Driving Mum speeds off with top prize in Tallinn

The Land Within and The Poet also among winners

by Amber Wilkinson

Driving Mum
Driving Mum

Melancholic comedy drama Driving Mum sped off with the top prize in Tallinn this evening.

The black-and-white film, directed by Hilmar Oddsson, which sees a man go on an often surreal road trip with his dead mother in the backseat, also saw its Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits win a prize for Best Original Score.

The festival's Best First Feature prize went to The Land Within, a drama concerning the exhumation of a Balkan mass grave, directed by Fisnik Maxwell. Lithuanian historical drama The Poet, directed by Giedrius Tamosevicius and Vytautas V Landsbergis, won the Baltic Competition, while the Rebels With A Cause award went to José Luis Rugeles' Rebelion, about salsa star Joe Arroyo, while the Best Critics' Picks film was named as Jun Robles Lara's About Us But Not About Us.

The acting awards went to Antonia Zegers for The Punishment and Gurban Ismailov for Cold As Marble. In the main competition, the Best Director prize went to Ahmad Bahrami for his bleak tale of revenge The Wastetown and Best Screenplay was given to Shahar Rozen and Dudu Busi for DUCKS – An Urban Legend.

Share this with others on...
News

Giving voice Andrea Grant on residential schools and The Bones Of Our Never-cestors

Women who are deadlier than the male Greek gothic noir Sea Of Glass turns the tables on two mainstream classics

The antithesis of a love story Sarah Bolger on working with Abner Pastoll on Frightfest opener Nervous

Coming of age in a conflict zone Skintown director on The Troubles, male friendship and winning the Sean Connery Prize

Behind Dern’s ‘late-life masterpiece’ Northbound director on the ultimate actor’s actor, mortality and a sentimental journey

More news and features

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Sarajevo announces winners


Sarajevo Woody Harrelson awarded Heart of Sarajevo after lively masterclass


EIFF Gets back its mojo


Locarno Isabella Rossellini receives Excellence Award


London Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut to close festival