Returning for its 29th edition, Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) this year named Júlia de Paz Solvas’ The Good Daughter as the 2025 Grand Prix winner, with the Best Director award going to Turkish filmmaker Ali Vatansever for his emotive drama LifeLike.

For a full list of PÖFF award winners, please see below:

Official Selection Competition

Best Production Design
Chris Richmond, David Hand, Think of England

Best Original Score
Erdem Helvacıoğlu, LifeLike

Best Script
Ståle Stein Berg, No Comment

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 Daughter

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

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

First Feature Competition

Jury Special Prize
Easy Girl, director Hille Norden (Germany)

Jury Special 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’ Picks Competition

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 With a Cause Competition

Best Director
Rógan Graham, Blindsight (Romania, Türkiye)

Best Film
The Baronesses, director Nabil Ben Yadir, Mokhtaria Badaoui (Belgium, Luxembourg, France)

Best Rebel With a Cause Short Film
Pay Day, 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

Jury Special 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)

Jury Special 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 Award
Jessica Hausner

More information on the 2025 Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) can be found at poff.ee.

Daniel Green