In 2023, the Ministry of Culture dedicated €55 million to the audiovisual sector. This is the highest figure put at the service of audiovisual companies and professionals in recent years, and it is planned to maintain it. The funds managed by ICEC cover the entire audiovisual value chain, with items destined from development to internationalization through Catalan Films and Catalunya Film Commission. Notably, Catalan Film Academy awards the Gaudí prizes.
The Institut Ramon Llull boosts the internationalization of the Catalan audiovisual field through grant calls, as well as collaborating with international film festivals. This support has helped to make visible and consolidate some of the values for which the Catalan audiovisual industry stands out: the talent of professionals, the existence of internationally recognized training centres, the work and commitment of a powerful audiovisual industry, which draws from a long tradition and generates an enormous variety of productions, and the richness of a very large number of festivals that place the country on the international map.
The forthcoming focus programme at PÖFF will include a representative selection of the most recent Catalan cinema, as well as restored masterpieces of Catalan cinema history. At the festival's industry arm, Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event, the aspiring Catalan filmmakers can broaden their horizons and network with professionals from the Baltic region and other territories represented at the festival.
Catalonia, with a population of just over eight million, produces just over 50 domestic feature films a year, and has recently been recognised with prestigious awards, such as Carla Simón's Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival and represented Spain in the non-English-language Oscar category. Pablo Berger's Robot Dreams was voted Best Animated Feature by the European Film Academy in 2023. Catalan directors such as Isabel Coixet, Albert Serra and J.A. Bayona have made a name for themselves around the world.
"We hope to bring a light Mediterranean ray of light to the dark nights of Tallinn," said Joan Ruiz of Catalan Films at the closing ceremony of PÖFF, where next year's guest list was announced.
The festival's founder and director, Tiina Lokk, commented on the choice: "The Catalan Cinema Focus offers a coherent showcase of the region's rich cinematic tradition, highlighting its full-of-spirit storytelling and cultural depth. It’s an exciting opportunity to explore the perspectives and artistic voices emerging from Catalonia, and introduce them to the local and international audiences."
The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival honoured German cinema, culminating in a closing ceremony on Sunday, November 24th. The Grand Prix for the Best Film was awarded to Silent City Driver by Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia).
