Tartu Film Fund at the Cannes Film Festival 2025

Tartu Film Fund took part in this year’s Cannes Film Festival, attending key meetings and discussions focused on international collaboration, sustainable production, and the role of regional film industries in the broader European context. As the world’s largest gathering of film professionals, the Cannes Film Festival is an important platform for smaller film regions to increase visibility and build strategic partnerships.

Tartu Film Fund representative Signe Somelar-Erikson participated in four significant industry events:

Nordic Film Commissions Sustainability Update

In December 2023, the Nordic Sustainability Pledge was launched at FOCUS London – a joint initiative between 19 Nordic film commissions to advance sustainability in film production. In Cannes, Daniel Chilla (Film Stockholm) provided an update on progress and collaborations to date, followed by a discussion with Annee Helvig Frost (SF Studios) about turning pledges into concrete actions. The Baltic countries, including Tartu Film Fund, see themselves as part of this emerging network.

EUFCN panel “Capitalizing on Collaboration”

This panel focused on how partnerships between producers and film commissions can bring meaningful benefits to local communities, stimulate economic activity, and support a stronger European screen sector. Case studies included Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme”, HBO’s “The Regime”, and Netflix’s “Billionaire Island”.
Two of the speakers, Markus Bensch and Solveig Sigmond Ræstad, will also take part in Location Session Tartu 2025.

Nordic-Baltic Production Networking Event

A networking event for producers from the Baltic and Nordic countries held in the Baltic pavilions at the Marché du Film. The agenda included country-specific case studies and practical collaboration examples.

Meeting with Torino Film Lab

Discussions focused on bringing one of the modules of the Torino Script Lab to Tartu. A concrete plan is now in place to host this internationally acclaimed script development programme in Tartu in 2027, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab.

Participation in international events like Cannes is vital for regional film funds like Tartu’s. It helps develop new connections, attract international partners, and stay informed on key industry trends. Cannes also supports Tartu Film Fund’s strategic goals and enhances South Estonia’s visibility in the global film industry.

Moonika Siimets Wins Best Director Award at goEast Film Festival

On April 29, the goEast Film Festival, dedicated to the cinema of Central and Eastern Europe, concluded in Wiesbaden, Germany. From there, Estonia brought home a remarkable victory: Moonika Siimets won the Best Director Award for her feature film “The Black Hole”.

The sci-fi comedy The Black Hole tells a quirky yet poignant story about aliens arriving in a Soviet-era housing district and beginning to alter the dreams of its residents. The film was partially shot in Annelinn, a residential area in Tartu, making this international recognition especially meaningful for the city of Tartu and the Tartu Film Fund.

According to the jury, Siimets explores connections between Eastern European reality and outer space, blending genres and storytelling techniques while creating memorable characters. “The director turns dark topics into humorous narratives through vivid visual aesthetics,” said jury president Jasmila Žbanić, acclaimed Bosnian director of Quo Vadis, Aida?

“This award is a hugely important recognition for our team. I’m especially glad that the jury and audience didn’t just focus on the aliens and special effects but were moved by the serious themes that matter to me – aging, domestic violence, homophobia, loneliness. They understood our humor and appreciated the creative risk we took in telling such a genre-blending story,” commented Moonika Siimets.

One of the film’s main characters – the alien KIP (Kri-in-Poulsen from the Milky Way) – even made a public appearance at the sTARTUp Day festival in Tartu this January, further highlighting the film’s local relevance.