EVENT PÖFF. The Year of Living Innovatively

The of Year Living Innovatively

When the 17-day-long festival rollercoaster reached its destination at the end of November 2020, it was clear that it had been a ride to remember. The fact that the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, aka PÖFF, succeeded in holding a hybrid film festival with international guests amidst a pandemic, keeping everyone safe and building up a new online environment with an even smaller budget than usual, felt like a miracle itself. By PÖFF

Even if the physical, collective experience in cinema halls and screening rooms remains the main aspiration of Black Nights Film Festival in the future, it was clear from very early on for the team that this would not be the reality in 2020,” said festival director Tiina Lokk on the decision to organise the festival in a hybrid format. This essentially meant organising two events, as there were over 600 screenings in cinemas all over Estonia (Tallinn, Tartu, Kohtla-Järve, Narva and Jõhvi), while a new online environment was developed in cooperation with Shift72 and Elisa. This also meant translating the physical festival experience to online: meeting the filmmakers and festival team members via video interviews, talking to all the filmmakers via video chat (service by Vialog), introducing most of the film screenings, both in cinemas and online, with an introductory Q&A with filmmakers before films.

Having seen steady growth in international guest attendance and audiences over the last years (80 000 in 2018, and 90 000 in 2019), Black Nights had the difficult task of fulfilling the expectations of various groups: the industry, the audience, and the press. In the context of many A-class film festivals cancelling their editions throughout 2020 or not holding any competition programmes, it was a challenge to deliver a high-quality programme, present new talent, draw international attention to competitions, bring filmmakers to Tallinn during a pandemic and enable an exchange between the audiences and filmmakers. Surprisingly enough, the festival had a record number of world and international premieres (accordingly 38 and 32) in its various sections, and also a very successful German focus.

Due to film rights, geo-blocking, screening period (2-5 days per film) and audience limitations per screening had to be applied to the films screened to regular audiences in Estonia, while most of the films in the four competition programmes were available to professionals and press all over the world. The 290 online screenings for professionals with global access made 9800 viewings from all of the continents, including Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, Australia and even New Zealand.

Generating over a hundred reviews in the international press, the programme was received extremely well by critics and the industry with a record number of deals announced already during the festival. Many films from previous year’s Competition programmes have entered the award circuit of festivals - nominated and awarded by Goya, BAFTA, German film Awards, etc. presented as national Oscar entries or nominated for the European Film Award. The festival worked hand in hand with the German Film Institute, Rosskino in Russia, I AGICI in Italy and European Film Promotion introducing up and coming young talents from various programmes to the world.

Tiina Lokk summed up the year: “We are so happy having pulled it off, as the

Aron Urb Photo by The opening ceremony of the festival.

After acquiring accreditation to Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, the guests had seamless and automatic access to interactive events in the newly made virtual environment. The events were streamed live and had two levels of interactivity - video for the speakers and workshop participants, and live chat for the viewers.

Unique festival experience during the pandemic - various safety measures were put in place for everyone to feel protected.

second wave of the pandemic hit Estonia the week after our festival took place, closing borders and cinema halls once again. The fact that we were able to maintain the accredited guests’ number at 1600 and grow the total attendance to over 102 000, both with the help of going digital, for a country of 1.3 million inhabitants, in a year like this, we feel incredibly thankful that we had the chance to create a true film festival while there were so many of them postponed.

What we suffered in the loss of revenue, we made up in terms of global visibility – reaching completely new people by going virtual,” This is highlighted by the fact that the festival’s potential global media audience rose to 9.1 billion, with mentions in over 6500 varied coverage in 71 countries.

ONLINE INDUSTRY EVENT While PÖFF was organised as a hybrid event, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event decided to bring the whole programme online with a specially designed platform introducing 62 events altogether, including film and drama series project presentations, panels, workshops, master classes and forums. It was a conscious decision, as the team was keen on organising an event that could be inclusive rather than exclusive. A decision that proved to be right as the events attracted over 35 000 virtual attendances, with 900 accreditations – a significant increase on last year. In addition to enlarging the geographical area of the guests, it also gave them the possibility to make business, network and learn while staying safe at home. Featured projects and featured participants had dedicated pages with detailed information and pitch videos. Events, projects and featured professionals are to this day accessible for accredited guests.

While taking up a new challenge, no compromise was made in terms of quality. The statistics can be one indication of this as the projects presented had over 700 meetings with co-producers, sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, resulting in new collaborations to be seen on screen - big or small - in the near future. Projects by companies like Unafilm, Zentropa, Filmbyen, Arizona Films, Paradox House or Achtungpanda won’t take long to be completed and presented to the audiences.

This brings us to the next burning topic - COVID or not, the most pressing aspects always remain the project packaging, presentation and distribution to the audiences. Guided through these rocky roads, sessions by pitching mentor Bonnie Williams, packaging and distribution guru Deborah Rowland or sales agent Tine Klint were the most attended

Karoliina Kreintaal Photo by Bog trips and winter swimming mornings - definitely the unusual collective activities during this festival that came here to stay, and were loved by the guests.

and praised. The European Film Forum Tallinn added insight into the distribution and future of fi lm festivals and markets with Vanja Kaludercic, Ewa Puszczynska, Todd Brown, Ben Johnson among others. Tackling the drama series production, TV Beats Forum’s presentations and discussion panels included more than 40 Photo by Liis Reiman fessionals from all over the world. Furthermore, to build up online Creative Gate - a year-round fi lm, project and talent market, a gateway to the Estonian Film Industry and designed for the Creative speakers from the US and Eu- and Service Industry professionals who rope, among them Filippa Wall- Best director award winner Nisan Dag with Oktay are interested in shooting in Estonia.” estam from Viaplay, Madeline Çubuk, the lead actor in her film When I’m Done Dying. In addition to this, 2021 will mark a di Nonna from the Geena Davis leap in nurturing its future audience. Institute, the creator of Deutschland 83 Certainly, the business still greatly “Educating and nurturing a young audiJörg Winger, TV4 Media head of scripted relies on personal contacts but judging ence has been one of the main intentions media for the Nordics and Baltics Piodor from the feedback of 2020 Industry of the festival over the years,” says Mikk Gustafsson. Discussions were held about guests, the online event was nevertheless Granström, the head of Just Film, the the production and co-production during a success. The development of the online Youth and Children’s strand of PÖFF. the COVID-19 era, gender equality in the platform will continue in 2021 making it a “Starting this year, PÖFF, in cooperation drama series production, or how to talk to unique gateway to the information space with the Baltic Film and Media School, global streamers. Case studies and 12 of of various fi elds of the fi lm industry and will launch an online learning platform, the newest drama series from the region creative industries, combining diff erent where courses, designed by the festival, were presented, giving updates of what’s databases and creating a new, year-round will be off ered to general education coming next in 2021. market environment for fi lms, talents, schools, meaning all schools will be able

In 2020, Creative Gate launched a projects, locations, hotels and more. to open a fi lm study course as an optional new activity called Black Room which is So what’s the outcome? One of the subject,” he added. Just Film has also deIndustry@Tallinn’s training programme most inspiring and reassuring proposals cided to set up a Scholarship Competithat explores the visual language of cine- was worded at the end of our week-long tion for high school students up to 12th ma and each year focuses on a new skill sessions: Stay connected and support grade, to encourage fi lmmaking and parset within the Art Department. One week each other, as we’re in it together! ticipate at a major fi lm festival – the fi lms of master classes and workshops by of the scholarship recipients will have the world-renowned professionals took place EYES ON THE FUTURE opportunity to be screened at the Just online. The program started with three In 2021 Black Nights Film Festival is cele- Film Youth and Children Film Festival. outstanding mentors - Jacqueline Abra- brating an anniversary – the 25th edition. They will also be invited to take part in hams (The Lobster), Maria Djurkovic Tiina Lokk gave some foresight on the lectures, workshops or other events that (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Simon next developments: “We have several ide- are part of the programmes of Black Weisse who came to teach straight from as on how to make this year’s event mem- Nights and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic the shooting of Matrix 4 and is the mas- orable. As we have always emphasized Event. ter of miniature models for cinema, sharing knowledge and nurturing talent, While looking into the future with which have created the worlds of Wes there will be a major new development an- optimism, the festival team is also planAnderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel for ex- nounced this spring that will mark a giant ning to celebrate the anniversary by leavample. Music Meets Film, Creative Gate’s leap in our fi lm education strands. The ing a trace on the urban fabric of the city fi lm scoring series, reached a highlight newly created online environment will of Tallinn. “While moving towards the with composer Danny Elfman’s (Edward make it possible to soon launch the Black future, we should not forget our roots,” Scissorhands) workshop. Nights Film Academy for young fi lm pro- says Tiina Lokk. EF

Kaie Kiil Photo by