The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival brought me to the Estonian capital for the first time, after covering the festival remotely since 2020. To hear and feel the energy of the festival in-person was a memorable experience. For my first time in Tallinn, I was entrusted with POFF’s First Feature Competition, whose programme consisted of 11 films diverse choices from Europe, Chile, Mexico and Canada.
Two awards and two special prizes were handed out. They were:
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Overall impressions
This strand is one of the most personal of any in the festival because it’s the first time a director so openly shares their vulnerability. Regardless of the country of origin, each film offered its own representation of struggle, whether it be personal, professional, social, political, or creative. Sometimes it was an internal struggle with one’s self, other times it was a struggle with external forces, but it could be both. There was a notable presence of characters forced to confront oppressive political or social forces, that politicised the First Feature Competition. The programmer, however, was careful to offset this by choosing films that grounded the drama in the personal struggles of coming of age, self-reflection and self-discovery.
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La crème de la crème of POFF 28
There were two: Diego Figuero’s A Yard of Jackals (Patio de Chacales) and Edgardo Pistone’s Ciao Bambino – with little to separate them.
Figuero’s skilful exploration of the Chilean junta through the prism of horror was a fascinating and unexpected playful twist, especially its borrowing from tropes of the ghost story. More surprising are some of the references that pop up: Joe Dante’s The ‘Burbs (1989) and Brian de Palma’s Blow Out (1981). What defines A Yard of Jackals as an impressive first feature is how it manages to get under one’s skin, and yet, with humility, it encourages a simple and quiet appreciation. Most striking is how Figuero deals with complex ideas about point of view to compel his audience to challenge the limitations of the cinematic language and consider the layers of authorship.
Then there’s Ciao Bambino, a stylish and energetic crime story from Italy with a gluttonous appetite for drama, philosophy and art. Shot in black and white, it was one of the most strikingly beautiful films of the First Feature Competition – rightfully earning Pistone a special prize. While it might be true that it’s not about the destination, but the journey, the ending of Ciao Bambino is about as near perfect an ending as one could hope for. Even now, I still feel the affects of its emotionally shattering blow. The way in which Pistone uses philosophy to underpin his seductive tragedy, that manages to simultaneously find existential despair and hope, makes quite the impression. Bravo Edgardo!
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What about the many other riches?
Many is no exaggeration because this year’s strand was truly robust. Firstly, the cast of Jerome Yoo’s Mongrels were deserved recipients of a special prize – a genuine pleasure to spend time with the cast of characters, especially Hajoon (Da-Nu Nam) whose sensitive, gentle and kind aura was emotionally affecting.
Then, Turkish director Hatice Aşkın’s The House With No Address (Adresi Olmayan Ev), a Kafka-esque tale of a justice system punishing criminals by erasing their existence was creatively captivating. Throw in a biblical reference and even a comparison to Wes Anderson’s cinema, and you get a sense of how richly layered this dirty gem was.
Another dirty gem was Emilios Avraam’s, Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump (Smaragda), pictured at the top of this article. It could be called The Enigma of , because, despite the character’s layers, we’re left with the sense that we’ve never been allowed to penetrate her outer shell. Despite a difficult film to enjoy, we slowly learn that Avraam’s intention is to share with us a character who is a prism for our own self-reflection. Once we understand the director’s intentions, Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump really impresses.
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But there’s more…
As aforementioned, the riches are many, including the full-blooded art house film, Lotus (Lootos), which doesn’t hinge on coherent understanding. Instead, its director, Signe Birkova, wants to drag us down into uncertainty and expose the vulnerability of our critical thinking
To round off, Dimitri Verhulst’s The Weeping Walk (Waarom Wettelen) is a sensitive and reflective film that honours films literary roots, while Serbian director David Jovanović’s Sun Never Again (Sunce Nikad Više) threads together art, narrative and politics in a deeply humanistic and concise film with a political edge
Mexican director Urzula Barba’s Corina brims with charm and energy, so much so, the audience are caught up in this character’s tailwind that is like a breath of fresh air. Corina is the type of film and character an audience wants to love and we’re happy to be pulled from our reality to her small and intimate universe.
Steve Bache’s No Dogs Allowed, about a fifteen-year-old pedophile, confronts a conversation his audience may not be ready for – bold, confrontational and decisive filmmaking. And in an age of cancel culture and fear of causing offence, Bache asserts himself to be an important emerging voice.
You can see the entire First Feature selection by clicking here.
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