The Baltic Event Co-Production Market returns from 19–21 November, presenting 15 new film projects — including debut works, fresh features, and compelling stories from acclaimed directors. For the second year, the selection also features films aimed at youth and children.
Since its launch in 2005, the Baltic Event Co-Production Market, held within Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, has served as a key meeting point for feature films in development seeking co-producers, financiers, and sales agents. This year’s edition will host around 300 pre-arranged meetings with industry decision-makers.
Co-Managers Helen Räim and Kärt Väinola emphasize the diversity and strong lineup of this year’s projects, which span the Baltic States, Nordic countries, and around Europe. “Thanks to Catalonian focus and Austrian Spotlight, we’re so glad to see possibilities for new collaborations between regions, towards Southern and Western Europe, where strong creative and production bonds are still being built. But we can see that the stories being told clearly really support this approach, opening up new opportunities for producers not only in financing but also in reaching new audiences,” Räim comments.
Väinola added that this year’s children’s and youth projects tackles a variety of themes and genres, from social media and mental health to both classic and unconventional fairytales, as well as sweet, relatable stories. “The decision-making process was not easy at all. Every project had its own strengths and challenges, and it wasn’t easy to narrow them down. While I’m happy with the selection we made, I know many other great stories didn’t make the cut this time. There’s such a need for quality children’s and youth stories, and I wish the best of luck to the projects that weren’t selected this time,” she added.
The 2025 Focus Country, Catalonia, is represented with two titles. Among them is “Climacteric,” a psychological drama co-produced with Poland by Lilian Torres, whose previous feature “Mamifera” premiered in the Official Competition at SXSW 2024, winning the Best Performance Award. The film is produced by Carla Sospedra Salvadó (Edna Cinema), continuing her collaboration with Torres. The second Catalan title, “The King of the Air,” marks the sophomore feature of Laura Ferrés. The film follows Pere, a melancholic man who rediscovers his confidence after meeting the Valkyrie-like Rosario. It is co-produced by Spain and France, with producers Nadine Rothschild and Inés Massa (Materia Cinema), alongside Marina Perales and Xavier Rocher (La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma).
From the Baltic region, the selection includes the Latvian dark comedy “Superheroine of the Wrong Side of Forty by Dace Puce, whose debut, “The Pit” (2020), became a breakout festival success. The new film is produced by Liga Gaisa (Air Productions). Estonia is represented by “Johnny,” a historical drama set in post-war Estonia (1948–1953), chronicling the student years of future president Lennart Meri. A co-production with Finland and Latvia is directed by Jaak Kilmi and produced by Sander Lebreht and Peeter Urbla (Exitfilm). Another Estonian-Finnish co-production, “The Well,” is a psychological drama from debut director Siiri Halko, examining the fraught relationship between two foster sisters. The film is produced by Jenni Jauri (Silmu Films Oy).
Further expanding the lineup, the Ukrainian–Latvian co-production “Alice Wants to Live,” directed by Denys Sobolev and produced by Vitaliy Dokalenko (Ganzafilm), offers an intimate Kyiv-set drama. Ukraine is also represented in the Lithuanian–French co-production “Vesna,” following a young priest secretly resisting the invaders in a small Russian-occupied town.
The selection continues with “We’re Leaving,” a road movie exploring tangled family ties and the second feature by Kamil Krawczycki, whose micro-budget debut “Elephant” won multiple awards at festivals in Poland and abroad. Produced by Agnieszka Wasiak and Mariusz Wlodarski (Lava Films), the film is a co-production between Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and Estonia.
Additional titles include the Czech crime drama “No Salvation Coming,” written and directed by Vojtech Strakatý and produced by Jan Cadek (Beginner’s Mind), which follows a group of millennials and zoomers who plot to rob a luxury home. From Romania, “Vanishing Point,” directed by Tudor Giurgiu and produced by Bogdan Craciun (Point Film), follows a political prisoner’s perilous escape across Eastern Europe. Acclaimed Albanian filmmaker Gentian Koçi presents “Cold Sun,” a powerful existential and psychological drama about a man struggling to rebuild his life after two decades in prison — a darkly poetic, non-redemptive love story co-produced with France.
For the second year, the market selection also features films for children and youth, offering heartfelt and thought-provoking stories from across Europe.
The Polish–French co-production “Little Mary,” “Always the Virgin,” directed by Anna Jadowska, follows 16-year-old Marysia, who attempts to sell her virginity online. Jadowska, known for her acclaimed “Woman on the Roof” (which premiered in Tribeca’s International Narrative Competition) and for co-directing Netflix’s first original Polish film “Erotica 2022,” collaborates once again with producer Magdalena Sztorc (Mozaika Films).
The Lithuanian–Polish co-production “Queen of England Stole My Parents,” directed by Ernestas Jankauskas and produced by Gabija Siurbyte and Viktorija Rimkute (Dansu Films), tells the story of an adopted girl who sets out on a whimsical yet emotional journey to save her biological parents.
From Norway, “One Brother Too Many,” the second feature by Tove Undheim and produced by Ellen Ugelstad (Twentyone Pictures), portrays nine-year-old Sara, whose world is thrown into turmoil when a new foster brother arrives.
Rounding out the youth-focused lineup is “Heart Beats,” the second feature from director Johanna Lietha, an Austrian–Swiss co-production produced by Karin Berghammer (berg hammer film) — a tender coming-of-age story about twelve-year-old Lia learning to accept the changes reshaping her family.
As last year, all the projects will be presented to the audiences on November 19 at 16:30 in a conversation with communication skill trainer Sibylle Kurz and creative consultant Márk Szilágyi.
The selected projects will be pitched to the jury that includes: Els Hendrix, Eurimage, Katrin Pors, Producer, Snowglobe, Jörg Schneider, Commisioning editor, ZDF
The Best project will be handed the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award which includes a non-reimbursable subsidy of €20,000 for feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films, which must be used exclusively to cover the development expenses of the co-production project.
In addition, the Producers Network Prize for promising young producers will be handed out.
Baltic Event Co-Production Market selection 2025:
- “Alice Wants to Live” – directed by Denys Sobolev, produced by Vitaliy Dokalenko, Ganzafilm, Andrejs Ekis, Cinevilla Films LLC (Ukraine, Latvia)
- “Climacteric” – directed by Liliana Torres, produced by Carla Sospedra Salvadó, Edna Cinema, Miriam Porté and Gerard Marginedas (Spain, Poland)
- “Cold Sun” – directed and produced by Gentian Koçi, Artalb Film Productions, with Blerina Hankollari, Artalb Film Productions (Albania, France)
- “Heart Beats” – directed by Johanna Lietha, produced by Karin Berghammer and Kathi Posch, berg hammer film (Austria, Switzerland)
- “Johnny” – directed by Jaak Kilmi, produced by Peeter Urbla and Sander Lebreht, Exitfilm (Estonia, Latvia, Finland)
- “The King of the Air” – directed by Laura Ferrés, produced by Nadine Rothschild and Inés Massa, Materia Cinema, Marina Perales and Xavier Rocher, La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma (Spain, France)
- “Little Mary, Always the Virgin” – directed by Anna Jadowska, produced by Magdalena Sztorc, Mozaika Films (Poland, France)
- “No Salvation Coming” – written and directed by Vojtech Strakatý, produced by Jan Cadek, Beginner’s Mind (Czechia)
- “One Brother Too Many” – directed by Tove Undheim, produced by Ellen Ugelstad, Twentyone Pictures (Norway)
- “Queen of England Stole My Parents” – directed by Ernestas Jankauskas, produced by Gabija Siurbyte, Viktorija Rimkute and Aleksandra Chmielewska, Dansu Films, (Lithuania, Poland)
- “Superheroine of the Wrong Side of Forty” – directed by Dace Puce, produced by Antra Gaile and Liga Gaisa, Air Productions (Latvia)
- “Vanishing Point” – directed by Tudor Giurgiu, produced by Bogdan Craciun, Point Film (Romania)
- “Vesna” – written and directed by Rostislav Kirpicenko, produced by Vitalii Sheremetiev / ESSE House (Ukraine, Lithuania, and France)
- “The Well” – directed by Siiri Halko, produced by Jenni Jauri, Silmu Films Oy (Finland, Estonia)
- “We’re Leaving” – directed by Kamil Krawczycki, produced by Agnieszka Wasiak and Mariusz Wlodarski,Lava Films (Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Estonia)
Since 2005, the Baltic Event Co-Production Market has showcased over 400 film projects, many of which have reached the silver screens across the globe and enjoyed successful festival runs. The presented projects have later been selected for Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, Cairo, Tribeca, and more and earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.
Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (ITBE) is the key business platform for the audiovisual industry in the Northen Europe, held annually in November as part of the Black Nights Film Festival. In its 24th edition in 2025, ITBE brings together film professionals and emerging talent during 14-21 November for project presentations, masterclasses, workshops, conferences, and networking. In 2024, the event welcomed 850 industry guests.