Tallinn's Baltic Event Unveils 16 Works in Progress for Nov. 19 Pitch

Sixteen films in production or post-production will pitch at Tallinn's Baltic Event on Thursday, Nov. 19 — all in a single day, for the first time in the showcase's history. The works in progress were selected from more than 100 submissions worldwide.

The lineup, split across Baltic Event Works in Progress, International Works in Progress and Just Film Works in Progress for kids and youth, pairs veterans with newcomers. Tribeca winner Darko Lungulov, director of Serbia's Oscar candidate "Here and There," will pitch "1970," set in Yugoslavia during Nixon's visit and anti–Vietnam War protests. Lithuania's Ernestas Jankauskas ("Troll Farm," "Sasha Was Here") brings "The Queen of England Stole My Parents," a feature spinoff of his short that won best short at the Lithuanian Film Awards in 2014.

What does the selection look like? Kärt Väinola and Helen Räim, the works in progress co-managers, said: "The final selection is a great blend of different genres from psychological dramas to dark comedies and satiric self-reflections." They reported entries from Southeast and Central Europe, Latin America and Spain.

The co-managers also flagged recurring themes. "The theme of family and especially the bond between parent and child runs through the whole selection, as a source of both fear and freedom," they said. Mortality and loss appear "treated with rare lightness in several films," notably the dark comedies "A Midnight Pilgrimage," "Marry Then Die," "Burlaks" and "The Elderly Store," plus the fantasy drama "The Reef." Time and memory anchor "And Thus It Will Go On" and "Luci Looped in Limbo."

Who are the international names?

The International Works in Progress section carries four titles. Bafta-nominated Welsh director Josh Trigg, a protégé of Naomi Kawase, will present "Leopard Spots," shot in 16mm in a small factory town in Nara, Japan. Producer Toby Cameron said the film "combines British social-realist sensibility with contemplative Japanese cinema." It follows single mother Lilly in what the project describes as a bitter-sweet tale of failed redemption.

Basque newcomer Marina Palacio pitches "And Thus It Will Go On," produced by Gariza Films ("Sisters," "20,000 Species of Bees"), which won "most promising project" at the Baltic Event Script Pool in 2022. France contributes Théo Gottlieb's debut "Luci Looped in Limbo," starring Luzja Richter ("Phantom Thread") and Pascal Grégory ("One Fine Morning"). Producer Yoel Servadio called it "rooted in a deeply personal story that explores universal themes of love, loss and acceptance." Montenegro, Albania and Serbia co-produce Nina Tratnik's debut "Požari," and Denmark and Kyrgyzstan round out the section with a psychological thriller and a dark drama about aging.

What comes from the Baltic region?

Lithuania's Saulius Baradinskas, an American Film Institute graduate whose short "Techno Mama" bowed in Venice, pitches his feature debut "Concrete Music" — a crime drama and musical set in 1990s post-Soviet Lithuania. Estonia offers Katrin Ruus's "A Midnight Pilgrimage," written by PÖFF Lifetime Achievement recipient Peeter Urbla. Producer Sander Lebreht said: "At a time when everyone is asking where men fit in, this film doesn't lecture. It listens."

Latvia supplies two: Elza Gauja's "Marry Then Die," from the director whose "Postcard from Rome" won best film at the Latvian Film Awards in 2024, and Gatis Ungurs's debut "Burlaks," produced by Cannes Latvian Producer on the Move 2025 Kristele Pudane.

What about youth titles?

Just Film Works in Progress includes "Game of Thrones" actor Kristofer Hivju as the eccentric "Uncle Egg" in Torfinn Iversen's Norwegian-German sophomore feature, and "The Reef," adapted by Michael Kinirons from Seita Vuorela's novel "Karikko." Producer Daniel Ehrenber said the film "brings together two things that don't often go hand in hand in films for young audiences: the excitement of a gripping adventure and an honest exploration of grief and loss."

Bulgaria's "All Girls," inspired by the 2001 "Indigo" club tragedy in Sofia, completes the slate.

For the first time, all pitches run on one day — morning and early afternoon — leaving filmmakers time to negotiate before the Baltic Event closing ceremony on Nov. 20. Whether that compressed schedule deepens dealmaking or simply condenses it, buyers will learn within 24 hours.