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| Clockwise from top left: Ginji The Speculator, The Punishment, The Wastetown, 578 Magnum, A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On, Driving Mum Photo: Courtesy of Tallinn Film Festival |
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has announced the first seven titles in its Official Competition for this year's festival, which will run from November 11 to 27.
The selection includes new works from Iceland, Albania, Iran, Vietnam, Brazil and Japan, coming from both renowned, multi-award-winning auteurs and returning Black Nights favourites. It includes five world and two international premieres.
Ahmad Bahrani, who won Venice's Orizzonti prize with his previous film The Wasteland, brings The Wastetown, described as "a companion piece of sorts", which a woman who has been convicted of murder searching for her son. Ryuichi Mino, whose Make The Devil Laugh screened at last year's Black Nights, returns with comedy Ginji The Speculator, while Lương Đình Dũng, who previously brought Father & Son and Drowsy City to the festival, returns with 578 Magnum - a tale of kidnap and the hunt for revenge.
Writer/director Hilmar Oddsson’s road trip black comedy Driving Mum also joins the line-up alongside A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On, directed by Gentian Koçi, which follows Deaf twin brothers who are losing their sight. There's love trouble in Sergio Machado's River Of Desire which focuses on three co-habiting brothers and the temptations presented by the wife of one of them, while grief runs through missing child tale The Punishment, directed by Matias Bize.
Festival Director Tiina Lokk: said “It’s a wonderful but also hugely challenging job to manage such a large and varied programme of films at our growing festival. We’ve found that steering the festival ship takes time, but we have taken the opportunity to turn towards more streamlined and focused competition programmes this year. Our goal is always making sure films and audience connect. Everything we do is towards that end.”
The festival will also introduce a new competition programme, Critics’ Picks, led by Russian critic and programmer Nikolaj Nikitin. Israeli film will be in Focus in this year's 26th edition, alongside Showcase of Brazilian cinema.
