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Back to (the New) Normal Last November’s 25th edition of Tallinn Black Nights (PÖFF) saw the film festival returning to something like pre-pandemic times. By William Smith Photos by Erlend Štaub and Liis Reiman
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he lobby of the Nordic Hotel Forum was once again a bustling hive of activity with filmmakers, journalists and industry professionals from around the world meeting up again in the real world and sharing their passion for cinema. The bravest of guests even dipped their toes in the Baltic Sea, during the festival’s bracing morning winter swims. Perhaps most importantly, cinema-goers returned in numbers to Estonian cinemas, to see the best festival films on the biggest of screens. 2020 saw a hybrid festival hosted, leaning heavily on PÖFF’s freshly launched online cinema platform, which was developed together with Festival Presenter Elisa. Hybrid was here to stay and the tradition continued in 2021, but with a smaller online programme running after the festival and featuring some
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of the winners and most acclaimed films selected. The films were, again, available to film fans throughout Estonia, but acknowledging the organisers’ central goal of getting cinemagoers back into cinemas, of course, as safely as possible. Festival organisers were assisted by a number of innovative and high tech Estonian health and safety sponsors: Respiray personal air-purifiers were worn by filmmakers, professionals and staff; BioBlock nasal sprays were issued in guest goody bags, testing service/app Certific smoothly checked anyone with potential symptoms and the Hotel Nordic Forum had recently been outfitted with the very latest COVID-proofing measures. In the end, no infections were detected in the festival’s testing centre. PÖFF’s very special 25th birthday edition featured a few special events (including a Tarkovsky opera performance!),
even in trying pandemic times, but the festival mainly saw business as usual, with a schedule including 795 screenings and a packed industry programme for the 700+ industry guests in attendance in person and online. In total, 71,200 people watched films at the festival. PÖFF’s main programme included 182 feature films, 2 shorts and 12 TV series; with Just Film encompassing 51 long and 29 short films; and the PÖFF Shorts’ programme comprising 244 films. Local talent was on display in the 82 films from Estonia. For the first time, in collaboration with the European Film Academy (EFA), PÖFF screened the nominees for the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI, including eventual winner Promising Young Woman. Directors Valdimar Jóhansson (Lamb), Laura Wandel (Playground), and Ninja Thyberg (Pleasure) attended festival screenings as well as
