Energy company Alexela, a recurring Friend of Culture award recipient and a top performer in several local fields has joined the PÖFF support crew this year.

"PÖFF is an important cornerstone of Estonian culture, and it is a great honor and pleasure for us to be a part of this initiative. Our shared values – innovation, sustainability and community support – brought us together for cooperation and thus we can contribute to Estonian culture together," says Marti Hääl, chairman of Alexela's board.

Tiina Lokk, head of PÖFF, believes that cooperation opens up new opportunities both in the field of Estonian cinema and sustainable energy. "Together we can create something extraordinary, for example, the PÖFF team is already running on green electricity, so thanks to Alexela, we will have energy for the coming dark nights," he said.

We took a closer look at what PÖFF means to the Alexela team and asked marketing project manager Erle Kivilo to share her thoughts.

What does PÖFF mean to you?

PÖFF is an event that has been helping Estonian film lovers pass the dark month of November much brighter for decades. The festival provides an opportunity for film lovers to meet again and, similar to the true glow of cinema screens, shed light on both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, but worldview-important topics.

In your opinion, what are the main characteristics of a good film?

You don't just watch and listen to a good movie, you feel it, think along with it, react to what you see and hear. Also, a good film raises questions in the viewer's mind after watching it, it raises discussions and sometimes broadens the viewer's horizons to such an extent that it can even lead to a change of views or principles. Of course, a good film also helps to lift the mood, and this is actually regardless of whether it is a film with happy content or not - happy content infects with joy, while raising a sadder or even painful topic is like the first saving grace at the end of the tunnel on the way to a brighter future.

Which PÖFF films are you planning to see?

I believe that this year I will mainly focus on environmental films. This is primarily because these topics are currently important from a global perspective. But also because, as a member of the green innovator Alexela's collective, my interest in such topics has increased significantly. And perhaps being aware of environmental issues will add new ideas to the energy partnership between PÖFF and Alexela, which can be implemented or put more emphasis on in the future.
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*Author of cover photo: Siim Lõvi