The 28th edition of Black Nights broke the all-time audience record, as the number of admissions in 2024 were 93 044. The previous record was set in 2019, when the festival gathered around 90 000 visits at the screenings. The festival had also a record number of sold-out screenings (118). The most popular films that sold more than 1000 tickets, were: “100 Liters Of Gold,” “Don’t Worry,” “A Real Pain,” “Anora,” and “Conclave.” A total of 250 feature films and 323 short films from 82 countries were screened. 864 screenings took place.
Festival director Tiina Lokk expressed her heartfelt thanks to the audience. “Your support is extraordinary and crucial for us – thanks to you, we will face next year with much greater confidence in the turbulent economical times,” she said.
In 2024, the festival hosted 1705 guests from 65 countries and was covered by 141 journalists from 24 countries. The festival hosted 78 international press delegates, which is also an all-time record.
PÖFF’s international resonance also demonstrates its wide reach: the festival has been mentioned in more than 4,300 articles, appearing in publications in almost 70 countries. According to media monitoring company Meltwater, the number of potential media contacts is 17.5 billion.
The City of Tallinn awarded €20,000 to the Grand Prix winner, Alexela awarded €5,000 to the Best Director. Cramo awarded €1,000 to the Best Cinematographer.
R-Kiosk awarded €5,000 to the Best Film in the First Feature Competition, and €5,000 was given to the Best Baltic film by Piletilevi.
The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival honoured German cinema, culminating in a closing ceremony on Sunday, November 24th. The Grand Prix for the Best Film was awarded to “Silent City Driver” by Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia). The 29th edition will set Focus on Catalan Cinema.
About Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Pimedate Ööde filmifestival, PÖFF) first took place in 1997. Since 2014, PÖFF is one of the 15 A-list film festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) alongside the Cannes, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, Locarno, Venice, Berlin, Cairo, Mar de Plata, Goa, Tokyo and other film festivals. The accreditation is renewed every year.
The aim of the festival is to present a comprehensive selection of world cinema from the last two years to a local and international audience, offering fresh film production with high artistic value.
Today, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival with Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event and with the two sub-festivals, Just Film and PÖFF Shorts, has grown into one of the biggest film festivals in Northern Europe and the busiest regional industry platforms. The festival is an important meeting point for a rapidly growing number of industry professionals from around the globe.