Robin Menken

The growing business platform and trade fair in Northern Europe for audiovisual industry professionals Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event celebrates its 20th edition with a seven-day summit in Tallinn, accessible also online, focusing on hot topics such as green production and sustainability in the film industry.

Marge Liiske, the head of Industry@Tallinn& Baltic Event comments that even though 20 years has given the team a great deal of experience and the summit has established a notable position in the market, it is crucial for everyone in the field to up their game. “We hope to be more than just a once-yearly, in-person weekly meeting place for film professionals and will engage to offer continuous support for them in these challenging times."

"The whole world has made an active move towards sustainability and a green-turn and, as any other major social changes, it has a significant impact on the film industry." Liiske comments that fully involving the sustainability mindset in filmmaking is somewhat new for many: "During Industry@Tallinn& Baltic Event we’ll take a closer at recent technologies, virtual and green production and sustainability in the whole creation process, and discuss how to implement those principles in creating magical films. Sustainability and a look to the film industry's future are the threads that join together the programme of this years’ summit – and it is also reflected in the organisation of the event, taking place in Tallinn and also accessible online." Liiske adds.

During this year's Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, the summit introduces a unique education programme, Black Nights Discovery Campus, for film professionals and emerging talents created based on the changing needs of the industry. In addition to live events and workshops carried out in Tallinn by talented and award-winning film professionals, available also online, the programme will consist of various online courses by well-known mentors throughout the year. While in traditional film education programmes training is mostly aimed at producers, directors, screenwriters, actors and in general the creative figures and/or heads of department, Black Nights Discovery Campus takes into consideration all the positions in the film crew: composers, sound designers, music editors; production designers, cinematographers, also art and set designers, and more.

The programme of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event includes film and series market activities and one-to-one meetings for all project categories: Baltic Event co-production market, Works in Progress presentations, Script Pool Tallinn project pitch competition, European Genre Forum, and MIDPOINT TV Launch and roundtables, case studies and presentations on hot topics in the film industry.

"For the first time the programme includes TV Beats co-financing market, a new event dedicated for projects in development, primarily from Baltic Sea Countries and Scandinavia. The co-financing market will aim for high-quality drama series projects with international sales and distribution potential and be one of a kind in the region," commented Triin Tramberg, TV Beats co-financing market manager.

The industry programme also includes lectures and workshops from TV Beats Forum; the strands of Discovery Campus - Music Meets Film, Black Room Black Night Stars, Future to Film, Still Meets Film; the EmPOWR Sustainable Stories Lab; MIDPOINT Smash Cut; and the audiovisual conference European Film Forum Tallinn.

As Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and Tallinn Black Nights its 25th, the guests will have an opportunity to make a voluntary birthday gift donation to a new Green Fund. Rather than introducing a carbon-offsetting surcharge, a voluntary donation of one's choice will be put towards greening in festival's hometown of Tallinn. Guests will receive more info when their accreditation is confirmed.

The Industry PRO accreditation allows its owner to get the most out of the event. In addition to full access to the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event programme in Tallinn - film and series market, presentations, pitches and meetings, TV Beats Forum and European Film Forum, Black Nights Discovery Campus public programme, conferences and talks, PRO accreditation allows professionals to attend the film screenings of Black Nights Film Festival and provides invitations to special events. It also grants access to summit’s online platform.

Industry ONLINE accreditation allows professionals to attend the online programme that includes online access to film and series market, presentations, pitches and meetings, TV Beats Forum and European Film Forum, Black Nights Discovery Campus public programme, conferences and talks, access to film screenings for Industry guests online and to summit’s online platform.

The Industry TALENT/STUDENT accreditation provides access to the education part of the programme, to TV Beats Forum, pitches and meetings, European Film Forum Tallinn, Black Nights Discovery Campus public programme, conferences and selected talks and online networking platform.

All accreditations include access to the online program of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event after the event.

The full program of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event as well as the list of selected projects will be published gradually starting from October, and will be finalised at the beginning of November.