FNE at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2025: Prize Winners

TALLINN: Spanish production The Good Daughter by Júlia de Paz Solvas set a record by winning both the Grand Prix for the Best Film in the Official Selection Competition and the Audience Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival ( PÖFF ), which wrapped on 23 November 2025.

In the same competition, Ali Vatansever won Best Director for the Romanian minority coproduction LifeLike.

Hercules Falling (Denmark) by Christian Bonke won the First Feature Competition, while China Sea (Lithuania, نرم افزار اکسل رایگان Taiwan, Poland, Czech Republic) by Jurgis Matulevičius received the award for best film in the Critics’ Picks Competition.

The Baronesses (Belgium, Luxembourg, France) by Nabil Ben Yadir and Mokhtaria Badaoui won the Rebels with a Cause Competition, a section where Romanian director Adrian Sitaru won Best Director for Blindsight .

The Visitor (Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) by Vytautas Katkus was presented with the Best Baltic Film Award in the Baltic Film Competition.

The winners of the DOC@PÖFF Baltic Competition and the DOC@PÖFF International Competition were also announced.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival was held from 7 to 23 November 2025.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

FESTIVAL WINNERS:

Official Selection Competition:

Grand Prix for the Best Film:  The Good Daughter / La buena hija  (Spain) Directed by Júlia de Paz Solvas

Best Director: Ali Vatansever for  LifeLike / Bir arada yalniz  (Turkey, Greece, Romania) Produced by Terminal Film Coproduced by Aktan Gorsel Senatlar, Foss Productions, Da Clique SRL,  Chainsaw Europe

Best Cinematography: Yutaka Yamazaki for The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat / Kakuu no Inu to Uso wo Tsuku Neko  (Japan) Directed by Yukihiro Morigaki

Best Script:  Ståle Stein Berg for No Comment / Ingen Kommentar (Norway) Directed by Petter Næss

Best Actress: Kiara Arancibia in The Good Daughter / La buena hija (Spain) Directed by Júlia de Paz Solvas

Best Actor:  Aladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda in  The Frog and the Water / Der Frosch und das Wasser  (Germany) Directed by Thomas Stuber

Best Original Score:  Erdem Helvacıoğlu for LifeLike / Bir arada yalniz (Turkey, Greece, Romania) Directed by Ali Vatansever

Best Production Design:  Chris Richmond and David Hand for Think of England (United Kingdom) Directed by Richard Hawkins

First Feature Competition:

Best Film Award:  Hercules Falling / Herkules falder (Denmark) Directed by Christian Bonke

Best Director:  Samuel Abrahams for  Lady  (United Kingdom)

Special Prize for Best Editing:  Jan Van Der Weken for Sunday Ninth / Zontag de Negenste  (Belgium) Directed by Kat Steppe

Special Prize for Best Production Design:  Easy Girl (Germany) Directed by Hille Norden

Critics’ Picks Competition:

Best Film Award:  China Sea / Kinų jūra (Lithuania, Taiwan, Poland, Czech Republic) Directed by Jurgis Matulevičius Produced by  Film Jam Coproduced by Lava Films , Bionaut , Ma Studios Supported by the  Lithuanian Film Centre , the  Polish Film Institute , the  Czech Film Fund , the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)

Best Director Award:  Matías Szulanski for A Summer Tale (Argentina)

Special Mentions:

Ali Nasirian in Oh, What Happy Days (Iran, France, Canada) Directed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh

Eeva Mägi fo r Mo Papa (Estonia) Produced by Kultuurikuur, Kinosaurus Film Supported by the  Cultural Endowment of Estonia

Rebels with a Cause Competition:

Best Film Award:  The Baronesses (Belgium, Luxembourg, France) Directed by Nabil Ben Yadir, Mokhtaria Badaoui

Best Director:  Adrian Sitaru for Blindsight / Piatră-hârtie-foarfecă (Romania,Turkey) Produced by Tangaj Production Coproduced by Vigo Film Supported by the Romanian Film Centre ( CNC ), the Turkish General Directorate of Cinema, Creative Europe – MEDIA

Best Short Film:  Pay Day (Finland) Directed by Päivi Hirsiaho

Baltic Film Competition:

Best Baltic Film Award:  The Visitor / Svečias  (Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) Directed by Vytautas Katkus  Produced by  M-Films Coproduced by Staer, Garagefilm International Supported by the  Lithuanian Film Centre , Creative Europe MEDIA, the  Lithuanian National Radio and Television , Film Fond Nord, the Swedish Film Institute

Best Director:  Gabriele Urbonaite for Renovation / Renovacija (Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium) Produced by Studio Uljana Kim Coproduced by Mima Films , Harald House Supported by the  Lithuanian Film Centre , the  National Film Centre of Latvia , the Lithuanian National Broadcaster ( LRT )

Best Baltic Producer for Co-production:  Becoming (France, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden) Directed by Zhannat Alshanova Produced by Films de Force Majeure, Accidental Films, Volya Films, M-Films Coproduced by Kjellson & Wik Supported by Aide aux Cinémas du Monde –  Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Institut Français, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC State Center for the Support of National Cinema, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, the Hubert Bals Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the  Lithuanian Film Centre , Creative Europe MEDIA, the Red Sea Film Fund, Sacem, the City of Gothenburg

DOC@PÖFF International Competition:

Best Film Award: Days of Wonder (Finland, Denmark, Norway) Directed by Karin Pennanen

Best Cinematography Award: Max Golomidov for Edge of the Night (Estonia) Directed by Vladimir Loginov

Jury Special Prize: Raisa Răzmeriță for directing Electing Ms Santa (Moldova, Romania)

DOC@PÖFF Baltic Competition:

Best Film Award:  Holy Destructors (Lithuania, France, Latvia) Directed by Aistė Žegulytė

Jury Special Prize:  My Family and Other Clowns (Estonia) Directed by Heilika Pikkov, Liina Särkinen

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Cinema) Jury Prize: The Muralist (Mongolia)  Directed by Sengedorj Janchivdorj

International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award: Hercules Falling / Herkules falder (Denmark) Directed by Christian Bonke

Audience Award: The Good Daughter / La buena hija (Spain) Directed by Júlia de Paz Solvas

Lifetime Achievement Awards: Lithuanian actor Juozas Budraitis Estonian film director Janno Põldma

Honorary Award: Austrian director Jessica Hausner

Bruno O’Ya Young Actor Scholarship: Ursel Tilk

Click HERE to see the winners of the children’s film sub-festival Just Film.