At the PÖFF Shorts award ceremony held on Saturday November 23 in Tallinn's Club Hollywood, the winners of the Black Night Film Festival's short film and animation sub-festival PÖFF Shorts were announced.

For the first time, the joint jury of PÖFF Shorts put forth a candidate to the European Film Awards 2020 in the short film category.

LIST OF WINNERS:

PÖFF SHORTS NATIONAL COMPETITION 
Presenter: Overall Pro Rent 
Jury: Eva Näripea, Marina D. Richter, Marija Milovanovic

BEST SHORT
"Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves" (Estonia, 2019)
Director: Chintis Lundgren

Jury statement: "It is a playful and smoothly developed script, wonderfully freed of cliches and rich in imagination. Political incorrectness is consciously used as an inclusion tool - male, female, cats and dogs. Empowerment belongs to everyone. The filmmaker shows how fragile the concept of an ideal family and morality is, but doesn’t turn it into a downfall of family bounds. A big howl for Toomas beneath the valley of the wild wolves!"

SPECIAL MENTION
"Bad Hair" (Estonia, 2019)
Director: Oskar Lehemaa

Jury statement: "It’s a film about midlife crisis that turns into a very clever genre piece that takes the fun out of obsession with perfect looks and beauty. It’s a well crafted and perfectly rounded contemporary tale that literally ends up in flames. The film doesn’t shy of black humour and even though it is not made to be didactic it is a perfect example of “may you get what you wish for.”

ANIMATION COMPETITION
Jury: Chiara Magri, Nicolas Khabbaz, Sander Joon

BEST SHORT ANIMATION
Presenters: A Film Eesti, Fork Film, Tolm
"Deep Love" (Ukraine, 2019)
Directors: Mykita Lyskov

Jury statement: "For the straightforward message reflected in a complex treatment, the crude style works very well to be  funny and bitter, light and deep."

SPECIAL MENTION
"Lola the Living Potato" (France, Russia, 2018)
Director: Leonid Shmelkov

Jury statement: "A film that overcomes the barrier to reach the inner child in us, in a beautiful depiction of loss and new beginning."

SHORTS NEW TALENTS COMPETITION: ANIMATION
Presenter: Eesti Kunstiakadeemia
Jury: Chiara Magri, Nicolas Khabbaz, Sander Joon

BEST SHORT ANIMATION
"Daughter" (Czechia, 2019)
Director: Daria Kashcheeva

Jury statement: "A mastered storytelling piece about a father and daughter relationship. Conveying powerful deep emotions from animated puppets. Using live action cinematic techniques and successfully crossing."

SPECIAL MENTION
"Zorg II" (Estonia, 2019)
Director: Auden Lincoln-Vogel

Jury statement: "For its exploding ideas and bravery in style."

LIVE ACTION COMPETITION
Jury: Martti Helde, Kathleen McInnis, Ingvar Sigurðsson

BEST SHORT FILM
Presenter: Nafta Films
"Holy Family" (Portugal, 2019)
Director: Margarida Lucas

Jury statement: "For its compelling freshness and originality in visual storytelling; where we can clearly see the unique handwriting of the director among all the characters and in particular a loving and strong mother figure unlike any we’ve seen before." "

SPECIAL MENTION
"FROM MATTI WITH LOVE" (Finland, 2019)
Director: Jarno Lindemark

Jury statement: "For its sensitive, intimate and emotionally revealing portrayals."

SHORTS NEW TALENTS COMPETITION: LIVE-ACTION
Jury: Martti Helde, Kathleen McInnis, Ingvar Sigurðsson
Presenter: Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School of Tallinn University

BEST SHORT FILM
"My planet" (Belgium, 2018) 
Director: Valery Carnoy

Jury statement: "Unexpectedly delicate, egoless, visceral and above all humorous – as it turns the human condition on its head. It’s about simple love and everyday problems in relationships, and how we see ourselves when reflected through the eyes of someone we love."

SPECIAL MENTION
"Elephantbird" (Afganisthan, 2019)
Director: Masoud Soheili

Jury statement: "Sincere both in how it is made and in its message, the story feels at once ancient and yet deeply relevant as it traverses a landscape dotted with archetypes and multiple forks in the road around every corner."

EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2020
CANDIDATE FOR EUROPEAN SHORT FILM
Jury: Martti Helde, Kathleen McInnis, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Chiara Magri, Nicolas Khabbaz, Sander Joon, Eva Näripea, Marina D. Richter, Marija Milovanovic

“12 K Marx Street” (Georgia, 2019)
Director: Irine Jordania

Jury statement: “We put forward 12 K Marx Street for consideration of the EFA. We were struck by the filmmaker’s use of simple framing which yielded a deeply felt emotional connection to both story and character.”

The 2019 edition of PÖFF Shorts runs from 19-27 November 2019 at various venues around Tallinn, Estonia. It is a sub-festival of the Black Nights Film Festival which takes place 15th November – 1st December 2019.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) is a unique event combining a feature film festival with the sub-festivals of animated films, short films and children/youth films. The festival aims to present Estonian audiences a comprehensive selection of world cinema in all its diversity, providing a friendly atmosphere for interaction between the audience and filmmakers from all around the world.

PÖFF Shorts Award Ceremony Gallery: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/poffihunt/sets/72157711908257031/

PÖFF Shorts, http://shorts.poff.ee/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/poffshorts
Black Nights Film Festival, http://www.poff.ee
ShortEst Estonian Short Film Center, www.shortest.eu

PÖFF Shorts 2019 Award Ceremony. Photo: Aron Urb, Black Nights Film Festival

PÖFF Shorts 2019 Award Ceremoniy. Photo: Aron Urb, Black Nights Film Festival

Contact
Heinrich Sepp
PÖFF Shorts Communications and Marketing
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http://shorts.poff.ee/