Black Nights Goes to Cannes Unveils Five Title Lineup

A partner for the fifth time to the Marché du Film‘s Goes to Cannes showcase, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival – the Baltics’ biggest film event – will dedicate a curated program to films from the region for the first time.

The five projects, among the best from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, will be pitched on May 16 in Cannes. All are in post-production and looking for co-financing, sales and festival exposure.

“Baltic have been on the rise for some time already,” said Triin Tramberg, curator of the Tallinn Black Nights Goes to Cannes, referring to the astounding success of Latvia’s Oscar-winning sensation “Flow” and Lithuania’s double Locarno wins for “Toxic” and “Drowning Dry,” among others.

“It’s the right time to make a small presentation of what to expect for Q2 2025- Q1 2026. I believe the five selected projects show the variety of quality we have, and I am sure there is something for every taste,” she said. 

Indeed, the Tallinn Fest Goes to Cannes slate covers all genres, from Estonia’s dark comedy “O’Slaughter Day,” experimental “Mo Amor,” Lithuania’s dramas “Oblivion” and “They Call Me Danka,” and Latvia’s crime “Red Code Blue.” Each of the titles stems from strong voices ready to light the international festival and arthouse circuits, in the footsteps of “Flow’s” Giant Zilbalodis, “Toxic’s” Saulė Bliuvaitė, “Drowning Dry’s” Laurynas Bareiša or “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’s.” 

“Promoting the Baltics as a region is key to us,” added Tina Lokk, head of the Tallinn Black Nights Fest. “As the only A-class film festival in Northern Europe, together with our industry strand, we are proud to have attracted more than 1,700 guests and journalists from 70 countries in 2024. Building a festival with the Baltics at the heart, having the world coming to see Baltic films and more, and Baltic films reaching out to the world was my goal from the very beginning,” Lokk told Variety.

The Marché du Film’s Goes to Cannes showcase runs May 16-19. The 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will unspool Nov. 7-23 in the Estonian capital. 

Here is a rundown of the five Baltic Goes to Cannes entries:

“O’Slaughter Day” (“Seatapp”), Estonia

Produced by Jaan Laugamõts for Downtown Pictures.

After his acclaimed feature debut “Kalev” (Estonia’s Oscar entry in 2022) and hit series “Traitor” (“Reetur”), Ove Musting has set his tragicomedy in rural southern Estonia. The story turns on a Moldovan unlicensed veterinarian who comes to the villagers’ aid when an inexperienced veterinary official orders all livestock to be destroyed due to a suspected swine fever outbreak. 

In the title roles are Aleksandr Bražnik, Egon Nuter, Taavi Teplenkov, and Hendrik Toompere Jr.

“My, roots, my family are from Southern Estonia; I grew up and worked on a farm,” says the writer/director who was keen to bring to the screens his memories of ‘the charm and pain of rural life,” with a touch of dark humor to ‘elevate’ the characters’ everyday life. Delivery is scheduled for late 2025, with a national release via Hea Film to follow up.

“Oblivion,” (“Užmarštis), Lithuania

Produced by Ieva Norviliene for Tremora (“Vanishing Waves,” The Flood Won’t Come”).

Rising writer/director Danielius Minkevicius earned international recognition with his shorts “Crucifixion” (Palm Springs ShortFest 2020) and “Dance” (Camerimage 2021). His debut pic is a psychological drama about a young sex worker who tracks her estranged father and enters his life under a false identity. As their bond deepens, she must navigate the fragile line between deception, healing and the connection she’s always longed for. Minkevicius says his intention with “Oblivion” was to explore “how we deal with pain we don’t fully comprehend” and our ability to dissociate ourselves from grief as a self-protection mechanism. Keen to “ground this fictional story in something real,” Minkevicius has used real settings and a mix of amateurs and established actors. The project was pitched earlier at Tallinn Baltic Event’s co-production market and Vilnius Meeting Point.

“Mo Amor,” Estonia

Produced by Eeva Mägi and Sten-Johan Lill for Kinosaurus Film.

Mo Amor is writer/director Mägi’s third installment in her trilogy, which is about “the human need for love and understanding from different perspectives. After the mother/daughter angle in “Mo Mamma,” winner of a Special Mention at Tallinn’s First Feature competition 2023, and father/son turn in ‘Mo Papa,” pitched at last year’s Black Nights Goes to Cannes, “Mo Amor” explores how to love oneself and others. “It’s “mystical, poetic exploration of love and identity, presented through a beautifully crafted fairytale,” says Mägi. Delivery is set for the fall 2025.

“They Call Me Danka” (“Danka”), Lithuania

Produced by Artūras Dvinelis for Filmai LT, with associate producer Juliana Miliut.

Dovile Gasiunaite’s sophomore pic after “Narcissus,” is a raw coming-of-age about teen girl Danute, who struggles as the only “adult” in her family. Filmed mostly using single shots, the drama stars Ula Liagaite, Silvestras Samuolis and Salvijus Trepulis.

“It’s an emotional story about the transition from childhood to adulthood, altogether shocking and thought-provoking,” says Dvinelis, who is targeting Vilnius’ Scanorama festival this fall for the national launch.

“Red Code Blue” (“Tumšzilais Evaņģēlijs”), Latvia

Produced by Sintija Andersone, Oskars Rupenheits, Juris Pīlēns for Kef Studio.

Segueing from his successful debut “The Foundation of Criminal Excellence,” which was financed via crowd-funding and ended up as Latvia’s biggest hit in 2018, with three wins at the national film awards, Oskars Rupenheits goes back to crime for his sophomore pic. Here, we follow young private eye Roman Skulte (Raitis Stūrmanis), as he joins Riga Precinct in post-Soviet Lavia in the mid-90s. Ready to take on crime, he soon learns the hard way that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Andersone says, beyond the director’s dark humor, suspense and distinctive style,” the pic’s strength lies in its narrative anchored in Latvia’s turbulent history, the ‘wild west of the Eastern flank’ that unfolded in the midst of a regime change in the 1990s. Baltic Content Media will handle the domestic release.