The 2023 edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF) industry platform Industry@Tallinn runs from November 13-17, a week earlier than in recent years.
“Thanksgiving [November 23] is not in the way anymore,” says industry head Marge Liiske, which allows the attendance of US figures including The Walking Dead showrunner Gale Anne Hurd, and Ari Tan, former head of strategy, international studios at Paramount. “We hope that it will spark interest overseas towards our events next year,” says Liiske.
Secondly, the earlier date means “we do not have snow – which for me is great. You don’t have to crawl through this sludge!”
Liiske talks to Screen about managing an increase in attendees, the greatest cost for the event, and handling divisive global conflicts.
in-person industry attendance is projected to be up from around 660 last year, to 700 this time. Where are the new attendees coming from?
Every year we have new targeted events that bring more people. This year we have the JustFilm Industry Days [JustFilm is the youth-focused festival that runs within POFF]; FilmSkills In The Baltics on November 15 tackles below-the-line certification and training in the region, and might attract different people.
We have the presentation of Crescine, the Horizon project investigating data analysis in small production capacity countries. Of course we have to turn things down – we cannot fit everything in the programme. But we try to have new aspects every year so people will discover what is happening in the region.
Inflation was at record levels last year in Estonia. How is the financial outlook this time?
Prices are still very high – they have risen 30 to 40% compared to last year. We still try to nurture participants as lavishly as we can but maybe not as lavishly as before Covid. In order to make things sustainable, it makes things twice as costly. The budget for the industry platform is a bit more than €400,000. We are one third of the festival guests, and a bit less than one quarter of the budget. There are things we cannot change – the inflation rate, the price of beer and the weather. But we remain warm and welcoming – that hopefully compensates for things we cannot change.
What is the biggest single cost?
Accommodation, definitely. Flights are a bit less – we cover only mentors, panelists, and some decision makers. Participants have to provide their flight tickets themselves. A bit goes on subsistence; we are now limiting lunches to two per guest per stay, for those with the Industry Pro accreditation. Creative Europe Media covers around 60% of our costs; without that, we couldn’t offer these conditions to our guests.
The Israel-Hamas war is one of several divisive international incidents right now. How do you handle such issues with regards to the beliefs of your attendees?
This year we have a diversity, inclusion and sustainability officer, who has received special training on that. We have guidelines on our website, and really want to make sure everyone feels safe. We have a special form for if something unpleasant happens, we have a person it can be addressed to, who is listening and can take actions.
This is something I want to highlight. Perhaps I should write it on the counter of the guest department: being kind, being attentive, not being an asshole. Over the last two weeks I have talked to so many industry platform organisers at festivals and everybody agrees that eliminating toxic people from the guest list ensures a better climate. So if somebody chooses to be not nice, we will notice; we can remove those people from our guest list and ask them kindly to leave the premises. People can express opinions – it doesn’t mean you are unpleasant. The other person can kindly not agree; and the first person has to accept that. We have so much tension already; we cannot allow ourselves to be unpleasant at our professional events.
POFF began on November 3. What are you doing in the days before Industry@Tallinn starts?
We are trying to set up an industry part for POFF Shorts – we had a panel about short film distribution. Also the final details on how many guests are coming, and coordinating evening events. We have a record number of industry attendees – I’m hoping that the [main festival hub] Nordic Hotel Forum won’t crack!
This is your 10th year at POFF, and eighth running Industry@Tallinn – are you planning to stick with the festival?
I had my breakdown, my burnout already after the event [last year], when I was overworked and under-slept. It taught me that my curiosity and attention is satisfied when I deal with different things, so I don’t fall into routine. By May I was normal me again. As long as I can keep up with what is happening and I’m not asked to leave, I can continue. Tiina [Lokk, POFF director] has been here for 27 years – I admire her. I don’t know how she does it, ever evolving. It’s like the Rolling Stones – as long as you keep moving, the moss will not be on your back.
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