PÖFF30 Focuses on the Baltic Cinema

Published: 03.09.2026.

The 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will place Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the heart of its 2026 edition with a special Focus on Baltics. Taking place from 6–22 November 2026, the anniversary edition will bring the latest and the best of Baltic films to international audiences while creating new opportunities for the region’s filmmakers and industry professionals.

“Baltic cinema has always been an essential part of PÖFF. From 2008 we have presented the Baltic Film Competition and since last year there is Baltic competition at Doc@PÖFF. In our 30th-anniversary year, we want to give it an even stronger international platform and draw attention not only to our films, but also to the remarkable talent behind them,” says Triin Tramberg, the Artistic Director of PÖFF.

“The Baltic countries may be small individually, but together they form a dynamic and increasingly visible film region. This Focus is an opportunity to celebrate how far Baltic cinema has travelled - and to help its next generation of filmmakers go even further,” she added.

In recent years, Baltic cinema has gained remarkable international momentum. Latvia’s Flow won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and European Film Award for European Animated Feature Film. Estonia’s Smoke Sauna Sisterhood received directing awards at the Sundance Film Festival as well as Best European Documentary award by European Film Academy when Lithuania’s Slow received directing awards at the Sundance Film Festival. The Lithuanian drama Toxic won the prestigious Golden Leopard (Pardo d'Oro) at the 77th Locarno Film Festival and was also nominated for the European Film Award (European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI).

Baltic films and co-productions are also increasingly visible at major festivals with the Latvian-Estonian-Polish-Lithuanian co-production Ulya premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2026 and Lithuanian-Estonian-French co-production Vesna in the Special Screenings section.

New films and rediscovered classics

Over three decades, PÖFF has developed into an important meeting point for the international film industry. As a FIAPF-accredited A-list festival, it brings festival programmers, distributors, sales agents, critics and other professionals from around the globe to Tallinn to discover new films and emerging voices. Combined with PÖFF’s engaged local audience, this makes the festival a valuable international showcase and launchpad for new Baltic cinema.

At the heart of Focus: Baltics will be PÖFF’s Baltic Film Competition and Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition. Together, the programmes are expected to present up to 12 of the strongest recent films and co-productions from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, offering them visibility among both international decision-makers and Tallinn audiences.

Baltic films will also feature across PÖFF’s other competitions, programmes and Special Screenings, reflecting the range of contemporary filmmaking in the region.

The Focus: Baltics will look beyond the latest releases through a special Baltic edition of PÖFF’s Old but Gold programme. The retrospective will present between two and four films from each Baltic country, offering audiences an opportunity to discover or revisit significant works from Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian film history.

Bringing Baltic professionals and talent to international attention

Focus: Baltics will extend beyond films to spotlight the professionals, emerging talent and companies behind the region’s growing international success. Many have contributed to major productions and collaborated with leading filmmakers, yet their expertise and achievements remain relatively little known beyond international industry circles.

Through PÖFF and its industry platform, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, the Focus will introduce these Baltic “gems” to a wider audience and showcase the region’s creative and technical capabilities. Baltic projects and professionals will be highlighted across the industry programme’s development, financing, training and networking initiatives.

The Focus will also present the Baltics as an increasingly attractive destination for international production. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania combine experienced crews with diverse locations, compact distances, expanding studio infrastructure and competitive production incentives. Estonia offers cash rebates of up to 40%, Latvia up to 50% (combining state and regional funds) and Lithuania a tax incentive of up to 30%, subject to each country’s eligibility requirements.

Recent productions demonstrate the region’s versatility. Christopher Nolan filmed major sequences of Tenet in Tallinn, while The Agency, the George Clooney-produced spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender, Richard Gere and Jeffrey Wright, also filmed in Tallinn. Vilnius and other Lithuanian locations have hosted productions including Stranger Things, Young Wallander, Chernobyl and Sisi. Latvia has welcomed projects such as Chronology of the Water, Two Prosecutors, The Book of Everything and Women Unknown that will be premiered in the competition at Venice Film festival.