Black Nights Stars 2023

Source: POFF

(Clockwise from top left) Balder Ljunggren, Karmel Naudre, Karolina Rzepa, Langston Uibel, Tuulia Eloranta, Saulius Ambrozaitis, Ritvars Logins, Maris Nõlvak

Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF) has unveiled this year’s Black Nights Stars, spotlighting eight rising actors from the Baltic Sea region.

The initiative brings together international casting directors and filmmakers with emerging talent from the region and is part of Discovery Campus, an education programme organised by Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (Nov 13-17).

The selection includes Germany’s Langston Uibel, star of Christian Petzold’s Afire, which received the Silver Bear grand jury prize at the Berlinale in February.

The eight actors are:

Saulius Ambrozaitis (Lithuania)
Credits include: Dance, Royal Bastards: The Rise of the Tudors, Nest Dissembler

Tuulia Eloranta (Finland)
Credits include: Devil’s Bride, Helsinki Syndrome, Huijarit

Balder Ljunggren (Sweden)
Credits include: Maria Wern, Fartblinda

Ritvars Logins (Latvia)
Credits include: Crime Solving For Beginners, Vacuum Cleaner Salesman

Karmel Naudre (Estonia)
Credits include: Who Shot Otto Mueller?

Maris Nõlvak (Estonia)
Credits include: Cherry Tobacco, Melchior The Apothecary

Karolina Rzepa (Poland)
Credits include: The Republic Of Children, House of Two Eagles, The Green Glove Gang, Two Sisters

Langston Uibel (Germany)
Credits include: Unorthodox, Dogs Of Berlin, How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Afire

The seventh edition of the talent programme will see the actors spend five days meeting with casting directors and talent agents as well as participating in workshops and panels, designed to provide information and networking opportunities to further their careers.

They were selected from more than 100 candidates - more than double on last year’s submissions - by a jury comprising casting directors and ICDA members Cassandra Han, Tanja Grunwald, Frank Moiselle and Kristina Kolytė, talent agent Malou T. Schultzberg, cinematographer Philippe Ros and filmmaker Tanel Toom, whose 2019 feature Truth And Justice was Estonia’s submission for the Academy Awards and received an Oscar nomination. The Black Nights Stars programmes is led by Claudia Landsberger.

Topics