With international Works in Progress, Script Pool and European Genre Forum pitches leading the day, Thursday offers a prime look at emerging talent and new projects. Just Film Industry Days adds its own voice with thought-provoking sessions on youth cinema, complemented by a strong selection of industry panels across Discovery Campus and beyond.
Wednesday’s pitches were all about the Baltic Event Co-Production market. On Thursday, it’s time to widen the horizon and move on to international Works in Progress, Script Pool and European Genre Forum pitches. Everyone with an accreditation or a day ticket is welcome to come and see the pitches and vote for their favourite. The best projects both in the Baltic and International Works in Progress will be granted 7000 euros, consisting of 6000 euros worth of services by Studio Beep, together with a 1000 euros travel allowance.
Thursday's pitches are the following:
International Works in Progress
International Works in Progress presents selected projects from all around the world fresh out of production. Each project will be pitched by filmmakers, followed by selected clips from the film to further expand the potential of the project. The sessions ensure sales agents and festival programmers to gain a deeper understanding of each film’s visual style and tone. One-to-one meetings follow the pitching session.
Script Pool Pitching Event
The Script Pool competition, part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event film market activities and the Discovery Campus educational program, is taking place for the ninth time. Each year, it highlights five international projects and their teams — director-scriptwriter and producer. The aim is to showcase film projects with high distribution potential that already have a final draft in place. Focusing on both the script and the overall project presentation, the projects and their teams will be introduced to international industry decision-makers (sales agents, financiers, and co-producers), whose contribution can enhance their sales and distribution opportunities. The pitching session is moderated by Andrea Reuter.
European Genre Forum
Public pitching will bring eight European Genre Forum projects from eight countries to the industry audience. As in previous years, the highly anticipated final pitch of the eight chillingly fresh and exciting projects from the participants of European Genre Forum 2025 will be at the heart of the Tallinn Lab. Come and discover the hottest new talent in European genre cinema!
During the pitches we can’t forget about Just Film Industry Days and what exciting events it has to offer:
Horror Film Elements in Children's Films
Marjo Kovanen, fresh from completing her PhD, explores how horror elements in children’s films go beyond scares to create stories that resonate with young audiences. She is joined by Estonian director-screenwriter Oskar Lehemaa, best known for Bad Hair (Karv, 2019), who will discuss his new stop-motion children’s short The Mystery of Missing Socks and the subtle horror woven into its charming, handcrafted world.
The Shrinking Gap Between Theatrical and Streaming Releases
Are movie theatres and festival screenings increasingly seen as a brief, necessary, and prestigious stop for a film before it lands on streaming platforms? With the gap between theatrical and streaming releases now averaging about a month, what role do cinemas and festivals play in this shifting landscape? What does this mean for children’s films? Are festivals becoming a platform for more thoughtful, emotionally rich stories, or a place where creative risks can still thrive?
On Thursday, the programme continues to offer new and exciting Discovery Campus meetings and public panels:
Crafting Atmosphere: The Symbiosis of Sound and Image in Jessica Hausner’s Cinema
This masterclass explores how image, sound, and music shape tone, style, and psychological tension in Jessica Hausner’s films, with Club Zero as the central case study. Hausner and composer Markus Binder will discuss their creative collaboration, showing selected scenes to illustrate how sound and music guide mood and audience engagement. The session also touches on Hausner’s “female gaze without sentiment” and how it challenges conventional feminist portrayals.
Legal Workshop: Contracts That Protect the Actors
Lawyers Priit Lätt and Silvia Urgas from Tegos law firm go over the basics of a good actors contract and what to keep in mind.
Director-Composer Lab: Composing the Cut
In partnership with BFM, this workshop led by Emmy-nominated composer Miriam Cutler explores the director–composer relationship, beginning with a public lecture on collaboration and scoring. In a closed session, Music Meets Film participants are paired with BFM directors to score a 2-minute work-in-progress clip using Orchestral Tools packages. A mentor-led listening and feedback session concludes the workshop, offering practical insight into how music and picture shape each other.
Panel: Netflix, Tenet and Viking Valhalla - what opportunities do these films and series bring to actors from the Baltic Sea region?
Casting directors Frank Moiselle (Ireland /UK), Heli Jürisson (Estonia) and talent agent Raakel Huikuri (Lisa Richards Nordics), moderated by Claudia Landsberger.
Thursday will also cover a panel session on Catalonian focus:
Catalonia in Focus: A Leading Hub for International Co-Production
This session showcases the strength of the Catalan audiovisual ecosystem, highlighting its co-production opportunities, diverse locations, high-quality services, and competitive funding schemes. Attendees will receive an overview of public support structures along with case studies from leading Catalan companies. Designed for international producers, distributors, and investors, the session offers practical insights into why Catalonia is a strategic partner for global projects.
Additional panels and case studies on Thursday:
Breaking the Buzz: How Trade Magazines Shape Film Visibility
In today’s crowded festival and market landscape, trade magazines like Variety, Screen International, Cineuropa, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Film Verdict remain key gatekeepers of visibility — and this panel reveals how they decide what to cover. Editors and journalists will discuss how trades operate, what they look for in pitches, and how filmmakers and publicists can approach them effectively. Moderated by Cineuropa’s Davide Abbatescianni, the session offers practical guidance and rare insight into how “buzz” is built in the global film ecosystem.
EGF Open Workshop: Life Like Speed-Case-Study
LifeLike is premiering in PÖFF Official Competition. The case study explores how the film used VRChat and a real-time VR camera plugin to capture actors' performances live, as avatars. Director Ali Vatansever will discuss the practical workflow, the artistic challenges, and how this "raw" virtual method unlocked a surprising emotional intimacy, creating a new cinematic language for a humanist story.
Private Financing in Film: Between Promise and Illusion
This session offers an unfiltered look at private film financing in Europe, with experts from Moby Dick Film Capital, Creativity Capital, Together Fund, and Tallifornia breaking down how deals are really being made. Speakers will compare investment models — from venture capital and private equity to entrepreneurial, tech-driven approaches — and share concrete examples of structures, recoupment, risk, and what private investors actually need. Moderated by Roosa Toivonen (Fireframe Fund), the panel promises candid insights, practical terms, and a reality check on lingering industry illusions.
The Flow Cat Phenomenon: From Latvia to the Oscars
From its Cannes premiere to an Oscar win and more than €50 million at the global box office, Flow has become a true European phenomenon. In this keynote, producer Matīss Kaža unpacks the story behind the making of Flow and how the film built international reach, audience engagement, and a strong brand identity. Learn how strategic festival launches, smart partnerships, and global deal-making turned Flow into one of the most successful European releases of recent years.
Emerging hotspot for bold film production and innovation
IDA Hub is a new Nordic-Baltic initiative reshaping how film and multimedia projects are developed, combining modern studio facilities, an industry incubation programme, and an innovation-focused startup accelerator. Designed to strengthen collaboration and streamline creative workflows, it helps new ideas reach the market. With strong regional and national incentives, IDA Hub offers an ideal environment for ambitious, boundary-pushing productions.
Check Thursday’s full programme here.