Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) has announced the films selected for the Baltic Film Competition, Critics’ Picks and Rebels with a Cause sections of its 30th edition, which will take place in Estonia from November 6 to 22. Together, the three sections will showcase 31 titles, with a strong presence of world premieres and films exploring different directions in contemporary cinema.

The Baltic Film Competition will feature 12 films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, alongside international co-productions linked to the region’s film industry. Five titles are directed by filmmakers from outside the Baltic countries, although local professionals are involved in their production teams. The selection spans political dramas, comedies, film noir, punk rock-inspired stories and science fiction with Asian influences. According to competition curator Edvinas Pukšta, several of the films also express support for Ukraine.

Established in 2008 and relaunched in 2018, the section is part of Focus: Baltics, an initiative highlighting Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during this year’s festival. The winner of the Best Baltic Feature Film award will receive a €5,000 grant sponsored by Piletilevi. The jury will be chaired by producer Mariette Rissenbeek and include Paul Gallagher, Head of Programming at Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Film Festival, and Turkish filmmaker Ali Vatansever.

Meanwhile, Critics’ Picks, curated by Nikolaj Nikitin, will present ten world premieres, bringing together emerging and established filmmakers with distinctive auteur approaches. The programme explores genre cinema, formal experimentation and dialogue with film history. The selected titles include Apart, by Cypriot filmmaker Stelana Kliris, known internationally for Find Me Falling; One Month, by Bulgarian director Maya Vitkova-Kosev, whose debut feature, Viktoria, screened at Sundance and the Berlinale; and Mo Amor, by Estonian filmmaker Eeva Mägi.

The Critics’ Picks jury will consist of Heike-Melba Fendel, founder of the talent and events agency Barbarella Entertainment; Lithuanian director Jurgis Matulevičius; and Hakim Zejjari, a Moroccan film journalist, writer, director and television producer.

The third section, Rebels with a Cause, will return with nine world premieres featuring films that challenge cinematic conventions through unconventional narratives, visual experimentation and intersections with other artistic disciplines. Established in 2017 and curated by Javier García Puerto, the competition brings together productions and co-productions from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The announced titles include Beril_XXX, by Turkish filmmaker Can Evrenol, known for his work in genre cinema with Baskin and Housewife, and Sounds of the Desert, by Lithuanian artist and filmmaker Emilija Škarnulytė, whose work combines documentary filmmaking with experimental and immersive practices.

The Rebels with a Cause jury will comprise Jason Wood, Executive Director of Public Programmes and Audiences at the British Film Institute (BFI); Samuel Abrahams, a BAFTA- and Webby-nominated screenwriter and director; and Catalan actress, screenwriter, creator and visual artist Mireia Vilapuig.

With these three competitions, PÖFF sets the stage for an edition that will combine the vitality of Baltic cinema with new international voices and films that push the boundaries of cinematic form. The festival’s 30th edition will run from November 6 to 22.