Tallinn Dark Nights Film Festival 2025 Award Winners Revealed: POFF

The good girlJúlia de Paz Solvas’ drama, which explores family conflicts through the eyes of a teenage girl, won first prize in the main competition of the 29th Tallinn Dark Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia. In addition to the Grand Prix, he also received the festival’s Audience Award.

The Best Director award went to Turkish director Ali Vatansever for Like lifea meditation on mortality and the human desire for transcendence which was partly filmed in VRChat.

In the main competition acting categories, Aladdin Detlefsen and Kanji Tsuda shared the Best Actor award for their roles as two men who form an unexpected connection in In the aisles by director Thomas Stuber The frog and the water. And the best actress award went to Kiara Arancibia for her leading role in The good girl.

The jury consisted of Teona Strugar Mitevska, Debra Mcguire, Nomunzul Turmundh, Ingo Fliess and Roberto Schaefer.

He called The good girl “A powerful, emotional drama that explores family conflicts through the eyes of a teenage girl. The film tackles difficult themes with remarkable sensitivity, allowing the story to feel both intimate and authentic. Its greatest strength lies in the depth and honesty of the central performance, which brings a quiet intensity and vulnerability to the character’s journey. Experiencing the narrative through his point of view adds raw emotional truth, making the audience feel the confusion, loyalty and fear he endures.”

He adds: “The cinematography and editing are subtle and understated, supporting the story without overshadowing it. This minimalist approach keeps the focus firmly on the emotional lives of the characters.”

As part of the first PÖFF feature film competition, Hercules falling by director Christian Bonke with Game of Thrones And The castle Actor Dar Salim, playing a former soldier suffering from PTSD, won best film. Samuel Abrahams was named best director for Ladya mockumentary about an aristocrat’s struggle to be seen in the age of social media.

Meanwhile, Jurgis Matulevičius China Seaabout a broken and canceled former MMA champion who tries to pick up the pieces of his life, won best film in the PÖFF critics’ competition. Matías Szulanski was named best director for his A summer talea drama about the “societal and economic rot” in Argentina that leaves the audience breathless, as the jury said.

The Baronessesby directors Nabil Ben Yadir and Mokhtaria Badaoui, won the best film prize in the Rebels With a Cause section of the PÖFF. The film tells the story of four grandmothers who decide to perform Hamlet. Rógan Graham received the Best Director award for his melancholy road movie Blindsight.

And in the Baltic Film Competition, the film by Vytautas Katkus The visitora meditation on solitude; won the Best Film award, while Gabriele Urbonaite won the Best Director trophy for his feature debut Renovationabout a woman who turns 30 and faces cracks in the wall and her life.

Finally, in the documentary section, in the Baltic competition, director Aistė Žegulytė won the best film award, her second award in as many days for Holy Destroyerswhich delves into the cosmos of flowering microfungi and won an honor at the IDFA in Amsterdam on Thursday evening. And a cinematic journey into the hidden world of a reclusive Finnish artist, Days of wonder by Karin Pennanen, was awarded as best international documentary in Tallinn.

Also on Friday evening in Tallinn, Austrian author Jessica Hausner received an honorary award, and Estonian director and children’s writer Janno Põldma received a lifetime achievement award.

Discover the full Tallinn 2025 winners below.

Official selection competition
Best production design
Chris Richmond, David Hand, Think of England

Best Original Music
Erdem Helvacıoğlu, LifeLike

Best screenplay
Steel Stein Berg No comments

Best cinematographer
Yutaka Yamazaki, The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat

Best Actor
Aladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda, The Frog and the Water

Best actress
Kiara Arancibia, the good girl

Best Director
Ali Vatansever LifeLike (Türkiye, Greece, Romania)

Grand Prix
The Good Girl, director Júlia de Paz Solvas (Spain)

First feature film competition
Special Jury Prize
Easy Girl, director Hille Norden (Germany)

Special Jury Prize – Best Editing
Jan Van Der Weken, Sunday Ninth, director Kat Steppe (Belgium)

Best Director
Samuel Abrahams, Lady (United Kingdom)

Best film
Hercules Falling, director Christian Bonke (Denmark)

Critics’ Choice Contest
Special mention
Mo Papa, director Eeva Mägi (Estonia)

Special mention
Oh, what happy days, director Homayoun Ghanizadeh

Best Director
Matías Szulanski, A Summer Tale (Argentina)

Best film
China Sea, director Jurgis Matulevičius (Lithuania, Taiwan, Poland, Czechia)

Rebels for a Cause Competition
Best Director
Rógan Graham, Blindsight (Romania, Türkiye)

Best film
Les Baronnes, director Nabil Ben Yadir, Mokhtaria Badaoui (Belgium, Luxembourg, France)

Best Rebel Short Film for a Cause
Payday, director Päivi Hirsiaho

Baltic Film Competition
Best Baltic Producer for Co-production
Zhannat Alshanova, Becoming, director Zhannat Alshanova (France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden)

Best Director
Gabriele Urbonaite, Renovation (Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium)

Best film
The Visitor, director Vytautas Katkus (Lithuania, Norway, Sweden)

Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition
Special Jury Prize
My Family and Other Clowns, director Heilika Pikkov, Liina Särkinen (Estonia)

Best film
Holy Destructors, director Aistė Žegulytė (Lithuania, France, Latvia)

Doc@PÖFF international competition
Best cinematographer
Max Golomidov, Edge of the Night, director Vladimir Loginov (Estonia)

Special Jury Prize
Raisa Răzmeriță and her team, Electing Ms Santa, director Raisa Răzmeriță (Moldova, Romania)

Best film
Days of Wonder, director Karin Pennanen (Finland, Denmark, Norway)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Janno Põldma

Honorary Prize
Jessica Hausner

NETPAC Jury Prize (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema)
The Muralist, director Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia)

Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)
Hercules Falling, director Christian Bonke (Denmark)

Audience Award
The Good Girl, director Júlia de Paz Solvas (Spain)

Just Film Film Festival for Youth and Children
Junior Jury Best Film Award
The Secret of the Songbirds, director Antoine Lanciaux (France)

Children’s Jury Best Film Award
Leo & Lou, director Carlos Solano (Spain)

Youth Jury Best Film Award
Wheelie, director Isis Mihrimah Cabolet (Netherlands)

ECFA (European Children’s Film Association) Mira Award, director Marie Limkilde (Denmark)

#youngcinematographer Prize
Sunflower, director Ketlin Kõiv

Grand Prix
They Call Me Danka, director Dovile Gasiunaite (Lithuania)