Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, known in Estonia as PÖFF, brings feature films, documentaries, shorts and animation to Tallinn every November, with additional screenings in Tartu. It started in 1997 and is organised by the non-profit MTÜ Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival. FIAPF accredits it as a competitive festival, the only one in Northern Europe with that status. Its competitions include the Official Selection, First Feature, Rebels with a Cause, Critics’ Picks and Baltic Film competitions, along with the Doc@PÖFF international and Baltic documentary competitions.
The festival works as an umbrella for two sub-festivals: Just Film for youth and children’s cinema and PÖFF Shorts for short films and animation, whose live-action, animation and national competition prizes are on the Academy’s list of Oscar-qualifying awards. The industry platform Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event runs during the second half of the festival. The 30th edition takes place from 6 to 22 November 2026.
Awards and prizes
Official Selection Competition: Grand Prix for the Best Film (grant of 20,000 euros, shared by the director and producer); Best Director; Best Cinematography; Best Script; Best Actor; Best Actress; Best Original Score; Best Production Design.
First Feature Competition: Best First Feature Film (grant of 5,000 euros, shared by the director and producer); Best Director; two Special Jury Prizes.
Rebels with a Cause Competition: Best Film; Best Director; Best Rebel with a Cause Short Film.
Critics' Picks Competition: Best Film; Best Director.
Doc@PÖFF International Competition: Best Film; Best Cinematography; Jury Special Prize.
Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition: Best Baltic Documentary; Jury Special Prize.
Baltic Film Competition: Best Baltic Feature Film; Best Director.
Other awards: Lifetime Achievement Award; Audience Award (grant of 5,000 euros for the director); FIPRESCI Award; Bruno O'Ya Stipend for Internationally Acknowledged Estonian Talent (1,000 euros).
PÖFF Shorts presents its own awards in the international live-action and animation competitions, the New Talents student competitions and the national competition.
Festival rules
Regulations for the 30th edition (6–22 November 2026).
Competitions (all films 70 minutes and over, completed after 1 January 2026):
- Official Selection Competition: international, non-specialised; world premieres only.
- First Feature Competition: international, for directors presenting their first full-length fiction feature; world premieres only.
- Rebels with a Cause Competition: unconventional films of all forms, including fiction, documentary and animation; world premieres only. Short films in this competition screen within PÖFF Shorts.
- Critics' Picks Competition: up to ten auteur-driven feature films; world premieres only.
- Doc@PÖFF International Competition: feature-length documentaries from anywhere; world premieres only.
- Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition: feature-length documentaries from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; priority to world or international premieres.
- Baltic Film Competition: feature films from Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania or with significant participation from one of these countries; priority to world or international premieres, films already premiered in Estonia are also eligible.
Non-competitive programme: films completed after 1 January 2026, at least an Estonian premiere, no geographic restriction.
Feature films are submitted only through the festival's FilmFreeway page. Short films and animation are submitted to PÖFF Shorts, youth and children's films to Just Film, each through its own submission page.
