PÖFF celebrates its 30th anniversary with films that have played a part in the festival’s own history.

Sir Christopher Hampton, chair of this year’s festival jury, will be present to discuss his award-winning classic.

Stephen Frears’ 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons (18:15, Apollo Kino Solaris), written by Hampton, won three Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Set in 18th-century France, the film sees Glenn Close and John Malkovich plotting and scheming, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman caught in their web. Their characters, that is, not the actors themselves. After the screening, however, Christopher Hampton will be there in person.

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson’s tragicomedy Devil’s Island (18:15, Kino Artis) takes us to the barracks of 1950s Reykjavík, home to three generations. The film screened at the very first PÖFF in 1997 and remains one of Iceland’s most popular films of all time: one in five Icelanders saw it at the cinema. Friðriksson received PÖFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Come and see what earned him that honour – and, as a bonus, enjoy the sound of Icelandic.

Tallinn in Two Eras

Another journey into the past: two portraits of Tallinn made 60 years apart share a screening, I am Not a Tourist, I Live Here and Tallinn Market (17:45, Apollo Kino Plaza).
Konstantin Märska’s Tallinn Market (1926), Estonia’s first experimental film, captures a market day beside the Estonia Theatre. Peeter Urbla’s I am Not a Tourist, I Live Here (1988) follows a boiler stoker at the Viru Hotel and a flat-dealing wheeler-dealer in late Soviet-era Tallinn. The film has recently been digitally restored. Urbla will be joined for a discussion by actor Madis Kalmet, cinematographer Mait Mäekivi and costume designer Kalle Toompere.

Saturday’s Film Highlights

Those craving something new or experimental won’t be disappointed. Saturday’s programme is especially delectable.

• Dance Films: Movements of Being (15:45, Apollo Kino Plaza, 5th Lux Hall). A PÖFF Shorts programme of dance films exploring movement, physicality and creativity, with some nudity along the way.
• A Job Well Done (17:30, Apollo Kino Plaza). Social workers in Geneva help refugees break through a wall of bureaucracy. Director Frédéric Baillif has worked as a social worker himself, so he knows the challenges first-hand. He made the film in the spirit of the Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach.
• Night Vision (18:30, Apollo Kino Plaza). A young filmmaker buys an old video camera at a flea market and discovers something unexpected on the tape. An indie film that follows the logic of a dream.
• The Child (19:45, Apollo Kino Plaza). A former professional swimmer approaches her attempts to have a baby with an athlete’s determination. Linda Olte’s intimate drama explores infertility and the strain it places on a relationship.
• Exotic (20:45, Apollo Kino Plaza). Insecure 30-year-old Mila finds herself alone at a pole-dancing camp and ends up discovering who she really is. A Polish comedy that has drawn comparisons with the series Fleabag.