Once Again (for the very first time) - Audience Award Winner
A hip-hop-infused surreal fantasy opens a magical door into the dreamlike experience of life and memory. Gravely punished for killing, breakdancer and rapper DeRay is afraid of nothing and no one. He never reached the top but is guilty of everything. DeRay longs for the moment in time to revise significant highlights of his brief life. He seeks to see a poet Naima, who is now invisible. DeRay craves to embrace freshly discovered love no matter what. Will Naima condemn or absolve him?
Visionary New Yorker Boaz Yakin has worked in cinema for 30 years after receiving the Sundance trophy. He has filmed Denzel Washington, Renee Zellweger, and Jason Statham, but has now chosen fresh faces and more than 50 contemporary dancers.
The truly American soulful indie broadly jumps back and forth in a parallel mysterious universe with astonishing pulsing energy, highlighted by top-notch acrobatic choreography. Everyone in a time-bending non-chronological tale talks, reads, raps, and battles in rhymed verses, although not every poem needs to rhyme. The unconventional, fascinating, lyrical drama explores death, incarnation, faith, fate, and love through letters to a forsaken God, hallucinated illusions, philosophical monologues, cursed visions, and burning questions without clear answers.
Edvinas Pukšta
Boaz Yakin is an independent filmmaker in the US. His film Fresh won the director's prize at the Sundance Festival, and since then he has gone on to write, direct and produce numerous films, such as Remember the Titans, Death in Love, and Aviva. He is proud to premiere his newest film Once Again at this year's Tallinn Black Nights Festival.
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
