The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) has announced the five-member jury for its 30th edition’s Official Competition. Led by two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Sir Christopher Hampton, the jury brings together filmmakers and artists from the UK, Lebanon, the United States, France and Estonia.

● Luxembourg at CinEast – avant-premières of Luxembourg co-productions 3 Weeks After and Guria with guests, a Luxembourg–CEE Short Film Night, discussion with Jean Asselborn and three Luxembourgish members of juries

● Focus on Bulgaria – Bulgarian films, guests, concerts and a Bulgarian evening

● Special Ukrainian programme – films, guests, a jazz concert and the charity project CinEast4Ukraine

Dear Sirs and Madams, dear colleagues,

The 9th edition of European Work in Progress (EWIP) awarded 10 outstanding film projects during a festive ceremony on the evening of September 29th, 2026. In cooperation with FilmFest Hamburg and MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, EWIP for the second time took place as part of FilmFest Hamburg Industry Days.

25 film projects were chosen from a record number of more than 270 applications. All participating projects are in the final stages of production and are on their way to shape the future of European cinema. During EWIP, around 300 high-profile colleagues from the European film industry (world sales, distribution, festivals, production, financing and marketing) were given the exclusive first looks into the selected projects and had the opportunity to meet and talk to the filmmakers in person securing valuable deals in an early stage of production.

The independent international jury of renowned and highly experienced experts – Christian Bräuer, Managing Director of Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany's largest arthouse cinema group; Paolo Bertolin, member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival and Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival; Rebecca De Pas, renowned and experienced film curator for the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Valeska Neu, responsible for Management & Sales for world sales „Films Boutique“; Iñigo Trojaola, Editorial Manager for Spanish PayTV and VOD platform Movistar+ – selected the award winner from among the 25 international film projects presented and awarded prizes totalling over 100,000 Euros.

This year’s EWIP awards were supported by many longstanding partners. EWIP continued the successful partnership with The Post Republic and K13 Studios. The Post Republic pledged its continued support by providing a voucher for post production, color grading and DCP production and the K13 Studios renewed their longstanding contribution for EWIP with two vouchers for a Dolby Atmos Mix and professional dubbing. Furthermore EWIP continued its partnership with „Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners“, consisting of the audio studio Loft Tonstudios, audio specialist Zeigermann_Audio, post production firm Optical Art and costume rental Zeitkostüm GmbH. Post Production company Cine Complete joined EWIP as a new sponsor this year by funding an award. EWIP is furthermore supported by Creative Europe MEDIA.

Projects presented at EWIP have gone on to premiere at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, San Sebastián, Rotterdam, Toronto, and more – often securing key international sales and distribution deals.

Two of last year’s winners of EWIP were part of the official selection in Cannes this year: ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, which won „The Post Republic Award“ – a post production support worth 30.000 Euros and I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina Rivilis, winner of “Way Film Translation Award“ at EWIP 2025. Both have premiered at „Un Certain Regard“, where ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG won the Jury Prize. Further successful EWIP participants include I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, directed by Alisa Kolosova, as well as ZEJTUNE by Alex Camilleri (EWIP 2024) both of which celebrated their World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival this June. Most recently, two films from the EWIP 2025 selection have also received awards at the Locarno Film Festival: DOWN BY THE RIVER by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, which won the Special Jury Prize in the International Competition, and PARADEISA by Marleen Valien, winner of the Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare.

All the winners and Jury statements 2026:

European Work in Progress The Post Republic Award

Voucher worth €30,000 for post-production services

FOLK PLAY (NARODNA DRAMA)

Director: Mirjana Karanović / Drama / 100 Minutes / Serbia, France, Luxemburg, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro

Production: Snezana van Houwelingen (THIS AND THAT PROD.)

Coproduction: Denis Carot (ELZEVIR FILMS), Ulysse Payet (NOCTUA FILMS), Jani Thiltges (SAMSA FILM), Ida Weiss (BELA FILM D.O.O.), Ankica Jurić Tilić (KINORAMA), Marija Perović (KINO D.O.O)

FOLK PLAY is a contemporary love story about a young woman breaking free from the life chosen for her. In a small town bound by tradition, dutiful Anka is set to marry the man everyone expects her to, until Branka, a flamboyant folk singer from Belgrade, awakens in her a desire for love, freedom and a life of her own.

Jury statement: An intimate depiction of the awakening of a young woman through an unexpected and revelatory meeting, this WIP plays with tropes in the representation of female characters, subverting them through affectionate sincerity.

European Work in Progress K13 Studios Award 

Voucher worth €10,000 for Dolby Atmos mixing

EKA

Director: Suman Sen / Drama / 90 Minutes / India, Australia, France

Production: Maud d’Amade (ZORBA PRODUCTION)

Coproduction: Alan McAlex (SUITABLE PICTURES), Emmanuel Pappas, Manjari Makijany (ASIA PACIFIC PICTURES)

In a decaying Kolkata, a disillusioned middle-aged man, haunted by past guilt and a lifetime of broken promises, reaches his breaking point. His personal rebellion unexpectedly becomes the spark for a worldwide movement.

Jury statement: Set on the backdrop of a chaotic and careless metropolis, this closely observed character study is bound to develop into a potent and timely political statement. Through subdued direction and a heartfelt lead performance, this WIP hails a promising debut feature.

European Work in Progress K13 Studios Award 

Voucher worth €5,000 for dubbing

KARMIC KNOT

Director: Signe Baumane / Animated, Black Comedy, Epic Family Drama / 100 Minutes / Latvia, Germany

Production: Dominiks Jarmakovičs (STUDIO LOCOMOTIVE), Fabian Driehorst (FABIAN&FRED)

While her impoverished family builds a secret rose empire in Soviet Latvia, Ragne struggles to find her own voice. When the USSR collapses, the beautiful flowers become the seeds of the family’s downfall.

Jury statement: A touching family saga, caught in a pivotal historical moment, narrated with humour and empathy.

European Work in Progress Loft Tonstudios Award

Voucher worth € 10.000 for sound post-production services

SPROSS

Director: Friederike Güssefeld / Drama / 100 Minutes / Germany

Production: Anton Kaiser (SCHRAMM FILM KOERNER WEBER KAISER)

11-year-old Orlando falls in love with his new classmate, Freya. The two roam through nature and their village, and everything could go on like this forever. But Freya comes from a family of völkisch settlers, and eventually, the adult world threatens to collapse over the children's heads.

Jury statement: In a time of polarization of societies, we see two kids becoming friends and overcome the fear of others easily. An urgent topic told in an atmospheric way.

European Work in Progress Optical Arts Award

Voucher worth € 10.000 for color grading.

LA UNIÓN

Director: Cordelia Alegre / Drama / 90 Minutes / Spain, Colombia

Production: Àngels Masclans (DOS SOLES MEDIA SL), Roger Torras (DESARROLLOS MEDIÁTICOS INTERNACIONALES SL / WKND), Federico Duran (EL SOL ERMITAÑO SAS), Jaime Guerrero (RARA CINE SAS)

Two 19-year-old twin sisters, born in Colombia and raised in Barcelona, travel to their country of birth to spend Christmas with their paternal family. As Cecilia delves into their father’s past and Juliana struggles to understand her own present, their discoveries gradually drive them apart. Only together can they piece together their family’s story.

Jury statement: We valued its cinematical approach to the complex construction of family memories.

 

European Work in Progress Zeigermann_Audio Award

Voucher worth € 10.000 for sound on set or audio post-production

WITCH (ZHALMAYUZ)

Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov / Post Horror / 110 Minutes / Kazakhstan, France

Production: Aigerim Abaykhanqyzy, Olga Khlasheva (SIRIUS PRODUCTION)

Coproduction: Gullaume de Seille (ARIZONA FILMS)

A crime against women has been committed in a rural village. Imam Abbas wants to protect them. However, according to Sharia, women cannot act as witnesses. Imam will have to go against the law.

Jury statement: For a film that uses genre tropes in an extravagant and bold visual style to reason on folklore, human relations and patriarchal oppresion.

European Work in Progress Gruvi Award

Voucher worth € 5,000 to be spent on marketing ad technology, including audience analysis, landing page design, and a GDS report

PANNA SOPHIA / COMENIUS (PANNA SOFIA)

Director: Václav Kadrnka / Drama, Historical / 100 Minutes / Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, The Netherlands 

Production: Simona Kadrnková, Václav Kadrnka (SIRIUS FILMS S.R.O.), Katarína Krnáčová (SILVERART S.R.O.)

Coproduction: Burak Çevik (FOL FILMS), Minco Eggersman (RINA FILM)

Winter 1627. Hunted for his non-Catholic faith, the young pastor hides with his family in the mountains. When he is called to a sick girl who claims to have visions, her images begin to unsettle the world around him and guide him through a time of fear, oppression and spiritual crisis. Based on a true story from the life of Jan Amos Comenius.

Jury statement: An ambitious project that reflects on the eternal yet contemporary dynamic between faith and reason in an exquisite cinematic way.

European Work in Progress Way Film Translation Award 

Voucher worth € 5,000 for subtitling.

A HOUSE ON THE WAVES (KHANEI BAR AMVAJ)

Director: Lily Mousavi / Drama, Thriller / 120 Minutes / Iran, France 

Production: Gholamreza Mousavi (FILMSAZAN JAVAN)

Coproduction: Florian Môle (LES GRANDS ESPACES)

After years abroad, Raha returns to Iran when her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, is hospitalized and Arezou, the young woman who cared for her, suddenly disappears. As Raha searches for her, she uncovers a decades-old family secret that reveals a cycle of violence against women echoing across generations.  

Jury statement: A gripping family drama set in Iran after the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which through a story of fading memory and buried crimes intimately reveals how patriarchal violence shapes women's lives across generations.

European Work in Progress Zeitkostüm Award

Voucher worth € 2.500 for costumes

DON’T BE A STRANGER

Director: Robert Thalheim / Neo-Western / 90 Minutes / Germany

Production: Andreas Banz, Matthias Miegel, Robert Thalheim, Jasmin Saunders (KUNDSCHAFTER FILMPRODUKTION GMBH)

Deep in Germany’s Black Forest, a cowboy-fan cattle rancher „Fränk“s struggle of saving his farm takes an unexpected turn when the rugged Texan ranch hand he’s expecting is replaced by a seventeen-year-old skater from New York City. Their unlikely encounter brings two very different visions of life into collision, challenging both men to see each other and themselves anew.

Jury statement: A neo-western that confidently reworks the codes of the genre, turning a clash between two worlds into a warm, contemporary story about belonging.

 

European Work in Progress Cine Complete Postproduction Award

Voucher worth € 15.000 for post-production services

MOTHER OF SUGAR (MARE DE SUCRE)

Director: Clàudia Cedó / Drama / 100 Minutes / Spain

Production: Ariadna Dot (DELIRIS FILMS), Rafa Molés (SUICA FILMS), Tono Folguera (LASTOR MEDIA)

María is 35 years old and has a 65% intellectual disability and a lifelong, deeply held desire to become a mother, a dream she has never dared to voice. When those around her question her right to motherhood, Maria decides to reclaim control over her body and future and stop asking for permission.

Jury statement: A sensitively observed look into a relevant topic, served by complex writing and excellent acting. 

 

For further press information and enquiries please contact the press agency mm filmpresse, Sylvia Müller, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 22, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tobias Reißmann, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 23, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Claudia Hegner, Tel. 03741 – 55  03 414, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

After five days filled with screenings, encounters with renowned filmmakers, and events dedicated to the industry and film lovers, Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival announced last night, September 28, the winners of its 16th edition, “Vanishing Futures”, dedicated to the ways in which we can continue to imagine the future in a world marked by ecological, political, and technological crises. BIEFF.16 continues until September 30 with a program that includes three screenings of the winning films, an encore double screening of the entire National Competition, a traveling cinematic route organised by the international collective A Wall is a Screen, during which façades and walls across the city will temporarily become projection screens for experimental short films, as well as a special screening of Lisandro Alonso’s latest film, “Double Freedom”.

Romanian director Lucas Neagu returns with Nimic mai mult și nimic diferit (Nothing More and Nothing Different), a deeply intimate feature film about love, memory, devotion and the strange ways in which time reshapes the people who choose to remain together. Presented as “the happiest film on Earth,” the film approaches some of life’s most difficult questions through a story rooted in tenderness, human connection and the quiet rituals of everyday existence.

At the centre of the film are Elena and Gabi, an elderly couple whose lives have been inseparable for decades. Their relationship is placed under extraordinary pressure when Gabi receives a terminal diagnosis, forcing both of them to confront illness, fear, dependence and the possibility of separation. Against this fragile present, memories of their youth, their first love and the life they built together begin to surface, creating a film that moves constantly between what has been lived and what remains.

The official trailer can be watched here: https://youtu.be/G5UECdRtV04?si=ZpxtKPHtmqZkT5gZ

Lucas Neagu’s direction creates a meticulously precise interplay between the present reality of caregiving, with all its austerity and fear, and fragments of a love story that began decades earlier. Everyday gestures become part of an intimate choreography, each one carrying the weight of an act of resistance. Somewhere between endurance and exhaustion, a single question begins to emerge, one around which the entire film revolves: does unconditional love have a limit beyond which it can no longer go?

Speaking about the production, Lucas Neagu says:

“The film is a profound exploration of life, codependency and memory, of the small moments that define it. It is also a personal film in many ways, inspired by the loss of my grandfather last year.”

The film brings together an established generation of Romanian theatre and screen actors, including Marian Râlea, Ana Ciontea, Johanna Adam and Áron Dimény, alongside a younger generation of performers: Daria Pentelie, Vlad Lință and Miruna Conțiu.

The meeting between these generations becomes an important part of the film’s emotional architecture. The experience and interpretive force of the established actors encounter the openness and energy of younger performers, creating another layer to a story already concerned with the relationship between memory, experience and becoming.

Speaking about his collaboration with the cast and the direction of the film, Lucas Neagu says:

“Together with the actors in the film, including Marian Râlea and Ana Ciontea, as well as the younger Daria Pentelie and Vlad Lință, we managed to build an intimate, intense universe around these two people who, until their very last moment, are still learning how to love each other better, how to be there for one another and how to become even more devoted. I believe it is a film that invites us to celebrate life, and I cannot wait to share it with Romanian audiences starting this November. It is a project I am very proud of and one that I consider deeply relevant from a human and humanistic perspective.”

There is a particular tenderness in the way Nothing More and Nothing Different approaches its characters. The film is built around the smallest details: a gesture, a memory, a moment of silence, the routines of caring for someone whose presence has become inseparable from your own. Its emotional world is shaped through these fragments, allowing intimacy to become the language through which the characters confront what words cannot resolve.

Audiences will encounter a story shaped like a score of tenderness, in which every frame seems to have been filmed with bated breath, as though any sudden movement might disturb the fragility unfolding before the camera. It is a story about the dignity of staying, about a love that asks for nothing beyond what it is capable of giving, and about the possibility of remaining devoted even when life begins to take familiar things away.

The film will premiere in cinemas across Romania this November, with special screenings bringing Lucas Neagu, the cast and members of the creative team closer to audiences in several cities. Further locations will be announced as the film’s national release continues.

From November, Nothing More and Nothing Different enters into a conversation with Romanian audiences carrying its full emotional weight, alongside that rare ability of cinema to transform pain into a form of art — and to find, within the most difficult moments, a reason to celebrate being alive.

Nimic mai mult și nimic diferit (Nothing More and Nothing Different) is a Blue Youth Films production.

Co-producers: Numa Film and Albastru În Film
With the support of: UPFAR-ARGOA

The 18th Batumi International Art-house Film Festival was held in Batumi during 17-24 September. Batumi International Film Festival was established in 2006. Organizer of the film festival - Batumi House of Artists "Argani".

On 24 September, in Batumi Drama Theatre was held closing ceremony of BIAFF Film festival.  At closing ceremony International Jury announced the following prize:

BIAFF  International Feature Films Competition section  - consisting of five members –  Giorgi Ovashvili (Georgia) – head of jury, Andrzej Slowicki (Germany), Mehmet Ali Arslan (Turkey),  Diana Martirosyan (Armenia), Nika Abramishvili (Georgia), awarded the following prizes:

• Best Film – “Critical Zone”, Ali Ahmadzadej, Iran/German, 2023
• Best Film Director – Tinatin Kajrishvili for film “Citizen Saint”, Georgia/France/Bulgaria
• Best Actress - Eka Chavleishivli in film “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” by Elene Naveriani, Switzerland/Georgia, 2023
• Best Actor – Michal Zurawski in film “Shreds”, Beata Dzianowicz, Poland, 2022
• Jury Special Mention - Blaga's Lesson, Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria/Germany, 2023 and   “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry”, Elene Naveriani, Switzerland/Georgia, 2023   

BIAFF 2023 Short Film competition section’s Jury consisting of – Tamar Bartaia (Georgia) – head of jury, Artur Veeber (Estonia), Rusudan Glurjidze (Georgia), awarded the following prizes:The Best Short film – “Dead Marriage”, Michał Toczek, Poland, 2022

• Jury Special Mention – “Duck Hunting”, Giorgi Kobalia, Georgia, 2023, 20 min. 

Prize of Jury (non-official) of Batumi Cinemalover’s Club  (Roi Abuselidze, Anna Oromtsadze, Dachi Mejidov) – awarded to Films:

• “Citizen Saint”, Tinatin Kajrishvili, Georgia/France/Bulgaria, 2023
• “Shreds”, Beata Dzianowicz, Poland, 2022

BIAFF 2023 Life time Achievement awards for contribution to cinema was granted to:

• Zurab Kipshidze (Georgia)
• Revaz Makhatadze (Georgia)
• Giuli Chokheli (Georgia)

Festival Supporters – Georgian National Film Centre,  French Institute, Embassy of Italy, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Lietuva, Batumi Puppet Theatre

Festival Sponsors – Cinema APOLLO, Arrebato Films, hotel “DOWNTOWN“, Mareteli Friends Winery, Restaurant MASPINDZELO

Festival Media Partners – Georgian Public Broadcaster, Radio Fortuna/Fortuna+, Adjara TV, Batumi TV, Podcast Batumi, Film New Europe (www.filmneweurope.com), AT.GE, Newspaper BATUMELEBI, netgazeti.ge,   on.ge

 Contact information:

Tel: 599-482181, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., For accreditation – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web: www.biaff.org, www.facebook.com/biaffbatumi 

 

Registration is now open for the 11th European Arthouse Cinema Day, taking place on 22  November 2026. Organised by CICAE, the initiative brings together hundreds of cinemas  across the world, for a shared celebration of European filmmaking and independent cinemas  as crucial spaces for open cultural exchange. 

For one day each year, arthouse cinemas across countries, cities and communities become  part of the same international event, while remaining entirely free to shape it in their own  way. 

A preview ahead of its theatrical release, a filmmaker Q&A, a rediscovered classic, a  programme for younger audiences, a workshop or simply a film that deserves another moment  on the big screen: European Arthouse Cinema Day can take many forms. 

The principle is deliberately open. Participating venues are asked to screen at least one  European co-production, but everything else, from the number of films to the format and scale  of the event, is decided by the cinema itself. Across its first ten editions, European Arthouse  Cinema Day has reached 600,000 spectators in 45 countries, with around 660 cinemas  participating annually. The 2025 edition alone brought audiences together for 4,277  screenings and 400 national events, alongside international events and workshops involving  cinema professionals from around the world. 

Earache year cinemas talented filmmakers and political figures support the Day, and  participate in special screening events. This year, Pedro Almodovar, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Léa  Mysius, Faraz Shariat, Isabelle Stever & Anna Melikova, Valentina and Nicole Bertani, Boots  Riley and Anca Damian are by our sides with their latest films! 

A shared day, shaped locally 

European Arthouse Cinema Day is also an opportunity for cinemas to experiment with formats  that may not be part of their usual programme. 

Last year, a Q&A following Alice Winocour's premiere Coutures was broadcast live from Paris  to around 70 cinemas across France. In Berlin, a collaboration with Deutsche Hörfilm combined a screening with a workshop exploring cinema accessibility for blind and partially sighted  audiences. In South Korea, the initiative expanded into a five-day festival. Elsewhere,  participation can be as simple as one carefully chosen screening. 

This flexibility is central to the initiative. Rather than asking cinemas to reproduce the same  programme, European Arthouse Cinema Day provides a common framework in which each  venue can respond to its own audience, local context and resources. 

At the same time, bringing these individual events together gives independent cinemas a  collective visibility that can be difficult to achieve alone. The initiative aims to strengthen  international collaboration, support the circulation of European films and make visible the  cultural, social and political role played by arthouse cinemas. 

What participating cinemas receive 

Participation in European Arthouse Cinema Day is completely free. 

Registered cinemas receive ready-to-use communication materials, including the official  poster, logos and social media assets, alongside promotional videos featuring this year's  filmmaker ambassadors. 

In the run-up to 22 November, CICAE is also developing a curated selection of film  recommendations together with distributors, sales agents and international partners. These  will include special programming opportunities, reduced-price offers and selected previews  where available. 

Participating cinemas can also join the Arthouse Cinema Meets free webinars, offering  practical sessions, case studies and exchange with colleagues from the international arthouse  community. Sessions are dedicated to repertory cinemas, alternative distribution,  programming, or marketing, for instance. 

The wider Arthouse Cinema Hub website offers further resources on programming, marketing  and audience development, as well as opportunities for cinemas to exchange programmes and  ideas throughout the year. 

Cinemas as spaces for exchange 

Alongside celebrating the diversity of European filmmaking, European Arthouse Cinema Day  draws attention to the role independent cinemas play beyond exhibition alone. 

From its beginnings, the initiative has been connected to values of artistic freedom,  democracy, tolerance and cultural exchange across borders. Bringing hundreds of independent venues together on the same day makes that role visible not only to audiences, but also to  

cultural institutions and policymakers. 

For CICAE, the European Arthouse Cinema Day is therefore both a celebration and an  opportunity to strengthen connections between cinemas, filmmakers, distributors, cultural  organisations and audiences internationally. 

Registration is open on artcinemaday.org 

Register for European Arthouse Cinema Day 2026. Cinemas do not need to have their final  programme ready in order to register. They can sign up now and add their programme later as  plans develop. Registration and participation are free: 

The 11th European Arthouse Cinema Day takes place on 22 November 2026. 

One shared day, hundreds of individual programmes, and an international network of  cinemas bringing European films to audiences on the big screen.