marandin

Bedridden (Mong)
Dir. Byamba Sakhya

Caged Birds (Swi-Ger)
Dir. Oliver Rihs

Erna At War (Den-Est-Bel)
Dir. Henrik Ruben Genz

Fan Girl (Phil)
Dir. Anoinette Jadaone

Fear (Bul)
Dir. Ivaylo Hristov

Final Report (Hun)
Dir. István Szabó

Gracious Night (Fin) WP
Dir. Mika Kaurismäki

In The Mirror (Lat-Lith) WP
Dir. Laila Pakalnina

On The Water (Est) WP
Dir. Peeter Simm

Parquet (Rus-Pol-UK-Rom) WP
Dir. Aleksandr Mindadze

Stars Await Us (China)
Dir. Dalei Zhang

Sanremo (Slo-It) WP
Dir. Miroslav Mandic

Submission (Por) WP
Dir. Leonardo António

The Dawn (Cro-It) WP
Dir. Dalibor Matanić

The Road To Eden (Kyrg) WP
Dir. Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu

The Sign Painter (Lat-Cze-Lith)
Dir. Viesturs Kairišs

The Three (Rus)
Dir. Anna Melykan

Thread Of Return (Col) WP
Dir. Erwin Goggel

Tooman (Iran)
Dir. Morteza Farshbaf

Ulbolysn (Kaz-Fr) WP
Dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov

When I’m Done Dying (Turk-US) WP
Dir. Nisan Dağ