Black
Nights Film Festival

Estonia, 3-10. December 2000



As the name suggests, the film festival Black Nights
Film Festival (BNFF) offers, entertainment in the long and dark
Estonian December nights. During
the first week of December every year, Estonian film audiences have
the opportunity to see international films in theatres that normally
would not find their way to the Estonian cinemas.



BNFF is a non-commercial film festival, which takes place every
year in Estonia's 2 largest cities: Tallinn (the capital) and Tartu
(the university town). It has grown from a Nordic Film week showing
25 films in 1997, to this year's third annual event, screening 182
films from 38 countries in 1999. Today it is one of the biggest
film festivals in the Baltics with 23,500 guests. Festival organizers
hope to attract 30,000 this year.

The
festival is non-commercial audience focused in order to secure a
free and democratic atmosphere. No jury is present, however at least
2 prizes are given, namely from the Estonian audience and the Estonian
Film Critic's Society. The festival opens with a screening of Lars
von Trier's
Dancer in the Dark, the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes.
The feature program includes films
from Eastern and Central Europe, and Nordic countries. The
retrospective program involves series of films from known film instructors
or actors. This year's program will consist of a retrospective of
Danish Film Director, Carl Dreyer.



This year the Black Nights Film Festival will present 125 feature
films from 45 countries plus two animation programs: "Animated Dreams"
presenting 75 films from different countries, and the Scandinavian
program "Baltarama." The total program will be screened in 8 different
cinemas in Tallinn and Tartu.



Through the past years the Black Nights Film Festival has built
a reputation not only among Estonian audiences, but also outside
of Estonia, particularly in the Nordic countries. With Finland as
the closest neighbor, the Black Nights Film Festival began a co-operation
with the Helsinki 2000 organization, which will continue this year
as well in the sense that Finns will be offered a special discount
to join the film festival.

Black
Nights also co-operates with the shipping company Nordic Jet Line.
With the fast ferries of NJL, the Finnish film audience have an
easy and fast trip of under two hours, and at the same time they
can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in Tallinn and do some Christmas
shopping in its beautiful old town.