Cinema Lights Up The Black Nights In Tallinn

The Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) is offering some diversion during the traditional “black nights” (less than 6 hours of sunlight) with an ambitious program of films and special events. Things began last week with the Opening Night screening of EITHER WAY, a new Icelandic film that also kicked off the Festival’s homage to Icelandic cinema. Directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, the humanistic drama centers on on Alfred and Finnbo, who work for the Icelandic public roads department. This odd couple spend their time debating with each other while being isolated from civilization and their loved ones. Other Icelandic films making their debut in Tallinn this week include the musical film INNI: SIGUR ROS (Vincent Morisset) and the festival fave VOLCANO ( Rúnar Rúnarsson). The sidebar also includes a retrospective of the work of Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, who will be on hand to receive the PÖFF Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Festival is hosting several competition sections, the Official Competition Eurasia, Tridens Baltic Film Competition, Heave(i)en Estonian Film Award and Competition for North American Indies. Among the films making their local premieres are THE ARTIST (Michel Hazanavicius) and ELENA (Andrei Zvyagintsev), as well as the world premiere of AKKYZ, a Kazakh film by director Zhanabek Zhetiru. For more information on the festival, visit: www.poff.ee

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