Something to do during the Black Nights

  • 2008-11-19
  • By Jana Belugina

REAL REEL: Black Nights is the largest film festival in the Baltics. It gives local filmmakers the chance to run their films alongside international greats.

TALLINN - The normally depressing time of year when nights last longer than days will play host to the biggest event in Estonian film making industry. A massive yearly celebration for both producers and viewers has begun.
The most awaited event of the year for Estonian movie connoisseurs has finally arrived. The 12th "Black Nights Film Festival" had started, and is going to last until Dec. 7.
The POFF international film festival is a very special event that has been taking place for more than a decade. It offers visitors an unexpectedly broad movie selection from all over the world, though there is a special emphasis placed on European moviemaking.

The main goal of the festival is to introduce visitors to the diversity of world cinematography and to attract and satisfy people of different generations and tastes. The Black Nights Film Festival consists of a main program alongside four subfestivals.
The main program starts Nov. 28 and will continue until Dec. 7. It includes a competition for international participants and, for the first time, a competition for Baltic films.

The main focus will be on European films. However, the festival also presents an overview of world cinematography and the presentation of films that have won awards at other festivals. There is also a quite rich program for documentaries and retrospective shows planned.
Right in the middle of the festival's main program 's from Nov. 30 until Dec. 3 's lies "Baltic Event," a unique kind of market where film makers from all over the world can collaborate.

Baltic Event introduces movie and TV professionals to the advantages of making movies in the Baltic countries, as well as presenting new films. It brings together projects from Europe, Scandinavia, the Russian Federation and the Baltic States. Baltic Event allows filmmakers to develop their international network, make new contacts and gather new ideas.
The four subfestivals are sure to be interesting and exiting. The first one to start was the Nokia Mobile Phone Film Festival 's also known as MOFF. It lasts almost two months 's it began on Oct. 8 and will finish on Dec. 5. This includes a competition of short films and is open to anyone who knows how to use the camera in a mobile phone.

Another subfestival this year was the Sleepwalkers Student Film Festival. This is an international movie competition for students that included short animations, documentary and fiction produced within the last two years. Special national programs of Estonian films and of the first works from famous filmmakers were presented during the three day festival, which lasted from Nov. 13 to 16.
The animation film festival, Animated Dreams, started on Nov. 19 and lasts four days. It will only present short animation films from the last two years. Outside of the competition, it includes a special program focusing on the animations from one country.

The last but not least interesting sub-festival is a competition of children's and youth films titled "Just Film." It starts on Nov. 22 and lasts until Nov. 29 and includes different non-competitive programs.
Keeping an eye on the program will allow everyone to find something entertaining or educational to see. The Black Nights Film Festival is a unique event that combines many aspects of movie production and makes the long and dark nights much brighter.