From November 7 to 23, 2025, the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will set the international arthouse scene on fire. It will feature a cutting-edge lineup of premieres and daring stories. Festival director Tiina Lokk and her team have put together an interesting mix of films. These films push the limits, including stories from the Baltic region and beyond.
One of the most interesting options is K-Poper, an Iranian drama that shows how K-pop fandom and conservative family expectations clash. The movie, directed by Ebrahim Amin, is about a teenage girl who wants to go to Seoul to see her K-pop idol perform. However, her mother doesn’t want her to go. This moving coming-of-age story shows how young people’s dreams and old-fashioned values clash in modern-day Iran.
Another great film is Electing Ms. Santa, a Moldovan documentary by Raisa Răzmeriță. It’s about Elena, a 42-year-old woman from a small village who dresses up as Santa Claus every year to bring joy to her lonely neighbors. But she has big dreams that go beyond that. Over the course of seven years, viewers see her determined fight to become mayor. She faces opposition from the community and rigid gender roles. This reflects Moldova’s political goals as it seeks to join the European Union.
The festival also features The Baronesses, which is about four determined grandmothers in Brussels who are preparing to perform Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The show mixes empowerment with whimsical magic realism. Scarecrows, on the other hand, gives a funny look at how wildlife is managed at Riga International Airport. It shows the funny conflict between people and nature.
The Megalomaniacs, a satirical look at ambition and art. It features strange characters and a plot that is both exciting and unpredictable. This adds to the festival’s adventurous spirit.
PÖFF 2025 promises movie lovers a thrilling mix of films that break the rules. These films show different cultural points of view and tell stories in new ways. This year’s festival shows how movies can look at social issues, identity, and artistic ambition on a global scale.
The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is becoming known as the best place in Northern Europe. It features visionary films that push the limits of art and intellect in new ways.
If you want to see new, bold voices in film and stories that reveal changes in culture and society around the world, you have to see this festival.
