Tallinn Baltic Event,  Works in Progress Unveiled

The psycho thriller “Lex Julia” by Finland’s Laura Hyppönen (“Live East Die Young”) and fantasy drama “Dice-Ching-o-Mat” by Lithuania’s Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, who was selected for Cannes Un Certain Regard with “You Am I” have both been selected for the Works in Progress session of the Industry @Tallinn & Baltic Event.

Also among its buzzy titles is “Superbuhei,” the directorial debut of German production designer Josef Grandl who has worked with Wes Anderson and Steve Spielberg.

This year’s slate of 18 projects from 12 countries, split between the International Works in Progress, Baltic Event Works in Progress and Just Film Works in Progress, will be pitched Nov. 20 and 21 at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s Industry event.

Beyond the solid Baltic lineup, Spanish-language projects will weigh in heavily via the festival’s Focus on Catalonia and growing submissions from Latin America. “We could almost have created a full Spanish-language works in progress lineup” claimed Trinn Tramberg, curator of the international section, who shortlisted eight titles out of 80 submissions and even re-directed a few Spanish-lingo picks to the Just Film section for kids and youth.

Turning on the Catalan spotlight, Tramberg said she is particularly thrilled to welcome back high-profile producer Alba Sotorra whose earlier feature “Upon Entry” “first bowed in Tallinn in 2022 before making an international fest and distribution splash and securing three Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Sotorra’ new project “Wolf Grrrls””(“Salen las lobas”) is a realistic teen drama by newcomer Claudia Estrada Tarascó.

Tramberg also underscored the importance of including films from Ukraine – “Kira’s Dream” and “Crickets Sing in the Rye” – “to showcase their incredible resilience and to support filmmakers creating under extremely challenging circumstances.”

Given the large number of Latin American submissions, the international section curator said “it felt essential to include something from that region as well, and “Prince” really stood out. The remaining projects were chosen for the strength of their storytelling, their visual style and the unique voices they bring to the screen,” she told Variety.

Commenting on the Baltic Event slate, curator Helen Räim said she was glad to see that seven of the 13 submitted projects from the Baltics and Finland were co-productions with Estonia. “It’s been a really busy year in all Baltic countries,” she observed.

Among the six selected titles, two of them -“Rahma “and “Lex Julia” were showcased at the Baltic Event’s Co-Production Markets 2023 and 2021 respectively, while Latvia’s “Kingpins,” by first-timer Kristians Riekstiņš, won Tallinn’s Script Pool competition 2024.

Räim said that “Kingpins” and “Mo Hunt,” the latest pic by Eeva Mägi, both “embody the spirit of independent cinema, embracing the ongoing journey of finding one’s creative voice.” Another example of new Estonian talent to watch, Evar Anvelt, will pitch the thriller “Something Real” “which looks into the darker side of human existence.”

While “Kingpins,””Something Real” and “Lex Julia” by Finland’s Laura Hyppönen “observe and investigate complex human relationships,” according to Räim, “Dice-Ching-O-Mat” by high-profile Lithuanian filmmaker Vildžiūnas will look deeper into a person’s mind “by raising universal questions such as how do we truly relate to those closest to us and could we do more?” The pic is produced by the heavyweight auteur-driven Studio Uljana Kim.

In a much lighter tone, the musical dramedy “Wedding Day,” by Latvia’s Marta Elīna Martinsone (“Lame-o’s”), will “blend raw realism with poetic musicality, a rare combination in the [Baltic] region,” according to Räim.

As for the four projects in the Just Film section for kids and youth, “Morten,” “Office of Magical Forces,””Tanit” and “Switzerland,” all are youth-oriented coming of age stories focusing on “young protagonists navigating extraordinary challenges in their own environments,” said curator Kärt Väinola.

At press time, the Just Film Works in Progress slate was still to be finalised.

The Baltic Event and International works in progress will vie for the €7,000 ($8,100) prize partly sponsored by Prague-based Studio Beep post-production banner, and the Just Film projects for the €1,000 ($1,100) Prize.

Full rundown of International Works in Progress:

“The Convulsions,” (“Les éclats,” David Gutiérrez, France/Spain)
Produced by Imy Productions, Bapla Films, Auca Films, Cinètica Produccions, Timber Films
A psychological drama starring Inès Fehner, Tom Weyn, Lizalou Weyn and Eïwa Roussel. In the Pyrenees mountains, a couple try to live self-sufficiently in terms of food and energy. But when one of their daughters suddenly begins suffering from unexplained fainting spells, their choice is shaken and strange twists begin to happen.

“Crickets Sing in the Rye,” (“Співають коники у житі,” Yevhen Khvorostianko, Ukraine)
Produced by Stage Service LLC
Starring Valeria Khodos, Serhii Mitriushyn, Ostap Makarenko and Andriy Klymenkov.
Drama recounting the Holodomor-man-made Ukraine famine and genocide, orchestrated by the Soviet government of Joseph Stalin in 1932-33.

“Happiness is Just Blue Couch Away,” (“Pu spas za sve nas,” Andrija Mugoša, Montenegro)
Produced by KA Productions
A drama set in rarely filmed Podgorica Montenegro. Ivona Kustudić (“After the Winter”), Milica Šcepanović and Milivoje Obradović star in this unconventional road-movie about a mother who sets off on a trip with her son to escape domestic violence. But as the abusive father closes in, the boy’s loyalty wavers.

“Kira’s Dream,” (“Mriia Kiry,” Denys Kolesnikov, Ukraine)
Produced by Good Morning Films
Musical drama directed by first timer Kolesnikov, from a script by Anastasiya Volkova.
The logline reads: “forgiving the mistakes, learning to love and stop being afraid of life, is rather difficult to cope with at the cemetery, but it is quite possible. Even though it sometimes seems that the cemetery is not outside, but inside you.”

“Prince,” (Federico Borgia, Uruguay, Argentina)
Produced by Montelona
Dramedy by Federico Borgia (“Clever”) from talent-driven prodco Montelona, co-producers of Ariel Rotter’s “Blue Bird.” After the death of Isabel, a millionaire in love with dogs, Jaime, her butler and former lover, is left in charge of Prince, the deceased’s beloved Afghan Greyhound. Now Jaime must live with the animal in the house until the dog’s death. But the heirs are not willing to accept it peacefully,” reads the logline.

“Rahma,” (Faysal Soysal, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece)
Produced by Balkon Film
Drama about an archaeologist struggling with infertility, ready to go abroad for surrogacy. But her plans change when she meets a young Syrian orphan girl disguised as a boy.“In a world where artificial reproduction technologies raise new ethical questions, and millions of children remain stateless in post-war landscapes, the film confronts the moral weight of bringing a child into a wounded world,” said multi-awarded Turkish poet and filmmaker Soysal. In the title roles are Deniz Işın, Feyyaz Duman and Uğur Aslan.

“Superbuhei,” (Josef Brandl, Germany)
Produced by Junifilm
A dark comedy with touches of horror about Jesse Bronske, an unsuccessful bar proprietor, who fears his malicious twin brother whom he fled from years ago, has now found him and is trying to take over his life. The more Jesse spirals into paranoia, the more his life slips away from him. “Based on a German novel, the film unfolds in a reimagined ‘un-German’ setting that feels both familiar and surreal,” said producer Janina Sara Hennemann.

“Wolf Grrrls,” (“Salen las lobas,” Claudia Estrada Tarascó, Spain, Belgium)
Produced by Alba Sotorra
Directorial debut of Claudia Estrada Tarascó. Luna, a misunderstood teenager, is accused of abuse by her father and sent to a juvenile detention center. The place is decaying and strict, but Luna refuses to give in to its rules. Through a shared interest in urban music, she grows close to Yanira, Rocío, and Melissa. Against all odds, they begin to dream of a future together outside the center.

Baltic Event Works in Progress

“Dice-Ching-O-Mat,” (Kristijonas Vildziunas, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia)
Produced by Studio Uljana Kim
Selected in Venice Controcorrente 2022 with “The Lease” and at Cannes Un Certain Regard 2006 with “You Am I,” Vildziunas competed in Tallinn 2021 with “Songs for a Fox.” His sixth feature is a fantasy drama in which the main character Vilis (55) awakens inside a mysterious Cube, an elevator-like box with an intercom instructing him to reclaim his lost identity by leaving through the red doors and returning through the green. Outside, in Vilnius paralyzed by the 2020 pandemic, his wife and three adult children face an existential threat. To save them, Vilis must move beyond who he once was.

“Mo Hunt,” (Eeva Mägi, Estonia)
Produced by Kultuurikuur, Kinosaurus Film
Thriller in which Kore, a burnout ballerina, becomes an illegal surrogate for a lonely priest, pushing her body to the limits. Her boyfriend, Kaljo, clings to their love as it dissolves in the quiet storm of sacrifice, faith, and forbidden desire.”We are creating this film as a deeply independent project, emotionally raw, formally intimate, and grounded in lived experience,” said Mägi from Estonia’s new wave “Mo Movement,” who won Best First Feature and a Special Jury Prize at Tallinn 2023 with “Mo Mamma.”

“Kingpins,” (Kristians Riekstiņš, Latvia)
Produced by Mima Films
Voted as the most promising project at Tallinn’s Script Pool Awards 2024. Comedy about ordinary people scheming, stumbling, and outwitting each other in pursuit of quick success. “Its kinetic rhythm, inventive visuals and razor-sharp humor turn everyday chaos into pure cinematic energy,” said producer Alise Rogule.

“Lex Julia,” (Laura Hyppönen, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Sweden)
Produced by Greenlit Productions
Psychological drama starring Christian Hillborg (“Fleabag, “Young Royals”), Jessica Grabowsky (“Icebreaker,””Tom of Finland)” and Rea Lest (“November,” “Dark Paradise”). A seemingly perfect holiday on an island spirals out of control when Julia, a music producer, visits her friend Anna’s secluded villa and meets her husband, whom Julia instantly recognises from her past.

“Something Real” (“Midagi tõelist,” Evar Anvelt, Estonia Lithuania)
Produced by Nafta Films
Drama thriller written by Martin Algus from his own acclaimed novel. In his directorial debut, Anvelt tackles “pressing issues such as loneliness and the human drive for escapism in a consumer-driven world,” said Räim.

“The Wedding Day,” (“Līgava,” Marta Elīna Martinsone, Latvia, Czech Republic)
Produced by Ego Media
Musical dramedy in which Cleo, a promising actress, is torn between two men who want her to fulfil their needs and her own longing for self-expression and freedom. “The film combines the emotional depth of character-driven European cinema with the visual and sonic vibrancy of a contemporary musical,” said producer Guntis Trekteris.

List of Just Film Works in Progress:

“Morten,” (Ivan Pavljutshkov, Estonia, Lithuania)
Produced by Kinokompanii

“Office of Magical Forces,” (Хрещатик 48/2,” Dmytro Avdieiev, Ukraine)
Produced by Komarovski Films

“Switzerland” (“Suiza,” Maria Fernanda Gonzales, Peru, Argentina)
Produced by Lucuma Salvaje

“Tanit,” (Pep Garrido, Spain)
Produced by Atiende Films, Dacsa Produccions