With its 24th edition in full swing, Just Film, the youth and children’s festival -within- a-festival of Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), is going from strength to strength, attracting significant world premieres and international filmmakers eager to use the event as a launchpad.
“What makes us unique is the significant number of debut films, demonstrating filmmakers are choosing to entrust us with their first works,” says Mikk Granström, programme director for Just Film.“We provide a platform dedicated to films for young people and children, aiming to engage young audiences with bold, topical themes.”
This edition of Just Film, taking place for the duration of POFF, is screening 53 films from 34 countries. It includes several competition strands including the international youth competition programme for which Granström and his team have secured four world premieres and one international debut.
Rolling Papers by Estonian filmmaker Meel Paliale’s, Don’t Worry directed by Belgian screenwriter and director Solange Cicurel, This Too Shall Pass by Canada’s Rob Grant, and Spilt Milk by Irish director Brian Durnin, are all making their world premieres in Tallinn.
Contra from Danish director Jonas Risvig has its international debut.
Spilt Milk follows the story of a precocious and energetic 11 year-old boy who wants to become a top detective like TV fictional great Kojak. Set against the backdrop of working- class Dublin in the 1980s, the disappearance of the boy’s older brother becomes a story of innocence and adventure amid the murky and very adult backdrop of criminality and addiction.
“It’s a dark subject matter,” sayd Durnin. “It’s an adult film viewed through the lens of kids.” His aim was to balance light and dark tones while maintaining a sense of hope and resilience.
Spilt Milk fits perfectly with Just Film’s ethos “to show young people the critical points of society and to make them more understanding and empathetic”, as Granström puts it.
The film premiered last week to an audience that included young people brought to the capital from smaller towns across Estonia.
“Having a world premiere outside of our home country, outside of the comfort bubble with exposure to an audience that wouldn’t be aware of any of the situations in the film in Ireland, was lovely,” says Durnin, who was joined by producer Laura McNicholas and rising actors Cillian Sullivan and Naoise Kelly in Estonia.
McNicholas is a Black Nights regular: She brought Spilt Milk to ithe festival at project stage in 2019 and it was showcased in the Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event co-production spotlight at Cannes in 2021.
The team is now in talks with international sales agents at Tallinn while further stops on the international festival circuit are being lined up.
Industry focus
The decision to launch Spilt Milk at Just Film is a sign of the festival’s growing industry status. The second annual Just Film Industry Days is taking place, with a programme tailored for professionals in the youth and children’s film market, as well as aspiring filmmakers and film educators.
A key aim of Just Film Industry Days is to encourage pan-Baltic collaborations among filmmakers, such as Lithuania’s Toxic, Latvia’s Boom! and several Latvian co-productions such as Thelma’s Perfect Birthday and The Book of Everything, all in competition at Just Film.
Granström believes it is important these films are given a distinct platform rather than being incorporated into the main festival.
“A separate programme allows us to focus on stories specifically crafted for young people and children, addressing their lives, experiences, and often bold, relevant issues,” Granström says. “This approach creates a stronger connection with audiences, as these films are carefully curated and presented in a way that resonates with young viewers and meets their needs.”
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