What are the success stories that PÖFF has helped to create? Let's take a look back at some of the festival hits that premiered at PÖFF27 edition.
"The G" received a special mention from the jury of the Fantasia International Film Festival at Montreal
At the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, held from July 18th to August 4th, The G by Karl R. Hearne received the special mention from the Jury of Directors Guild of Canada (DGC). This Canadian film, which had its world premiere at last year's Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), is a unique neo-noir thriller. It is a story of a courageous woman who
stands up against corrupt authorities that have robbed the elderly of their homes and dignity. The main character is portrayed by the acclaimed American character actress Dale Dickey (Winter's Bone (2013) and Breaking Bad (2008-2013). „The G, receiving the honourable mention, is a powerful film that doubles as a statement on how society deals with the elderly, especially when there is money to be made,” the DGC jury comments on its decision. „Director Karl R. Hearne knows exactly what he has with Dale Dickey, and makes the most of her incredible talent. The G takes the audience on a ride that has unexpected turns, structured as a thriller that never strays from its core themes. It is an emotional, dark, restrained and accomplished film.” Paul Heath from The Hollywood News even compares the film to the early works of the Coen brothers.
Coincidentally, The G was world-premiered in Tallinn, as the director's family roots extend to Estonia. Karl R. Hearne (aka Karl Raudsepp-Hearne) grew up in Canada and Ireland and graduated from McGill University in Canada and Nanjing University in China. He studied filmmaking at Concordia University in Montreal. Hearne made his debut in 2002 with the short film Song which featured a Chinese ghost story. The G is the director’s second full-length feature film, following the intellectual mystery Touched (2017). The G has also participated this year in the competition programs of the Glasgow and Munich film festivals. However, at the Montreal Fantasy Film Festival, an Estonian film also competed—Sander Maran's slasher musical Chainsaws Were Singing which is familiar to audiences of Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival and Tartu Love Film Festival.
"The Invisible Fight" and "Pelikan Blue" are nominated for the European Film Award
On August 14th, the European Film Academy announced this year's European Film Award nominees in first pre-selection, which include two films that participated at PÖFF 2023. Rainer Sarnet's kung-fu comedy The Invisible Fight is competing for the Best Feature Film award and László Csáki's animated documentary Pelikan Blue was selected for the documentary competition program.
The Estonian premiere of the Estonian-Latvian-Greek-Finnish co-production film The Invisible Fight was set in the 1970s Soviet Union, and is a story of a young man whose path to mastering the perfect martial art leads him to an Orthodox monastery. Orthodoxy, kung fu, and heavy metal are the keywords that combine in the film to create a witty spectacle. The Invisible Fight which Variety predicts will achieve cult status, has already gained worldwide acclaim. This is evidenced by its participation in the competition programs of international film festivals as well as domestic film awards. The film has been shown in cinemas and on streaming platforms in the USA and several European countries this year, and HBO has also acquired the rights to broadcast it.
The 27th PÖFF also hosted the world premiere of the Hungarian documentary animation film Pelikan Blue. The director and interdisciplinary artist László Csáki based his film on a true story about three young Hungarians who, by forging international train tickets in the 1990s, gave an entire generation the opportunity to see the world. The making of the film was preceded by thorough preliminary work – over 100 people’s recollections of the events from that time were collected. Initially, Pelikan Blue was supposed to be a live action film, but in the end, the creators decided to go with animation. The impressive result achieved through the unique audiovisual language and rhythm characteristic of this genre successfully conveys the spirit of the era. The film has been featured in numerous festivals, including the Torino Film Festival, the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece, the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, and the DocsBarcelona festival.
The 37th European Film Awards will be presented on December 7th in Lucerne, Switzerland, with a total of 24 award categories. In the feature film category, two films familiar to TARTUFF audiences will also be competing: Yorgos Zois's Arcadia and Konstantin Bojanov's The Shameless. The second round of nominations will be announced in September.
The Grand Prix film of PÖFF 2023, Misericordia, scoops awards in Europe
The international premiere of Emma Dante's drama Misericordia at last edition's PÖFF, turned out to be a great success – in addition to the film being awarded the Grand Prix, its lead actor Simone Zambelli won the festival's Best Actor award.
The Italian film, which has been described as an ode to mercy, tells the story of three outcast women raising a mentally disabled orphaned youngster in the midst of a harsh wasteland. Kindness and the pursuit of happiness are set against poverty and violence. It is simultaneously a story of a woman's vulnerability and strength. Emma Dante, who is also a well-known theater director and playwright, made the film based on her own play, which reflects her personal beliefs. In an interview given to PÖFF TV, the director stated that she does not believe in traditional family models and roles but rather in the strength of an unconventional family.
Following the breakthrough in Tallinn, Misericordia has actively participated in many other film festivals worldwide. This year, the film won the Best Cinematography Award for operator Clarissa Cappellani at the Spello Film Festival (Festival del Cinema Città di Spello) held in Umbria, Italy.
On May 3, Misericordia was nominated for the David di Donatello Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. On June 20, the film was nominated for the Silver Ribbon Award by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists in four categories.
At the Göteborg Film Festival held in January-February, the film was screened in the Voyage program, and in June-July, it was part of the competition program Cinerebels at the Munich Film Festival. Additionally, Misericordia has represented Italian cinema at numerous thematic Italian film festivals in Israel, Portugal, Spain, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, and elsewhere.
Amal – a successful festival film
The Belgian-French drama Amal, which was featured in 2023 PÖFF Official Selection Competition Programme, is making a triumphant journey through international film festivals. Directed by Moroccan-born Jawad Rahalibi, the film tells a poignant story about a French language teacher working in a Brussels school who battles to overcome boundaries in a radicalizing society.
The film was shown for the first time in its home country of Belgium at the 50th Ghent Film Festival last October, although its international premiere actually took place in Tallinn. The PÖFF jury awarded the film's lead actress Lubna Azabal for the Best Actress award. Since then, Amal has continued to be screened at many international film festivals. The latest news is its participation in the Giffoni Film Festival for children and young people in Italy, which took place from July 19 to 28, where the film was featured in the Generator +18 program. To date, the film has participated in a variety of festivals around the world, among which several noteworthy ones can be highlighted:
28th Francophone Film Festival of Albi (France), November 19-24, 2023. From here, the Audience Award.
The audience award at the [Palm Springs International Film Festival (USA)](Palm Springs International Film Festival), held from January 4th to 14th this year.
Participation in the competition program of the 23rd Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, from June 14th to 24th.
Participation at the 17th Mediterranean Film Festival held in Split, Croatia, from June 15th to 22nd.
The Busan Children and Youth Film Festival, held from July 8 to 14 in South Korea, also
featured the film in its competition program.
At the Galway Film Fleadh festival in Ireland (which took place from July 9th to 14th), the youth jury chose Amal the best film.
Alongside the film's high artistic level and relevant content, we can also credit the skillful work of the
distribution company Bendita Film Sales for the festival's success.
The Story of Tentigo: Tamil black humor continues to make breakthroughs*
The Sri Lanka-India collaboration film Tentigo; which world premiere took place at PÖFF in 2023, provided a lot of laughs and scooped the festival jury's special prize. Directed by Ilango Ram, this black comedy tells the story of how earthly desires refuse to leave a mortal body, causing embarrassment among the deceased's relatives and excitement among the public. The Sinhala-language film was so successful in its home region that by the end of last year, the director began preparations for a Tamil language Indian remake. This success is particularly notable as it marks Ilango Ram's debut full-length feature film. The key to “Tentigo´s” success is the balance between intellectual cinema and Indian-style commercial films, which are polar opposites in today’s Sri Lankan film landscape, the film’s creator said in an interview given to the domestic newspaper Sunday Observer.
"As a film enthusiast myself, I believe it is important to create films that appeal to a wider audience without leaning too far towards either extreme. My ultimate goal is to produce films that have the quality and depth of arthouse or intellectual cinema but remain accessible to a broader audience. For me, every form of art should reach the masses and be appreciated by them," said Ilango Ram.
The remake of Tentigo is being brought to life with Indian actors and a film crew. The author is also adapting the screenplay slightly to fit the Indian cultural context. Ilango Ram envisions breaking new ground through collaboration between different cultures. Meanwhile, the original version of the film has also garnered attention in the West, participating in several European film festivals this year. Tentigo was part of the competition program at the 20th Glasgow Film Festival, held from February 28th to March 10th. Renowned British critic and cultural journalist Josh Slater-Williams (who collaborates with the British Film Institute as well as publications like Sight and Sound, Total Film, and IndieWire) included the comedy among the festival's top 10 films. The film was also featured at the 26th United Kingdom Asian Film Festival, held in London from May 2 to 12.
