Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) kicks off its 30th anniversary edition on Friday. In addition to latest art house discoveries, movies for younger audiences will also take the spotlight at the event – as has become tradition.
PÖFF launched its popular Just Film Festival for youth and children’s movies in 2001. Since 2023, it has also organized the Just Film Industry Days to provide networking, education and pitching opportunities for people working in or looking at the space.
During the 2026 edition of the Black Nights festival, running Nov. 6-22, the Just Film Industry Days event takes place Nov. 18-20. It is an initiative by the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event strand of PÖFF and its Just Film Festival, which will this year screen the likes of Rebekah Fortune’s Learning to Breathe Under Water, Zane Borg’s River, David Dietl’s Emil and the Detectives, and Thomas Mendolia’s Henry’s Ebb.
Attendees can expect two and a half days of pitching sessions, panel talks, case studies, presentations and more for people involved or interested in films and media content for children and young audiences. “We love quality films for children and young audiences,” the kids and youth strand’s website highlights – and invites people. “That’s why we welcome people working in film production – directors, producers as well as other creatives, who’ve already made children’s and youth films and/or are currently working on one, looking for partners at different stages, or are simply seeking like-minded people. Even if you’re just considering pursuing a film project for children or youth, this is the place for you.”
Kärt Väinola is the head of Just Film Industry Days, along with serving as Baltic Event Co-Production and International Works in Progress co-manager, Just Film Works in Progress manager and panels & talks coordinator.
She talked to THR about why Tallinn has been proudly putting the spotlight on kids and youth content, how it fits into broader industry trends and why social media bans, whether launched and considered, will be among the hot topics of discussion this year.
This is Väinola’s 22nd year working for the festival and her fourth year on the four-year-old Just Film Industry Days section. “Organically, it just grows and grows and grows,” she says. “We now have two pitching events together with the co-production market, focused on Just Film projects in development or early production and works in progress.”
The panels and other program is focused on “practical knowledge,” Väinola explains. And they attract both adult attendees and youngsters.
Kärt Väinola, courtesy of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival/Just Film
“This year, we’re especially focusing on film education,” she says. “Something that has always been our goal is making people aware of the importance of film literacy, film education, bringing kids and young teenagers to filmmaking because nowadays everyone has a tool in their pocket.” That is why Just Film is bringing in filmmakers aged 12-19 for different workshops, masterclasses and mentoring. “We’re in the business of inspiring,” emphasizes the head of the Just Film Industry Days.
For the more general industry conference program, the focus is on how to produce quality films for children and youth. “For the second year in a row, we have a science meets creativity format talk,” Väinola shares. “This year, it’s about research meets market. We will be focus on how to approach kids and what really works in the market.”
Also set for the Just Film Industry Days program is a session entitled “The New Underground: Film Discovery in the Age of Social Media Restrictions.” Says Väinola: “We will be discussing the [current] and potential future social media bans,” such as one already launched by Australia for people under the age of 16, one set to launch in the U.K. for the same age group in March and proposed or discussed bans in Europe.
“How do you approach youths after this comes in?,” she outlines key topics of debate. “Screens aren’t only bad as they also connect the world. People find their cinema suggestions, old films and new films, online. It’s tricky to market films and cinema to young audiences when you know you lose this one potential huge, huge way to do it.”
Also getting the panel spotlight at Tallinn will be “The Label Decides: Family, Youth or Coming-of-Age?” “More often than expected, youth and children’s films are kind of mislabeled,” argues Väinola. “So, we will discuss how mislabeling can affect the film and how this comes about.”
AI will, of course, also be in the spotlight in a talk that, she says, will focus “how to bring in new tools without robbing us of the creativity.”
As a parent herself, “I’ve, in my personal life, watched more children’s films, and there are really interesting, well-done films that definitely have more than one layer,” she also highlights. “Some of them are so smart.” In that context, the industry days have broadened the Just Film offerings and given Tallinn a bigger platform to shine a light on the key role that movies for younger audiences play – and the respect and attention they deserve.
“We can promote and bring more attention to the importance of children and youth film,” Väinola tells THR. “People know it, but it’s not really publicly talked about enough. Family films are the ones that bring in the money. Four-, five-, six-year-olds don’t go to the cinema alone or [without] parents making the decision. It usually doesn’t mean just one ticket. It means at least two, usually three or four tickets. That’s the money machine.”
She concludes: “Youths and children as the saviors of cinema is something that has been talked about more in the past year. And I hope we can really help with that narrative.”
