Triin Tramberg is the new artistic director of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), with longtime fest director Tiina Lokk shifting her focus to issues of overall strategic and developmental direction, while remaining CEO of PÖFF. The news, unveiled on Wednesday, comes as the Baltic festival will celebrate its 30th edition this November.
Organizers said that PÖFF would enter “a new chapter, marked by significant leadership changes and a strengthened commitment to artistic excellence, talent development, and international collaboration.”
Tramberg is a “film curator and industry connector who has grown alongside PÖFF for more than 15 years,” the fest highlighted. “Beginning her journey as a program assistant, growing into program coordinator, she has played a central role in shaping the festival’s international profile through initiatives such as Script Pool, Industry@Tallinn’s Discovery Campus, the First Feature Competition, and PÖFF Goes to Cannes. As the founder and long-time manager of Script Pool, Tramberg has supported films that later premiered and won major awards at Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, and Toronto.”
Her work is “driven by a strong belief in long-term artistic development and in creating meaningful encounters between films and audiences,” the fest added. Her goal in her new role will be to “further strengthen PÖFF’s curatorial identity while supporting bold cinematic voices and keeping the festival open, curious, and closely connected to its audiences.”
As part of the leadership change, Tramberg has appointed Dhanushka Gunathilake (Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, Dark in the White Light) as head of the Discovery Campus, PÖFF’s talent and industry platform. The award-winning cinematographer and festival professional also founded Sri Lanka’s first state-sponsored film school. His film The Frozen Fire was Sri Lanka’s first-ever submission to the Academy Awards. At PÖFF, he has worked as a TV host, Q&A moderator, and project manager at the Discovery Campus, where he spearheaded Frame Within a Frame, the fest’s cinematography-dedicated masterclass initiative.
Meanwhile, Malaika Bova will take over as curator of PÖFF’s First Feature Competition. The international film curator and programmer has more than 20 years of experience across European and U.K. film institutions and previously served as artistic director of the Raindance Film Festival. She has been working as a U.K. scout for PÖFF.
The Tallinn festival on Thursday also unveiled a transition at Just Film, its youth and children’s film festival, which has grown over the past 25 years under the leadership of Mikk Granström. Now, Jan-Joonas Pevkur has been appointed as the new program director, following several years of selecting films for the children’s program and producing fest events. Granström will continue as administrative manager of the Tallinn fest.
The 30th edition of PÖFF will take place Nov. 6-22, with the 25th edition of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event running Nov. 9-20.
