30/11/2018 - The French-Finnish project Heartbeast has won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award; other winners include new films by Ramy Hamezan, Miia Tervo and J-P Valkeapää

Some of the winners of the Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event awards

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event gave out their awards last night in three different sections. In the Baltic Event Co-Production Market section, the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, worth €20,000, went to Heartbeast [+see also:
trailer
film profile] the debut feature by Finnish filmmaker Aino Suni, a co-production by France's Adastra Film and Finland's MADE. It is the story of an aspiring 15-year-old Finnish rapper, Elina, who moves from Helsinki to the South of France when her mother finds a French boyfriend, and is immediately drawn to her new 17-year-old step-sister, a charismatic ballet dancer.

The Screen International Best Pitch Award, offering coverage of the life cycle of the winning film, went to The Oasis of Now by Finnish-Iranian filmmaker Ramy Hamezan, best known for the 2015 short Listen, the winner of Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. The project is the story of an Iranian boy whose family has applied for asylum in Finland but has been rejected. This fractures the lives of the boy and his family, but the school year is about to start and life must go on. Finland's Aamu Film Company and Iran's Three Gardens Films are producing the movie.

The Cannes Film Market Producers Network Award, offering free accreditations for next year’s edition, went to Marianne Ostrat, of Estonia's Alexandra Film, and Vladimer Chikhradze, of Georgia's 20 Steps Production. 

In the Baltic Work in Progress section, the Baltic View Award, worth €2,000, went to Aurora [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miia Tervo
film profile] by Finland's Miia Tervo, a romantic comedy set in Finnish Lapland, where party animal Aurora meets an Iranian man called Darian, who immediately asks her to marry him so he can secure asylum for himself and his daughter. The film is being produced by Max Malka, of Dionysos Films.

The Baltic Event Works in Progress Award, comprising €3,000 that goes towards promotion and distribution costs in the Baltic states, was handed to the Finnish-Latvian co-production Dogs Don’t Wear Pants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile] by J-P Valkeapää (They Have Escaped [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile]). It is a darkly humorous story of a man who lost his wife in a drowning accident. He is unable to connect with people until he meets a dominatrix, who changes everything. The companies on board so far are Finland's Helsinki-filmi and Latvia's Tasse Film.

The Post Control Award in the International Works in Progress section, worth €10,000 in post-production services, went to Golden Voices [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Israeli director Evgeny Ruman, about two stars of Soviet film dubbing who emigrate to Israel in 1990. There is no need for their expertise there, so they have to find creative ways of using their talent. It is a co-production between Israeli companies UCM and Evanstone Films. 

Finally, in the Script Pool Tallinn section, the Global Screen Award, to the tune of €5,000, was given to Man of Deeds by Romanian writer Radu Romaniuc and director Nicolae Constantin Tănase, about a policeman in a small village, the mayor's right-hand man, who is advised not to take action when a murder is committed. It is being produced by Romanian companies Papillon Film and Tangaj Production.

Here is the complete list of winners: 

Baltic Event Co-Production Market awards 

Best Project - Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
Heartbeast - Aino Suni (France/Finland)
Producers: Sébastien Aubert, Ulla Simonen
Production companies: Adastra Film, MADE 

Cannes Film Market Producers Network Award
Marianne Ostrat (Alexandra Film)
Vladimer Chikhradze (20 Steps Production) 

Screen International Best Pitch Award
The Oasis of Now - Ramy Hamezan (Finland)
Producer: Jussi Rantamäki
Production company: Aamu Film Company 

Works in Progress awards 

Baltic Event Works in Progress Baltic View Award
Aurora [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miia Tervo
film profile] - Miia Tervo (Finland)
Producer: Max Malka
Production company: Dionysos Films

International Works in Progress Baltic View Award
Sisters - Silje Salomonsen, Arild Østin Ommundsen (Norway)
Producer: Gary Cranner
Production company: Chezville

Baltic Event Works in Progress Award
Dogs Don't Wear Pants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile] - J-P Valkeapää (Finland/Latvia)
Producers: Aleksi Bardy, Helen Vinogradov
Co-producers: Alise Gelze, Aija Berzina
Production companies: Helsinki-filmi, Tasse Film

International Works in Progress Post Control Award
Golden Voices [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Evgeny Ruman (Israel)
Producers: Avraham Pirchi, Chilik Michaeli, Eitan Even
Production companies: UCM, Evanstone Films 

Script Pool Tallinn awards 

Global Screen Award
Man of Deeds - Nicolae Constantin Tănase (Romania)
Screenwriter: Radu Romaniuc
Producer: Paul Negoescu, Anamaria Antoci
Production companies: Papillon Film, Tangaj Production