For the first time in the history of Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF, the winner of the top prizes — the Grand Prix and Audience Award — is the same film, that of Spanish director Júlia de Paz Solvas’s The Good Daughter.
The awards ceremony of the 29th edition of the festival featured honorees from its six sub-festival competition programs, including the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (presented to projects in various stages of completion) and the youth and children-oriented Just Film.
Below are the winners of the fest, which ran from Nov. 7-23:
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION
Grand Prix for the Best Film
The Good Daughter — director Júlia de Paz Solvas, producers Sergio Grobas and Stefan Schmitz
Best Director
Ali Vatansever — Lifelike (Turkey, Greece, Romania)
Best Cinematography
Yutaka Yamazaki — The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat (Japan)
Best Actress
Kiara Arancibia — The Good Daughter
Best Actor
Aladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda — The Frog and the Water (Germany)
Best Original Score
Erdem Helvacıoğlu — Lifelike
Best Production Design
Chris Richmond and David Hand — Think of England (United Kingdom)
FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Best Film Award
Hercules Falling (Denmark)
Best Director
Samuel Abrahams — Lady (United Kingdom)
Special Prize for Best Editing
Jan Van Der Weken — Sunday Ninth, director Kat Steppe (Belgium)
Special Prize for Best Production Design
Easy Girl — director Hille Norden (Germany)
CRITICS’ PICKS COMPETITION
Best Film Award
China Sea — director Jurgis Matulevičius, producers Ieva Cern and Stasys Baltakis (Lithuania, Taiwan, Poland, Czechia)
Best Director Award
Matías Szulanski — A Summer Tale (Argentina)
Special mention to Ali Nasirian
Oh, What Happy Days — director Homayoun Ghanizadeh (Iran, France, Canada)
Special mention to Eeva Mägi
Mo Papa (Estonia)
REBELS WITH A CAUSE COMPETITION
Best Film Award
The Baronesses — directors Nabil Ben Yadir and Mokhtaria Badaoui, producers Benoît Roland and Yadir (Belgium, Luxembourg, France)
Best Director
Adrian Sitaru — Blindsight (Romania, Turkey)
Best Short Film
Pay Day — director Päivi Hirsiaho (Finland)
BALTIC FILM COMPETITION
Best Baltic Film Award
The Visitor — director Vytautas Katkus, producers Marija Razgute, Brigita Beniusyte, Elisa Fernanda Pirir, Anna-Maria Kantarius and Mimmi Spång (Lithuania, Norway, Sweden)
Best Director
Gabriele Urbonaite — Renovation (Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium)
Best Baltic Producer for Co-production
Becoming — director Zhannat Alshanova, producers Jean-Laurent Csinidis, Denis Vaslin and Marija Razgutė (France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden)
DOC@PÖFF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Best Film Award
Days of Wonder — director Karin Pennanen (Finland, Denmark, Norway)
Best Cinematography Award
Max Golomidov, Edge Of The Night — director Vladimir Loginov (Estonia)
Jury Special Prize
Raisa Răzmeriță, Electing Ms Santa — director Raisa Răzmeriță (Moldova, Romania)
DOC@PÖFF BALTIC COMPETITION
Best Film Award
Holy Destructors — director Aistė Žegulytė (Lithuania, France, Latvia)
Jury Special Prize
My Family and Other Clowns — directors Heilika Pikkov, Liina Särkinen (Estonia)
Network for the Promotion of Asia Cinema Jury Prize
The Muralist — director Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia)
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI) AWARD
Hercules Falling — director Christian Bonke
AUDIENCE AWARD
The Good Daughter
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Juozas Budraitis and Janno Põldma
HONORARY AWARD
Jessica Hausner
BRUNO O’YA YOUNG ACTOR SCHOLARSHIP
Ursel Tilk
