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Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival · 2023

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2023

Doc@PÖFF

Programme

15 films · 6 reviews

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20 Days In Mariupol

Review preview for 20 Days In Mariupol

Oscar shortlisted for Best International Feature and Best Documentary, this is an intense film with little respite even when no bullets are being fired.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.

(Country: Ukraine; Year: 2023; Director: Mstyslav Chernov)

Full review

After Work

Review preview for After Work

There is a lot going on here, but Gandini offers a breezy and thought-provoking ride

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A consideration of the changing landscape of work and our attitudes towards it.

(Country: Sweden; Year: 2023; Director: Erik Gandini)

Full review

Cinéma Laika

In a small village in Finland, which has relied solely on metallurgical activities for the past two centuries, Aki Kaurismäki and his friend, the poet and writer, Mika Lätti are constructing their own cinema theatre within an old foundry.

(Country: France, Finland; Year: 2023; Director: Veljko Vidak; Writer: Emmanuelle Felce, Veljko Vidak; Stars: Jim Jarmusch, Aki Kaurismäki, Maustetytöt, Nuppu Koivu, Toshitake Shinohara, Amy Taubin, Simon Al-Bazoon, Herra Ylppö)

Hollywoodgate

Documentary exploring oppression in Syria.

(Country: US, Germany; Year: 2023; Director: Ibrahim Nash'at)

Kokomo City

Review preview for Kokomo City

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

Jeremy Mathews · 4 out of 5
Four Black transgender sex workers explore the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, while confronting issues long avoided.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: D Smith)

Full review

The Last Seagull

Documentary about Bulgarian "seagull" Ivan, 58, has been escorting wealthy foreign ladies at Sunny Beach resort for 40 years but who finds the job increasingly tough.

(Country: Bulgaria, Finland, Norway; Year: 2023; Director: Tonislav Hristov; Writer: Tonislav Hristov)

Manifesto

This found footage film is composed entirely of, often shocking, videos that Russian teenagers have posted on social media.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2022; Director: Angie Vinchito)

The Mission

Review preview for The Mission

As indicative as John's story is, there's barely room in nearly two hours to cover much beyond the basics.

Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
A portrait of the life and death of young missionary John Allen Chau.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss; Stars: Lawrence Kao)

Full review

Monogamia

The director’s personal quest to bring back the love that once flourished between his parents.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2023; Director: Ohad Milstein; Writer: Ohad Milstein; Stars: Milstein Avi, May Elimelech, Milstein Rita, Rahel Streiff)

Much Ado About Dying

Review preview for Much Ado About Dying

Although its central perspective is rather simplistic, there’s so much packed in around the edges that quite different narratives emerge there, making for a complex and satisfying whole.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Looking after his gay actor uncle, filmmaker Simon is engulfed in a whirl of Shakespeare and clutter, as uncle David lends his credit card to neighbours, greets visitors in the nude and teaches Simon a profound lesson on dying happy

(Country: UK, Ireland; Year: 2022; Director: Simon Chambers)

Full review

The Other Profile (Le vrai du faux)

One day filmmaker Armel Hostiou discovers he has a second Facebook account: a fake Armel, who has real photos of him and many female friends, all of whom live in Kinshasa. Fake Armel invites them to audition for his next film, which is supposedly set in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Faced with the impossibility of closing this account, the filmmaker decides to go looking for his double.

(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Armel Hostiou; Stars: Tshisambu Felly, Peter Shotsha Olela, Sarah Ndele, David Kapay, Divine Mbelamboy, Julia Katondi, Sarah Pambu, Armel Hostiou)

Queendom

Gena, a queer artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes made from junk and tape, and protests the government on the streets of Moscow. Born and raised on the harsh streets of Magadan, a frigid outpost of the Soviet gulag, Gena is only 21. She stages radical performances in public that become a new form of art and activism.

(Country: France, US; Year: 2023; Director: Agniia Galdanova)

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus

A concert film shot as Sakamoto battled cancer.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Neo Sora; Stars: Ryuichi Sakamoto)

YASMYN. Clarity for a Day or Two

An artist battles through the universal struggles of this pivotal age – the relentless pursuit of success in the unforgiving music industry, the quest for financial stability, and the nurturing of relationships, both onstage and off.

(Country: Estonia; Year: 2023; Director: Georgius Misjura, Anastasia Zazhitskaya)