The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is one of Northern Europe’s leading international film festivals and an important meeting point for the global film industry. This year’s edition presents an impressive selection of 230 feature films and 259 shorts from 87 countries, including 107 world premieres and 47 international premieres across PÖFF, Just Film and PÖFF Shorts.

The Official Competition will feature THE MATRIARCH by Alison Kuhn. The crime thriller follows 17-year-old Kim, who longs for recognition from her emotionally distant mother. Her mother runs an illegal human smuggling operation on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, and Kim dreams of one day following in her footsteps. As Kim takes on increasing responsibilities within the operation, mother and daughter grow closer. However, Kim becomes increasingly entangled in a brutal world that pushes her to cross her own moral boundaries.

The Best of Festivals section showcases outstanding international films that have already premiered at prestigious festivals or received major awards. The German-majority productions featured in this section include LOVE, AFTER by Andreas Dresen, EVERYTIME by Sandra Wollner, FATHERLAND by Pawel Pawlikowski, and ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah. The Midnight Shivers section will screen BLOODY TENNIS by Nikias Chryssos, which previously celebrated its world premiere in Locarno.

The Environmental Film Program focuses on current environmental and climate issues, including sustainability, biodiversity, and humanity’s impact on nature. The German documentary JASON'S BOX by Michael Straßburger follows climate scientist Jason Box, who spent 25 years warning about global warming to little avail. Now, together with Greenlandic students, he is planting trees on land exposed by the melting ice sheet to combat erosion and encourage a new relationship with nature.

Two productions, CAMOUFLAGE by Mykyta Gibalenko and I RARELY WAKE UP DREAMING by Isabelle Stever, will be featured in the Standing with Ukraine section. Both films have previously screened at renowned festivals and will now receive renewed attention in Tallinn as part of a program dedicated to solidarity with Ukraine.

The parallel festival JUST Film, dedicated to international children’s and youth cinema, will showcase five German films. Among them is EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES by David Dietl (Children’s Competition Programme; ECFA Competition Programme), which closely follows the storyline of Erich Kästner’s classic 1929 children’s novel while relocating the action to present-day Berlin. JUST CALL ME FRIDA by Katja Benrath, a comedy about courage, life, and a best friend nobody really wants, and KOSCHKA by Bernd Sahling, in which a boy tries to save a stray cat and her three kittens from being taken to an animal shelter, will screen in the Children’s Programme. OASIS by Jannis Lenz, which celebrated its world premiere in Venice, will be presented in the Youth Programme, while A VERY SPECIAL MEAL by Elena Walf, an animated short film, will screen in the Toddlers’ Screening section.

German short films will once again have a strong presence at PÖFF SHORTS, covering a wide range of themes and genres. A total of 14 German-majority short films will be presented across various sections. OF PIGEONS AND DOGS by Malte Stein will celebrate its world premiere in the Shorts Animation Competition. The film follows a young man who sinks deeper and deeper into an existential depression, ultimately leading him to commit a senseless crime. M3 by Felix Dierich will celebrate its international premiere and screen in two sections, Shorts Alternatives and Night Cinema. The short film explores Copenhagen’s M3 metro line, which operates fully automatically, without drivers, 24 hours a day.

The Black Nights Stars program celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026 and will take place from 16 to 21 November as part of the Discovery Campus at Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event. More than 200 applications were submitted for this year’s edition. German-Swiss actress Kathy Etoa has been selected as one of ten emerging talents for the program. Born in Cameroon, Etoa has been based in Berlin since 2021 and is currently studying acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts. Following her German television debut in WaPo Berlin, she has appeared in productions including SUPERMAD, THE TOTAL DREAM, and 23 000 LIVES. In Tallinn, the selected talents will have the opportunity to meet international casting directors, agents, producers, and filmmakers, while expanding their professional networks and strengthening their international visibility.

All German productions and co-productions in Tallinn at a glance:

Official Selection - Competition
THE MATRIARCH (DIE MATRIARCHIN) by Alison Kuhn (Schiwago Film, Tidewater Pictures)
THE ASSIGNMENT by Patrice Toye (BE/DE/NL, 2Pilots Filmproduction)

First Feature Competition
LES CLOCHETTES DE KABOUL (WHEN SHE HEARS THE BELLS) by Chabname Zariab (FR/DE/BE, Starhaus Filmproduktion)

Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition
BALTIC UXO by Alexander Belinski, Agnė Dovydaitytė (LT/DE/LV, Fünferfilm)

Baltic Film Competition
THE BOG by Reinis Kalviņš (LV/DE, Junafilm)

Best of Festivals
LOVE, AFTER ALL (ALTE LIEBE) by Andreas Dresen (Kordes & Kordes Film)
MINOTAUR (MINOTAURUS) by Andrey Zvyagintsev (FR/DE, Razor Film Produktion)
EVERYTIME by Sandra Wollner (DE/AT, The Barricades)
HEYSEL 85 by Teodora Ana Mihai (BE/NL/DE, Leitwolf Filmproduktion)
FATHERLAND (VATERLAND) by Pawel Pawlikowski (PL/DE/IT/FR, Nine Hours)
ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG (ELEFANTEN IM NEBEL) by Abinash Bikram Shah (NP/DE/BR/FR/NO, Die Gesellschaft DGS, Zischlermann Filmproduktion)
YOURI by Sander Burger (NL/DE/BE, In Good Company)
THE IDIOT(S) by Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert (PL/DE, Gold Rush Pictures)
MORAGHEB (FALLING HOUSE) by Mohsen Gharaei (IR/US/DE, BASIS BERLIN Filmproduktion)

Best of Docs
LETTERS FROM THE SILENCED COUNTRY by Andrei Kutsila (PL/DE/LT, inselfilm produktion)

Midnight Shivers
BLOODY TENNIS by Nikias Chryssos (Augenschein Filmproduktion)

Environmental Film Program
JASON'S BOX by Michael Straßburger (Straßburgerfilm)

Old Gold: Classic Films Come to Life
DRIFTING CLOUDS by Aki Kaurismäki (FI/DE/FR, Sputnik Oy)
DEVIL’S ISLAND by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (IS/DE/NO/DK, Peter Rommel Filmproduction)
TEARS OF STONE by Hilmar Oddsson (IS/DE, Peter Rommel Productions)

PÖFF is celebrating! This is where it all began
DRIFTING CLOUDS by Aki Kaurismäki (FI/DE/FR, Sputnik Oy)
DEVIL’S ISLAND by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (IS/DE/NO/DK, Peter Rommel Filmproduction)
TEARS OF STONE by Hilmar Oddsson (IS/DE, Peter Rommel Productions)

In Focus: The Baltic States
BALTIC UXO by Alexander Belinski, Agnė Dovydaitytė (LT/DE/LV, Fünferfilm)
LETTERS FROM THE SILENCED COUNTRY by Andrei Kutsila (PL/DE/LT, inselfilm produktion)
MINOTAUR (MINOTAURUS) by Andrey Zvyagintsev (FR/DE, Razor Film Produktion)

Standing with Ukraine
CAMOUFLAGE by Mykyta Gibalenko (Kalekone Film, HFF Munich University of Television and Film)
I RARELY WAKE UP DREAMING (SELTEN WACHE ICH TRÄUMEND AUF) by Isabelle Stever (DE/UA, X-Filme Creative Pool)

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JUST FILM
Children’s Competition Programme; Ecfa Competition Program
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES (EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE) by David Dietl (UFA Fiction, Warner Bros. Germany)

Children’s Program
JUST CALL ME FRIDA (SAMMY UND FRIDA – CHAOS MIT SENSE) by Katja Benrath (NEOS Film, Tellux Film, Mideu Films, IT media, Tellux 1-13, Gretchenfilm)
KOSCHKA by Bernd Sahling (Blinker Filmproduktion, Friendship Films, ExtraVista Film & TV)

Youth Program
OASIS (OASE) by Jannis Lenz (DE/AT, Zeitgeist Filmproduktion, Third Picture)

Toddlers’ Screening
A VERY SPECIAL MEAL (DAS BESONDERE FUTTER) by Elena Walf (DE/HR, Studio FILM BILDER)

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PÖFF SHORTS
Shorts Animation Competition
OF PIGEONS AND DOGS (VON TAUBEN UND HUNDEN) by Malte Stein (DE/HR)
STRANGERS WITH HATS by Petra Stipetić, Karolin Twiddy
UNCLE FILMI by Nazgol Kashani (Fabian&Fred)

Shorts New Talents Competition: Live-Action
“VATERLAND“ OR A BULE NAMED YANTO (“VATERLAND“ ODER EIN BULE NAMENS YANTO) by Berthold Wahjudi (DE/ID, madfilms)

Shorts New Talents Competition: Animation
GROWING STONES, FLYING PAPERS by Roozbeh Gezerseh, Soraya Shamsi (Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf)

Shorts Kids Animation Competition
A VERY SPECIAL MEAL (DAS BESONDERE FUTTER) by Elena Walf (DE/HR, Studio FILM BILDER)
STONE GROWTH by Jokūbas Rimkus (Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf)

Dok@Shorts
THE TRUE TYPE by Nicole Humiński, Víctor Muñoz Sanz (Architekturmuseum der TUM / Pinakothek der Moderne im Rahmen des Projekts)

Shorts Panorama
BETON by Anna Gronostayskaya, Linda Stockfleth (Linda Stockfleth Produktion)
PROCRASTINATION YOGA by Paulina Ziolkowska (DE/PL/MX, Wait a Second!, Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF)
DAUGHTERS OF THE LATE COLONEL by Elizabeth Hobbs (GB/DE, Fabian & Fred)

Rebels with their Shorts
THE WEARY HOURS OF TWO LAB ASSISTANTS by Burak Çevik (HR/DE/TR/GB)
UNIDENTIFIED NONFLYING OBJECTS (UNO) (UNIDENTIFIZIERTE UNFLUGOBJEKTE (UUO)) by Sasha Svirsky (Wait A Second!)
METEORIT by Elisabeth Werchosin (DE/MD)

Shorts Alternatives
FOUR PERCENT by Monika Masłoń (DE/PL/AR)
M3 by Felix Dierich

Night Cinema
M3 by Felix Dierich