MANILA, PHILIPPINES, NOVEMBER 15, 2021 — On its 25th year, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) selected three films from the Philippines to participate in its film festival happening in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia which started last November 12 and will conclude on November 28, 2021.

Jun Robles Lana’s Big Night! is part of the festival’s Main Competition, joining 19 other competing films from all over the world to premiere in one of the biggest international film festivals in Northern Europe. Still basking in the success of Kalel, 15 in the 23rd PÖFF in 2019 where Lana received the Best Director Award, Big Night! is much anticipated by international audiences and film critics.

This dark comedy follows the story of a gay beautician, played by Christian Bables, whose life takes a drastic turn when her name appears on the neighborhood watchlist of drug users. As others on the list have fallen victim to assasination one by one, she has 24 hours to clear her name and save herself from the same fate. Joined by an outstanding cast of the industry’s brightest stars, Eugene Domingo, Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Ricky Davao, Gina Pareño, Alan Paule, Soliman Cruz, and John Arcilla, Big Night! is set to shine.

Khavn De La Cruz is joining this year’s roster with his Love is a Dog from Hell under the Rebels with a Cause category. Khavn is notable for his surprising treatments and his experimental approach to storytelling. For this film, he made a bizarre and fascinating spectacle shot with ten various cameras.

Finally, How to Die Young in Manila by Petersen Vargas will be competing in the PÖFF Shorts Competition which is set to begin mid-festival, November 16 until November 24. The film follows a teenage boy as he trails a group of hustlers in search for his anonymous night fling. One by one, the boys turn up dead until there is only one left.

These proudly Pinoy films are having their world premiere in Tallinn and will have multiple screenings across different venues in Estonia throughout the 2-week film festival.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) extends its well wishes to this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival participants from the Philippines. FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño shares, “Thank you to our three filmmakers for bringing the Philippines with them in the spotlight at Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival. We are proud of them. Congratulations for making it to the competitions, and the best of luck to all of them in the coming days.” 

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, also known as PÖFF (Pimedate Ööde Film Festival) is one of the 15 film festivals that is rated in “A-category” by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). This year’s festival is expected to be participated by over 1,000 guests and industry delegates and is set to screen more than 500 featured films and shorts