Nights to Get Blacker Tonight as Film Festival Curtain Rises
Black Nights Film Festival, often referred to by its local language acronym PÖFF, gets started today.
In the next two weeks, over 255 full-length features will be shown. Including short films, the total is over 500 from 70 countries. All films will be shown in their original languages with English-language subtitles.
The cream of the crop includes 20 movies that have been nominated for Oscars. Eight films vying for the European Film Awards can also be seen, including Felix van Groeningen's "Broken Circle Breakdown," which picked up the most nominations, Paolo Sorrentino's "Great Beauty," "The Priest's Children," "Child's Pose," "Miele," "The Act of Killing," "The Missing Image" and "The Congress."
In Tallinn, films will be screened in four locations and 11 theaters as well as in the Baltic Film and Media School's cinema. The historical Kino Kosmos, in the process of being converted into an IMAX cinema, is not among the venues this year.
There will be also be extensive showings in Tartu, but the mini festivals that had previously been held in other Estonian towns were scrapped this year. One reason is the increasing digitalization that has left regional cinemas at a disadvantage. "Usually we have been able to organise these neat little mini festivals in other cities, but not this year, because we can't guarantee quality," said Tiina Lokk, the festival's director. Only six films are being shown on 35 mm film this year.
Ticket sales outlets and information desks are located in the Forum Cinema and Solaris Center.
As in years past, Black Nights comprises a main festival, along with its grand prix competition, EurAsia. And there are sub festivals - Animated Dreams, Sleepwalkers and Just Film - which have their own ticket pricing structures.