A 12-year-old boy disappears during a lavish wedding celebration. As his mother searches for him, she makes a shocking discovery.

The premiere of Kazakh director Dias Bertis’s thriller drama Where Is My Son? opens the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s Official Selection Competition this evening.

“This is an attempt to take an honest look at a family where love feels too suffocating – and at women who learnt to be strong long before they were allowed to be happy,” says the 32-year-old director, who arrived in Tallinn yesterday.

The Official Selection Competition features 12 films, all presented by their filmmakers.

Among the acclaimed directors expected in Tallinn are Patrice Toye, Frédéric Baillif and José María Cabral. Notable actors attending include Brían F. O’Byrne, who stars in One Sweet Hour. An Emmy winner for his performance in Mildred Pierce, O’Byrne has also appeared in films including Conclave and Million Dollar Baby.

Estonia is represented by Janno Jürgens’s No Me Without You.

The jury is chaired by two-time Academy Award winner Sir Christopher Hampton.

Alongside the Official Selection Competition, the First Feature, Critics’ Picks, Rebels with a Cause and Baltic Film competitions also get into full swing today. Learn more about the programmes here

Nearly 2,000 international guests from more than 70 countries are expected to arrive in Tallinn over the coming days.

The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on 20 November.